ajs1976

I have been doing some book buying recently, and i'm looking for some recommendations.

I have purchased Bong Soo Han's and Scott Shaw's Hapkido books. these are what I would call 'picture' books.

I have also purchased "Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere" by Westbrook and Ratti. This book is amazing. It discusses the theories of Aikido. There are illustrations for techinique, but the explanations are great. They discuss how the techinique is done, why it is done that way, and how it applies the theories of Aikido.

Is there a comparable book that covers Hapkido?

medic06

the book by Marc Tedeschi is pretty good (over a thousand pages long!). It has some good stuff in it. My teacher also had a book by Dr. He-Young Kim which was one of his prized possessions.

MJR

Although Mr.Tedeschi did a fair job at covering the art's background and has filled the book with excellent quality photographs it seems clear that in attempting not to represent any particular school's approach to hapkido he has created something that really represents an approach that none of the major schools teach from. By trying to please all he has in the end represented none. ( Which one may say, quite fairly, may have been his aim but for me it removes much of the organizational intelligence that various hapkido groups have sought put into things such as a meaningful order for introducing techniques. )

While reading this book I often questioned whether he was not a practitioner more influenced by arts other than hapkido.His manner of performing many techniques is sometimes not consistant with that of the many senior teachers I've been exposed to in nearly 2 decades of study both in North America and Korea and without a doubt he includes technique from outside the art.

I'm being overly hard on the book I suppose only because many people in their excitement over the Tedeschi book's size and breadth rate it as the DIFINITIVE hapkido book while I feel other books do the job better in many respects. ( And many others probably feel differently. ) It is a good book. It just isn't the book.

Books by Hee-Young Kimm ("Hapkido") and Kwang-Sik Myung ("Korean Hapkido"), practitioners with whom I am not connected, still remain the best on the subject in my opinion. Although they have become increasing difficult to find they are still available. Pick up a Taekwondo Times and you'll find distributors for them I'm sure.

__________________
Matthew Rogers
Director of the Scarborough
Martial Arts Training Group
www.spiritforging.com

ajs1976

MJR,

I have come across similiar comments about the Tedeschi before.

Can you give me more information on the Hee-Young Kimm book?

Thanks.

medic06

http://www.ryukyu.com/Merchant2/merc...Code=05KOSH211


Dr. He-Young Kimm's book I feel is about as good as it gets as far as a book on Hapkido is concerned. He has founded his own system, Han Mu Do.
Tedeschi's book probably is influenced by other similar styles, but I still found it to be an enjoyable read.

MJR

Hi guys,

Medic06 I agree. A good read and very strong attempt at covering the breadth of hapkido.

I think if the book were promoted as a personal statement about Mr. Tedeschi's training I wouldn't think it strange to have elements which have nothing to do with hapkido in it. But it is touted as a 'hapkido bible' so it seems to be out of place to have Wally Jay interviews, Dillman-like concepts and techniques which clearly come specifically from his Taekwondo and jujutsu training. Others may however feel that including these elements 'rounds' hapkido. Certainly many people have been impressed by the accupuncture/anatomy sections.

When I look at many of the technique portions I can't help but feel that while Mr. Tedeschi is showing the lock portions of the techniques correctly, his body posture and 'where his weight is' do not represent the ideal as I have been taught them. I also find the great number of angry faced, open mouth kiais while doing the techniques a little un-hapkido like. Han Bong Soo once said that he only makes faces like that when photographers ask him to! (But Tedeschi is selling books too, so who knows?)

AJS1976: I think Myung illustrates the techniques as I have been taught them by my own teacher, Hwang In-Shik, and as is represented by the teachers I have been exposed to in the Korea Hapkido Federation when I was living in Korea.

Kimm's book is the most comprehensive in terms of covering the greatest number of techniques and including techniques which really are upper level hapkido techniques and introduces them in a rational order for learning. His MODERN history (in 'Hapkido') is the closest to the truth of things as has been seen in print as of yet.

I think you might be disappointed by any of these AJS1976 though in that they lack the philosophical bent that 'the Dynamic Sphere' has and are more like books which catalogue the technical syllabus and give a brief overview of the background of the art. Hee-Young Kimm's book has an overview of the major personalities in hapkido who have played a major role in its development. ( I liked the Dynamic Sphere also but alas there is nothing like that for hapkido. )

Of the videos available I thought that 'Ultimate Hapkido V 1-3' was better than most though perhaps slightly overpriced in consideration of its length. Also technique and not theory or philosophically oriented in its content.

I wish you fellows good training!

__________________
Matthew Rogers
Director of the Scarborough
Martial Arts Training Group
www.spiritforging.com

medic06

I've noticed that most Hapkido books (and the people who write them) pay little attention to the overall philosophy and concepts. Sometimes I wonder if this is why there is the huge variability among Hapkido schools worldwide. I've seen schools that are very flowing and "aiki like" to those which look like "Taekwondo with locks". Most of them fall somewhere in between.