Camiam555

Ok so I was thinking of taking Hapkido as a Martial arts. Can some one describe to me what kind of fighting it is and if it is effective against other styles. I mean i know skill level is one of the most important things but what do you think?

7r14ngL3Ch0k3

I dont know how to answer this really but dont worry about how it does against other styles of martial arts. In a sporting contest, hapkido doesnt do well. In a self defense situation, i dont think it does too well either but thats my opinion. If you train something long enough, with the right training methods and mindset, then it can serve you good for defending yourself.

Tom Yum

The basic idea is to strike your opponent, close and lock him up to get control (standing), sweep or throw then break something. Stylistically - its a bit like Taekwondo (lots of kicks), Japanese jujitsu (strikes - hard weapon/soft target) and aikido (joint locks, sweeps, throws).

Skill level is important.

Is it effective against other styles? It depends on the skill of the other stylist, what styles he or she has practiced and for how long.

Royce Gracie trained in Hapkido to improve his striking ability? Why? He wasn't looking to go toe-to-toe like a powerful muaythai fighter or a boxer, rather he wanted to be able to throw some quick, hard strikes on the way in so that his opponent would be easier to grapple with.

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Love it, leave it or fix it.

WildWest.

Anybody who judges a style purely on a non-committed attendance of one class isn't worth listening to.

The above quote is from someone with a limited view of MA's and of RBSD. But make your own mind up.

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"Too much weights, not enough speed work"

Tom Yum

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xfrcEt2Sjw

The first part of this clip are demonstrations of throws, board breaking and acrobatics/break falls - most of the flashy stuff used to demonstrate skill, but not really combat oriented.

The last part (the good stuff) is a full-contact tournament. Hapkido fighters can throw some hard kicks. When they close the distance, they go for sweeps or throws.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BryqS55_0PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J39BrcKL4ts

This is a slightly different system - looks like this guy took away all the flashy demo type self-defense moves and kept the combat related stuff. In my very humble opinion, this is what Hapkido should be like...

Pure-combat Hapkido as demonstrated by GM Pelligrini, who has something like 40 years in the system.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tswPea9jOHw

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kuk sool won

Woaa Nelly, hold your horses, he hasn't dissed the art in any way, he has just stated his opinion in a perfectly valid way, hense that phrase 'but thats my opinion'. In addition to that he has noted 'If you train something long enough, with the right training methods and mindset, then it can serve you good for defending yourself.' Clearly expressing an open mind of the art, you have just jumped to the conclusion that he's putting Hapkido down.

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WildWest.

In previous threads regarding Hapkido he has put it down. I respect his opinion providing it's a logical one, but going by what he has said previously, he has made silly comments about the art itself rather than the class he attended. To me it's narrow mindedness.

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"Too much weights, not enough speed work"

Alain

Like anything, it depends.

Hapkido is a very good martial art, but it depends on what Hapkido you are learning and who is teaching it. Finding a good instructor in any art is better than what art you practice.

One problem I see with Hapkido is a lot of places that advertise Hapkido are just adding a few joint locks to what they already do and saying we do Hapkido too.

Hapkido schools, that do Hapkido only, are usually better programs and more complete. Hapkido is a complete art, not just something you add onto something else.

In a good Hapkido program you will learn to strike, kick, breath, fall, throw, tons of joint locks (what Hapkido is often most known for), weapons, etc. Probably the weakest area of Hapkido is groundwork, due to Hapkido's philosophy that you should put the other guy on the ground, but not be there yourself. (Very good philosophy for real fights, especially when the guy's buddies are around)

Hapkido programs do have some fancy more show techniques that you will see in demos, etc. However, there are a lot of practical self-defense skills that most students can benefit from in a fairly short time period.

Again, it really depends on who you are learning from.

Yours in Training,
Alain

www.burrese.com

Tom Yum

That's one of the things I disliked about it...the showier throws.

Alain, I know you are a highly skilled and well respected Hapkido instructor and you certainly outrank me.

I hope my opinions stated earlier were not taken offensively, but were more geared to pragmatism.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge here.

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Alain

Any times people can share information, regardless of differences of opinion, and do so respectfully, no offence should be taken. On another Hapkido forum, a Combat Hapkido Hapkidoin and I disagree greatly on the Combat Hapkido videos. We do so respectfully and both of us like and respect each other. That's a good thing. It is when people get stupid and start calling names, etc. that everyone loses.

The martial arts mean different things to different people. That is why different people have different focuses to their training. Some do it for exercise. (Taebo anyone?) Some do it for sport - boxing, TKD, Judo, MMA, etc. Some do it to better themselves and almost as a spiritual path - some Aikido, etc. Others do it as an art, just as one would do any other artistic venture. Others want purely to be able to fight or defend themselves on the street - military combatives, etc. It is very hard to train for all of those reasons in the same art and at the same time. Training for one can be counter to training to another. Example, sports have rules, the street doesn't. Two different types of training.

For me, martial arts and Hapkido, and I say both because while Hapkido is the primary art I practice and teach, I learn from other people in different styles too, is part of me. When younger, I competed some. Then my focus was on how to fight and survive in the bar brawls and such I was getting in. Then as I got older, I wanted to learn the art, and the other benefits that come with training. Now I focus on teaching the art of Hapkido with a strong self-defense emphasis. Notice that I chose an art that has a strong self-defense emphasis, but I do recognize that not everything in the Hapkido curriculum is as practical for the street.

Part of my training is mental as well. I enjoy studying and applying the warrior principles to life. Just a couple weeks ago I was writing one of my negotiation columns for the Montana Lawyer and I was talking about Strategy and Tactics and how the military and martial art philosophy of strategy and tactics also applies to negotiation. For Christmas I got some book store gift certificates and I picked up "The Warrior's Mantra," "Samurai Strategies," "Budo Secrets," "Secret Tactics," "Scholar Warrior," "Sun Tzu The Art of War for Managers," "Sun Tzu For Success," "Becoming a Complete Martial Artist," and "Secrets of Effective Offense." (The last two are by friends - Secrets is by Marc MacYoung and Becoming is by Marc MacYoung and Tristan Sutrisno with Dianna Gordon)

So those are the martial art books I'll be reading in the next few months, taking things to apply to my training, my teaching and my life. That's just who I am. Many people have no desire to study like I do. Martial arts are more of a hobby, and that is fine. Everyone has different goals for training.

Now that I am in a position to teach and help others, I try to do what I can. Sure, I make some money on the things I write, my dvds, my seminars, etc. But I'm not doing it for the money. My mediation and law practice is what feeds my family. Sure, I'd like to sell more and teach more, but not just for money. It makes me feel good to get a note from someone saying my book or dvd helped them. It makes me feel good to see my video in a top ten list of hundreds of videos. It makes me feel good to see students of mine growing and becoming better. It makes me feel good to share on lists and forums and help others. And by doing all of that, I learn and grow too.

I appreciate your posts and never have a problem with people disagreeing with me, as long as we can disagree respectfully. I'm not the highest ranking, I'm not the best, I'm not always right, I've just been doing this a while, have studied a lot, and work on being able to pass on what I've learned to others. And hopefully by doing so make a positive difference...

Yours in Training,

Alain

www.burrese.com
www.aikiproductions.com