Hapkido

[bvermillion]

I would like for the great people of this forum to tell me there overall views of Hapkido. I just started training in it and dont really no what to think. Tell me what you think is good or bad about it. Only serious responses please. (Oh wait what am I talking about this is defend.net.)

[Tom Yum]

I would like for the great people of this forum to tell me there overall views of Hapkido. I just started training in it and dont really no what to think. Tell me what you think is good or bad about it. Only serious responses please. (Oh wait what am I talking about this is defend.net.)

You've only asked about Hapkido, so I'll keep it in this context. I received my black-brown in Hapkido, which took me 4 years. I don't actively practice it, but I have used bits and pieces of it while sparring and grappling and it works. I can still get thrown and land properly

It boils down to your goals. It has alot of good aspects from a traditional martial art (discipline, focus, excercise, other culture) and a good component of self defense.

Korean arts in general emphasize kicking. Probably a cross cultural thing with the northern chinese, whom are generally taller, thus longer and stronger legs.

Hapkido can vary depending on the school you attend and the instructor. If a Korean guy is teaching, the school will tend to be more traditional, whereas if a westerner is teaching it will be more modernized.

Hapkido empasizes self respect, respect of others, being polite and developing yourself as a person.

The Curriculum

You will probably start out stretching and starting off with a quick bow to the grandmaster of the style/school (again depending on if the school is traditional or not).

You work on technique alot as a beginner, with kick, punch and strike drills from either a horse stance or fighting stance (depends on school again). The goal is to develop good balance, speed and accuracy first. Then as you progress you try to develop power. After a few solid months of training, you might be allowed to spar with gear.

You also work on stand up grappling techniques. The first few sets are defensive in nature - i.e someone grabs your arm, hair, gets you in a bear hug, headlock and you learn to work your way out by cotrolling leverage and momentum or using quick strikes to sensitive parts. The sets progress into more offensive techniques where your goal is to sweep, throw or lock your opponent while standing. You do tons of breakfalls on a mat to learn how to land to minimize damage from being thrown. Then after a few years, you get to learn how to ground fight. You learn pins a few strikes from the ground and a few finishing moves (submissions).

As you get more advanced you get to learn some interesting weapons - staff, long sword, short swords, rope (belt, handkerchief etc..) and walking cane. Most of these weapons are only taught after 1st dan but it depends on the school.

If it makes you feel any better, Royce Gracie trains with a Hanmu Hapkido master to improve his striking ability. He chose Hapkido specifically because Hapkidoists don't allways strike to KO (like Royce), rather to stun or stagger their opponent so that they can get ahold of a head, arm, waist or leg. That fits well with his ambitions to adapt to the MMA game.

Other Korean Styles to consider: Hwarang do, Tukong Musool (rare in the US, but worth it!), Kuk Sool Won, Tang Soo Do, Moo Yea Do.

[bvermillion]

Thanks for that very imformative post. I am thinking my instructor is modernized. Some of the things he tells me differ a little from what you said. I think he incorporates alot of his own preferences into his teaching style. He said the only weapons he teaches or was taught was the short stick and walking canes. And as far as gradually getting to spar he let me spar my first class (only because I have prior martial arts practice) and we didn't use any gear. The thing I like most was the sparring. It was pretty much mma, but not quite because we had mercy on are opponents. For example if someone took me down and got on top of me they didn't drill me in the face they just let me know they could have. My questions concerning hapkido come from the famous joint locks. Alot of them were very good and realistic. But some of them just seemed very far fetched. And 90% of them were all for the same attack. I have always believed one or two techniques per situation. He did show us some of the best knife disarms I have seen. At any rate I am getting to take the lessons for free and it provides me with a nice workout area. So if I am getting anything at all out of it there is no reason not to go as long as it is free.

[Tom Yum]

Cool. We weren't allowed to free spar and grapple until 2+ years of study. Yeah it sounds like a more modernized school, because your dropping the more traditional weapons (sword, staff) for the more modern ones (cane, short stick).

I found myself favoring certain joint locks because they were quick and easier to execute. The sets that involved grabbing an arm without striking first seemed unrealistic to me as did the ones that involved stepping under/getting behind your opponent without a previous lock or strike combination; hapkido was influenced by aikijujitsu so it could be something that originated from there.

[bvermillion]

Thanks again. There are alot of arts I dont know alot about but aikijutsu is one I know absolutely nothing about. I actually liked the step under two the back moves because they could be instituted with a grab to any part of my upper body. My biggest points of concern about joint locks are the flat out sensibility. I think they are useful if your in a situation that isn't really dangerous but you do need to take control of the situation or I could see how a police officer or bouncer could find them useful. I actually love learning joint locks. But I think that it is alot more sensible in a life or death situation to strike. If the person is close enough to lock up with they are definately close enough to strike. Now I know this is a case to case situation about using joint locks. I just think that maybe there are more cases where you shouldn't then where you should. These are just ramblings I come up with feel free to disagree. I do believe joint locks are importants but maybe not important enough to devote 75% or more of a style to them.

[Tom Yum]

I think it should be about 50/50 striking and joint locking. Don't forget that joint locks become snaps and breaks with more leverage and power behind them. If Hapkido incorporated limb destructions, it would be considerable meaner than it is and would make alot of those less likely locks easier to apply. It takes a ton of skill to catch a flying fist in the air and execute a wrist lock and most people will never attain this skill unless they are genetically gifted and practice intensely for 10+ years. Its much easier to parry the fist into your elbow, let the fist break and grab control of the wrist or arm.

[bvermillion]

As a matter of a fact the instructo so far has only taught us to parry the fist and then move into a lock. I went and took class again tonight it was alot of the same stuff as last time. I ended up stay after and grappling for aout an hour.

[Tom Yum]

Does the instructor borrow heavily from BJJ or combat wrestling? Hapkido isn't known for its ground fighting. Its crude compared to BJJ.

The principles that you apply are similar to HKD stand up grappling - you work the center line, use your body weight against the strength of a limb, try to escape holds using pressure points and sometimes leverage to get your own hold. Other than that, you don't really work from a formal position (i.e. the guard, mount, cross body). There was a general defensive position, where you post a foot against your partner's hip or thigh, but you don't learn the guard and how to really control position.

[bvermillion]

I would say about 70% of the students that attend here are involved in other martial arts and the grappling is just between the students after class. The instructor has just started taking bjj and has shown us the basic positions and we have spent minimal time in class going over them. I do the grappling mainly for the exercise. I wrestled in highschool and have done a small amount of bjj.

[Tom Yum]

Hey man, how are you enjoying hapkido so far?

[EnlightenedOne]

If Hapkido incorporated limb destructions, it would be considerable meaner than it is and would make alot of those less likely locks easier to apply. It takes a ton of skill to catch a flying fist in the air and execute a wrist lock and most people will never attain this skill unless they are genetically gifted and practice intensely for 10+ years. Its much easier to parry the fist into your elbow, let the fist break and grab control of the wrist or arm.

Actually, Hapkido does incorporate limb destructions...known otherwise as goonteens...I don't know how to spell it, but where I take Hapkido we do, use limb destructions.

[Tom Yum]

The only limb destructions that I'm familiar with involve striking the hand, knee or foot while in a hold. The hand is pretty fragile

[bvermillion]

Hey man, how are you enjoying hapkido so far?

I am actually enjoying it alot. I find that my prior experience in martial arts is helping me to advance quickly. I tested for my yellow belt two thursdays ago. I started working on my orange belt techniques the same thursday and already have them down. I am just continuing to fine tune them. I am hoping to test over them in about a week. I am putting alot of time in though. I spend about 12 hours a week at the dojang. And on top of that I try to work on it at home the best I can. Right now I am just waiting to join the military. I am having the time of my life. I devote all my spare time to training. I box on mondays. Hapkido on tuesday. Wednesday I am off. Thursday I have Hapkido. Friday I am off. And on Saturday I do hapkido and I box. I have never been able to devote more then 4 or 5 hours a week to martial arts. On top of the martial arts I am working out to stay in shape for the military. But as far as your initial question. I am enjoying hapkido alot. The enviroment is great.

[Tom Yum]

Cool man, good luck with your entry into the military. Which branch are you joining?

[EnlightenedOne]

The only limb destructions that I'm familiar with involve striking the hand, knee or foot while in a hold. The hand is pretty fragile

I practice the limb destructions above along with ones that are hit in between the tricep and bicep, and on the leg sometimes.