Hapkido, or no hapkido

[french fri25]

hey guys,

im takin Jeet Kune Do now and am signed to a 6 month contract with the school. i am not learning wat i wanted to be learning though. JKD is all about the strikes. i am 15 years old and in the adult beginners class and all we do is kicking, punching, kneeing, elbowing.... and thats it. if i wanted to learn that i should have just joined a kickboxing class... lol... anyway, i went to this hapkido/tae kwon do school near me also and i loved it. it was definitly more traditional, which i was looking for and also does a little bit of everything. it does blocking, kicking, punching, joint manipulations, takedowns, and all types of self defense. i just thought it was a great, well-rounded martial art. the only problem is is that i have to stay at my JKD school for like 4 more months. by that time i will probably be an orange belt. after spending all that time getting my orange belt, should i just leave, go to hapkido, and start ALL over again. or have i made it too far in JKD and should just stick to it? i really dont know wat to do. also, my JKD class is like a cardio kickboxing class. no tradition, no martial art skill either. it kind of pisses me off. i thought that JKD was supposed to be a great martial art. but they way my school teaches it, i dont like it at all. the website is www.nymatc.com ... if you look at the website, it looks like a great school. the sifu has won instructor of the year and is in the hall of fame... i mean i thought he would be a great teacher... also, he has a second degree black belt in hapkido... so... if he does, then y isnt he teaching it to us??? im not sure wat i should do..... JKD----Hapkido/TKD

thanx 4 your time

french fri25

[eXcessiveForce]

it all depends on what you are after.


I teach TKD and have for over 10 years. I train in JKD.

I like TKD it offers a lot with the right system and instructor,

JKD is about fighting. Less techinques and being better at those.

TKD and HKD have many more techniques some are useful and some are less useful.

If I want to learn to fight, I'd probably checkout JKD first.

If I wanted to learn to do showy fancy stuff and didn't care about fighting I'd probably look at TKD.



The skills you learn in either can be useful if you work them hard enough.

[french fri25]

yea... i want to learn more techniques. especially defensive techniques. and thats y i think hapkido would be good 4 me. also, i was always interested in the more advanced kicks offered in TKD. with the hapkido and tkd i will learn striking and defense. thanx 4 the info

french fri25

[eXcessiveForce]

personally for defense, I prefer most JKD to TKD. I improved my defense training JKD.

Functional or pretty.


After 20 years, I believe more than ever that learning effective attacks is the best defence.

[Maxx]

I took a look at the website that you posted. I've never heard of Charles Chi. I live in the Redondo Beach area of Los Angeles and I have a lot of friends that I cross train with that go to the Inosanto Academy of Martial Arts. I'll ask them if they've ever heard of this guy and how frequently he trains at the academy.

There were pictures of Charles Chi with guro Dan Inosanto on his web site which leads me to assume he does train at the academy at least occasionally but I've never heard of him.

I would suggest that if you are unsatisfied with the training that you are receiving, speak to the instructor about it first. Maybe he could move you into a more advanced or more challenging class that would better meet your needs.

JKD is reaching a point now where it is becoming a lot more like other main stream arts. you can find it much more easily now that you could 10 years ago. Beacuse of that, the quality is dropping.

[french fri25]

yea... there r not many defensive techniques like blocking or joint manipulations or takedowns... or anything. for an art translated 'way of intercepting fist' i sure havent intercepted many fists, if any. i am very disappointed about the training at my school so far because i know how effective and well-rounded this martial art can be. i guess i just got some bad luck and got stuck in a bad school. now i need to wait till november till i can quit... ugghh!!!

well anyway, thanx for the opinions and info. it is greatly appreciated

french fri25

[The_Judo_Jibboo]

I'd just like to add that if the time comes when your six months are up and you still want to switch to hapkido, don't let the time spent in JKD be what holds you back. I can promise you that starting another MA doesn't require you to throw out what you know of another; your JKD experience will just give you another perspective on Hapkido and fighting in general. If you feel it's not the style for you, get out, especially since you think you've found an alternative that is for you.

About the 'intercepting fist' thing, i think that is referring to being quick enough to hit your opponent when he is preparing to hit you, not intercepting as in catching.

[eXcessiveForce]

yup, jkd is all about hitting. JKDC has some joint manipulation and takedowns even some ground work. But as it is a progressive system, I think you start off mostly often with Jabs, and foot work, then you move to jab cross, etc.

JKD is much closer to fighting and self defense than most traditional arts.

Traditional arts are stylized and often take a long time to learn to apply them to real life.

[eXcessiveForce]

Oh and, HKD and TKD are not know for extremely effective hand work. while there are exceptions, For instance the hand work I teach to my blackbelts is much closer to JKD and Boxing than it is TKD. JKD is a dominant hand system.

So learn the hand work, parries and punches, trapping if you get that far. And you will be far above in skill level over most HKD and TKD guys.

[french fri25]

yea... i have always been a defensive guy in everything i do. im a goalie in hockey, was a goalie in soccer, was a goalie in lacrosse, played defensive end in football... lol... everything i do is defensive. thats y i was thinking of learning hapkido. also, u said that i should learn the hand work and parries, lol... my sifu doesnt really teach parries. in my 3 months of going to that school i learned how to parry only once. we didnt even work on it. i mean sure, he can teach us how to parry, but the only way your going to be able to use it in a real fight is if u get used to blocking real speed punches, instead of slow speed. also, i have not learned how to parry a kick.lol... he just never works with us on that stuff... do u think he will eventually teach that stuff?? is there like a curriculum that every JKD instructor must teach, or can he just do watever the hell he wants?? i mean im not questioning JKD, i think its a great martial art, but im just questioning my school personally. im just wondering that if he hasnt even taught us how to parry a freakin kick in 3 months, is this a good school, or is this guy just some greedy SOB who just wants my money

thanx a lot 4 all the info, any opinion is greatly appreciated

french fri25

[eXcessiveForce]

you may have posted this somewhere else,

But what school and instructor are you with right now?

[french fri25]

my school is called Chi's Martial Arts. he trained by Guru Dan Inosanto in JKD and Master He Young Kim in Hapkido. i am not sure wat other martial arts he knows. he teaches everything. Kali-Escrima-Arnis, Karate, JKD, Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai Boxing, and countless other arts. the dojo website is www.nymatc.com - my Sifu is a good instructor, for he has won the instructor of the year award and is in the hall of fame. just look on his website.

french fri25

[EmptyneSs]

my school is called Chi's Martial Arts. he trained by Guru Dan Inosanto in JKD and Master He Young Kim in Hapkido. i am not sure wat other martial arts he knows. he teaches everything. Kali-Escrima-Arnis, Karate, JKD, Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai Boxing, and countless other arts. the dojo website is www.nymatc.com - my Sifu is a good instructor, for he has won the instructor of the year award and is in the hall of fame. just look on his website.

french fri25

smells like a mcdojo to me. if you want to just cut the crap and get down to some serious training, go train in one of the "sport arts". any of those arts like may thai, boxing, bjj are straight forward and to the point. if there is a good mma gym that you can train at, you may be able to learn multiple disciplines at the same location. for example, i train at a mma gym because i can train in muay thai from muay thai experts, and also learn jiu jitsu from a bjj/judo blackbelt . mma gyms have an advantage over traditional dojos in that mma gyms are like martial arts communities. there are many experts from different disciplines all working with eachother to be the best martial artists and fighters they can be. if you really want to train seriously and get down to business an mma school may be what you are looking for.

im not here to promote mma or put down other arts. all im saying is that training at an mma gym may give u more bang for your buck than training at a traditional dojo because of the acess to various disciplines and help from different experts. and also there is lower risk of mma gym being a mcdojo.


i was looking at the info for the schools adult program. heres my fave line:

"Some of the Arts you will learn include: Karate, Jiu-Jitsu, Aikido, Judo, Muay Thai Boxing, Pencak Silat, Wing Chun Gung-Fu, Filipino Kali-Escrima-Arnis, Savate, Shoot Wrestling, Tai Chi and much much more!"

lol^^ cmon, get real. your instructor is going to make you proficient in all those arts? you are going to be such a watered down jack of all trades lol.

[french fri25]

lol... i know wat your sayin... i mean how can he teach all those... yea.... i guess i joined a mcdojo

great...

french fri25

[GranFire]

lol... i know wat your sayin... i mean how can he teach all those... yea.... i guess i joined a mcdojo

great...

french fri25

Quitt ya whining!

6 month ain't nothing.

Belt color means nothing.

Write it off as experience. It will happen to you a few more times in your lifetime!

There is no such thing as wasted time when you do something constructive.

When you get to the end of your contract and find you still don't like what you are doing...by all means, switch!

That's what youth (heck, life!) is for! Keep gooing, learning and experiencing.