What do you know `bout HAPKIDO????

[Kristoffer]

well,, just say everything you know! hehehe

Is it a complete art-form? I read somewhere that its a mix of Taekwando (?) and Aikido. Is that right?
How well would it be for self.defence?
Can you combine it with Kung Fu?
Does it suck?

Anything will do thanx.

[shenden]

Hi,
I don't believe that it is a mix of TKD (which it predates) and aikido (although I could be wrong!). Hapkido is korean for aikido, but the arts are different.

Hapkido does alot of joint locks, throws aswell as incorporating strikes and kicks. I have very limited experience in this style, some of it looks very like some soft kung fu, and they do tend to wear very kung fu like uniforms, at least for demos.

Now would be a god time for someone more knowledgable to take over.

Shenden

[Paul Skrypichayko]

There are all types of hapkido out there, good, bad, hard, soft, linear, circular, etc. Many taekwondo schools are now saying they teach hapkido because they know a few joint locks, etc.

The type of hapkido I do has much more kicking than taekwondo, the soft circular principles of aikido (although we use a smaller circle than aikido), lots of joint locking, throwing, rolling, breakfalling, acrobatics, etc.

I have been doing kung fu for about 6 years, and I feel hapkido is basically a korean version of kung fu. I think it is very effective in every aspect.

The traditional hapkido uniform looks a lot like a one piece pajama. For practical reasons, our school wears a karate gi. It is cheaper, more comfortable, and easier to find in almost any martial arts / sports store. Also, most hapkido schools use a japanese style belt ranking system.

One really famous hapkido man is Jin Pal (Kim Jin Pal). He is the man who taught Bruce Lee to kick, and he taught Jackie Chan as well.

[MoQ]

If you can find a legit teacher, Hapkido is the very best of the Korean martial arts.

[Kristoffer]

Hey Paul!

Is Hapkido a mix between two styles or is it a "original" one. TKD with Aikido, is that wrong?

[Prairie]

A little bird once told me that Hapkido was formed from a couple of older martial arts. One of them being aiki-jiujutsu, which also gave birth to Aikido. I can't recall what the little bird said the other martial art was, but I know it wasn't TKD and it was Korean.

-Prairie

[Brad]

Was it Tang Soo Do?

[@xemili]

PrairieGirl,
The other art was Tae Kyon

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Any coward can fight a battle when he's sure of winning.
-George Elliot

[jimbob]

I've also heard that before the 1960's hapkido contained very little in the way of kicking techniques and was more obviously similar to daitoryu aikijujutsu. Don't know if that's right or not but it would indicate that it's kicking was picked up around the time of the advent of tkd.

[MoQ]

Prairie's right, it's Tae Kyon and Aiki-Jutsu.

[rogue]

Also check out Hwa Rang Do.

[Paul Skrypichayko]

Good hapkido is synonymous with good kuk sul won, and good hwarang do.

The history is very sketchy. It can only be traced reliably for the last 60 years or so. Apparently, the founder learned from one of Morihei Ueshiba's masters. The two students had different ideas, and took separate directions. Some say the differences came from some "secret past" kind of thing. Apparently hapkido was the martial art of korea's royal family. This could make sense, because korea has it's own version of shaolin temple, started by martial monks from china about 1000 years ago.

[Kristoffer]

wow, thanx alot guys!
Yeah that Aiki-Jutsu and hwarang do make sense... But I always thought that hwarang do was an "early version" of TKD...

Do Hapkido people generate power to their kicks/punches differently than in a shaolin style?

[Seeker of the Way]

...I'm pretty sure it's Tae Kyon and aiki-jiujutsu.

Now, I read this in an MA encyclopedia, so I take it as pretty concrete, but there's no reason to believe everything you hear.

As I understand it, Tae Kyon was the original TKD'ish art, that led to Soo Bak Do, Hwarang Do and other arts of that caliber, INCLUDING Tae Kwon Do. Somewhere along the way, however, some smart guy who took aiki-jiujutsu, mixed it up with Tae Kyon, and got a very impressive mix of circular and linear techniques that he calls Hapkido.

However, I'm a lowly bug in terms of martial arts knowledge, and I expect Rogue to stomp me out with his boot of TKD wisdom, in T minutes 5...4...3...2.. :eek:

Peace,
Matias.

"I know Kung Fu."

[Godzilla]

If my instructors from my McDojo new how to really teach it properly, I never would have left the school. It is a wonderful compliment to any MA. Similar to Aikido, but the way I was taught Hapkido, no one ever charged forward like in Aikido.

One evening after class I asked one of my instructors to help me with a ‘wrist lock’. He looked at one of the other instructors and asked if he could help, then that one turned to the next, etc. No one knew. Only the Master. (Thinking back, I’m not too sure he really knew either.)

I believe a lot of TKD schools put a sign in the window claiming they teach Hapkido, but really are not qualified. They are doing this because grappling became popular the past several years.

Godzilla