What is Hapkido?
United HapKiDo teaches the Korean Martial Art of HapKiDo. HapKiDo includes a variety of arm and leg joint locks, weapon techniques, throw, kick, hit, and nerve pressure techniques. HapKiDo is outstandingly suitable for self-defense. It can be learned both by men and by women, regardless of their size or age.
Hapkido is a type of Korean martial art which focuses on defense rather than offense, and is designed to neutralize an opponent through a range of techniques. Hapkido is a discipline which is also designed to clarify and calm the spirit, and those who practice Hapkido are also attempting to develop themselves as individuals. While not as widely practiced as some other Asian martial arts, Hapkido in enjoying increasing popularity in the West. Hapkido developed out of the practice of various martial arts for many, many years. Still, hapkido, as we know it today is considered to be a relatively modern martial art with modern inception dates set around the mid 1900’s. Two Grand Masters are credited with shaping the discipline, Han Jae Ji and Yong-Sul Choi. Both men contributed an immense amount to the martial art now known as Hapkido, and are generally credited together for the introduction of the martial art to the West. Some, however, credit Yong-Sul Choi alone. Both Grand Masters came t
Hapkido is a modern, practical, Korean martial art. It combines joint locks, throws, strikes, kicks, joint locks, and pressure points, focusing on self-defense. At first glance it appears to be a mix of the circular, defensive aspects of Japanese Aikido and the direct, offensive strikes and kicks of Korean Tae Kwon Do. Emphasized are non-resistive movements and safe control of the opponent. With elements of both, today’s Hapkido is considered more soft than hard, more internal than external. By “modern” I emphasize the recent formulation of the base ciriculum. Aikido was founded in the 1940s (from much older techniques); Tae Kwon Do in XXXX (from much older techniques). Shao Lin Kung Fu (properly Wu Shu), practiced in an unbroken lineage, dates back to the founding of the temple in 5xx. No judgement of efficacy is implied by the comparison of modern and ancient, by the way. Korean names canonically appear in two different styles. “George Washington Carver” is often traditionally writte
Hapkido is a discipline of coordination, a way of strengthening the mind and body, of fusing the individuals physical and mental powers so that he or she will emerge as a more fully integrated human being. The word in fact means; Method or Way (DO) for the coordination Harmony (HAP) of mental Energy or spirit (KI). One should always try to avoid violence, but if someone grabs you, attempts to strike you, or physically assaults you in any way, it has escalated beyond words, and you are left with the only option which is to defend. The Korean Art of Self Defense, Hapkido is considered a “soft” style of Martial Art, as opposed to “hard” styles that practice the use of force against force, making the outcome a simple matter of size and strength. The Hapkido practitioner diverts or suppresses an attacker’s flow of energy peacefully, this diversion allows him to use the attackers power against himself leading to the attackers defeat. Through the use of pressure on certain skeletal joints and
