Han Mu Do (Korea), founded by He-Young Kimm, is a Korean martial art consisting of hand techniques, the use of weapons, and martial arts philosophy. Kimm integrated the techniques and philosophies of various Korean martial arts, most of which were founded in the 1950s, with new techniques to create a single system. Han Mu Do was not the martial art’s original name. That was Yuj Kwon Sul, meaning the art of throwing and striking. It was then called Han Mu Yuh Kwon Sul for a while. However, some schools felt it was inappropriate to use Mu because it specifically meant martial art. They simply called it Han Do. In 1991, Kimm decided to name it Han Mu Do.
Techniques
Han Mu Do is considered a cousin of Hapkido. Hapkido is more aggressive and forceful, and its movements are less fluid. Another difference can be found in the hand techniques. Those of Hanmudo are based on the soft Korean martial arts techniques of Kuk Sul, Sundo, and Han Tae Keuk, as well as hard martial arts such as Tae Kwon Do and Tang Soo Do. There is also a difference between Hanmudo and Hapkido when it comes to weapons training. In Hanmudo, students begin training with weapons at an early stage, whereas in Hapkido this happens much later. The forms and styles are also different. The weapons style within Hanmudo is derived from Muye Dobo Tong Ji, the oldest martial arts text in Korea.
Being mentally and physically aligned is a unique element of Hanmudo. A practitioner must say kihap in their mind in order to align their mind and body. Hyung Sa, patterns, is another unique element of Hanmudo. The movements follow the rhythm of the techniques as they are learned. They begin with the hard movements, continue with the hard/soft movements, and conclude with the soft movements. Han Mu Do has its own uniform, the dobok. It closely resembles those of other Korean martial arts and is based on traditional Korean clothing.
