Hapkido is a Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that uses clamps, pressure points, throws, kicks and punches. Practitioners of Hapkido train to counter the techniques of other martial arts. There are also traditional weapons such as short stick, rope, nunchakas and sword. Hapkido focuses on both short and long range combat. By using good footwork and the body well, one tries to master stronger opponents.
History of Hapkido
The birth of modern hapkido can be traced to a group of Korean nationalists in Korea's post-Japanese colonial period led by Choi Yong Sul. His most prominent students were Suh Bok Sub, Ji Han Jae, Kim Moo Hong and Myung Jae Nam. Choi Yong Sul was sent to Japan as a young boy and returned to Korea with techniques that resemble a precursor to Aikido. A controversial story says Choi was adopted by Takeda Sokaku at the age of 11. He lived and trained with the master in a dojo on Mount Shin Shu for more than 30 years. This story is contradicted by people who say that Choi was just a simple worker in Takeda's house. The truth lies somewhere in the middle, as always.
Choi's first student was Suh Bok Sub and he was the first to open a doho. In 1948, when Suh Bok Sub was still in his 20s, he had already earned a black belt in judo and graduated from Korea University. After seeing Choi successfully defend himself against a group of men, he asked Choi to teach him this martial art as well. In 1951, Suh opened the first real dojang and called it the Korean Yu Kwan Sool Hapki Dojang. The first symbol, designed by Suh, used to represent this martial art was an inward arrowhead. During this period, Choi worked as a bodyguard for Suh's father who was a congressman. Suh claims that in 1959 he and Choi decided to shorten the name to hapkido.
Principles of Hapkido
On the hard/soft scale of martial arts, hapkido ranks somewhere in the middle. It uses the soft techniques from Jiu Jitsu and the hard techniques from taekwondo. Hapkido is an eclectic martial art and different hapkido schools apply the different techniques. Some core techniques are used in every school and all techniques must follow the three principles of hapkido:
- No resistance (Hwa)
- Circle principle (Won)
- Water/harmony principle (Yu)
Hwa, or no resistance, is the art of relaxing. If an opponent pushes a hapkido student in the chest, he or she will not resist but will step back and use the opponent's forward momentum to knock him or her down; to bring.
Won, the circle principle, is a way to gain momentum and then execute the techniques naturally. If an opponent attacks in a straight line, the hapkido student catches this attack and then uses the opponent's power against him in a circular pattern.
Yu, the water principle, can be explained as the power of water. Hapkido is a gentle sport and is not 100% dependent on strength. Like water, it is soft to the touch. Just like water, Hapkido is adaptable.
Techniques
Hapkido is an extensive fighting style and tries to appear as broad as possible. There is therefore deliberately no training on specific techniques. Many tactics are taught regarding strikes, throws and clamps. Some styles also focus on ground combat and mainly on escaping from holds.
To kick
The wide variety of kicks in hapkido make the sport truly Korean. Taekwondo kicks are very similar to the many kicks found in hapkido, although the emphasis is on the circular movement. In contrast to most modern taekwondo styles, there is a lot of kicking and sweeping below the waist. The most common kick is the low heel kick. A kick is mainly given to put a lot of force behind the movement instead of quickly withdrawing the leg. Traditionally, kicking only occurred on the lower body, but due to the rise of other martial arts, kicking also occurred on the head. Most forms of hapkido have a series of double kicks used to maintain balance. An example of a double staircase series:
- front kick -> side kick
- forward kick -> back kick
- front kick -> round kick
- forward heel kick -> round kick
- low side kick -> high side kick Hand slaps
Like many other martial arts, hapkido uses many punches and hand blows, but also elbow strikes. A distinctive technique within hapkido is the knife hand, which can transfer a lot of energy. This blow is often used to weaken the opponent and then apply a clamp. They also hit with the fingernails and then aim at the eyes and throat. The scrotum is also pulled in conventional training.
Joint clamps
Many of the control techniques from hapkido are derived from aikijujutsu. They are taught in the same way as aikido, but the techniques are more streamlined. In hapkido, a clamp is placed on both the large joints (elbow, shoulder, neck, back, knee and hip) and the small ones (wrist, fingers, toes and jaw). Most techniques use the principle of applying force to the joint so that it moves against its natural direction. Hapkido is best known for its use of wrist clamps. These techniques are derived from Daito-ryu aikijujutsu, although the precise execution may differ. The clamps on the elbow are also often used.
Throwing techniques
In addition to throws performed after the opponent has been knocked off balance with a clamp, there are also throws performed without the use of a clamp. Some of these techniques are found in judo. Many of the first hapkido practitioners had a judo background.
Weapons
As a hapkido student obtains the various degrees, he also learns to use different weapons. The first weapon to train with is the knife. Another weapon is the short baton. Then techniques and defenses against the long stick and rope are discussed. Many hapkido organizations also train on the sword, nunchaku and other weapons.
