Hapkido

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Hapkido

Hapkido or Hap Ki Do is a dynamic and somewhat eclectic Korean martial art. In the Korean language, Hap means "harmony", "coordinated", or "joining"; Ki describes internal energy, spirit, strength, or power; and Do means "way" or "art". Thus, Hapkido translates literally as "joining-energy-way", but it is most often rendered as "the way of coordinating energy" or "the art of coordinated power."

A historical link to Daito-ryu Aiki-Jujutsu is generally acknowledged, though the exact nature of which is clouded by the animosity between two peoples (Koreans and Japanese) and the confusion following the end of the Second World War.

Hapkido prides itself on effective self-defense and as such employs joint locks, pressure points, throws, kicks, and other strikes.

Hapkido practitioners learn to use and control their own "Ki" and that of the attacker. This is because Hapkido emphasizes circular motion, non-resistive movements, and control of the opponent.

Although Hapkido contains both outfighting and infighting techniques, the end of most situations is to get near for a close strike, lock, or throw. Hapkido practitioners seek to gain advantage through footwork and body positioning to employ leverage, avoiding the use of strength against strength.

History

The birth of Hapkido can be traced to two men, Choi Yong Sul (b. 1904, d. 1986) and Ji Han Jae (b. 1936). As Ji initially was a student of Choi, the foundations of this martial art are attributed to Choi.

Choi Yong Sul

Choi Yong Sul's training in martial arts is a subject of contention. It is known that Choi was sent to Japan as a young boy and returned to Korea with techniques characteristic of Daito-ryu, a forerunner of Aikido. Some claim that while he was in Japan, Choi became the adopted son of the patriarch of Daito-ryu Aikijutsu, Sokaku Takeda. This is contradicted by historical records, however, which detail that Choi was simply a worker in the home of Takeda. In fact, Tokimune Sokaku, Takeda Sokaku's eldest son and Daito-ryu's successor, states that the records of Daito-ryu do not record Choi as ever being a student of Daito-ryu. Therefore, except for claims made by Choi himself, there is no evidence that Choi was the adopted son of Sokaku Takeda, or that he ever formally studied Daito-ryu.

The debate over Choi Yong Sul's potential omission from the records, and the ensuing debate over Hapkido's origins, may result from tensions between Koreans and the Japanese, partly as a result of Japanese involvement in the History of Korea. Whilst some commentators claim Hapkido has a Japanese lineage, others state that its origins lay with indigenous Korean martial arts.

Choi Yong Sul's first student, and the man whom some claim helped him develop the art of Hapkido was Suh Bok Sup, a Korean Yudo black belt when they met. Some of Choi's other respected senior students are: Bong Soo Han; Kim, Chong S.; Kim, Yong W.; Kim, Yong J.; Lee, Park; Jung H.; Joo, Bang; Park, Nam Sun; Seo, In Sun; Son, Duk Hyun; Yum, Chong H.; and most notably, Ji Han Jae.

Ji, Han Jae

Whereas the martial art education of Yong Shul Choi is unconfirmed, the martial art history of Ji, Han Jae is much easier to trace. Ji was an early student (Dan #14) of Choi. He details that prior to moving his martial art studio from Daegu to Seoul, he also studied from a man known simply as Taoist Lee.

As a teacher of Hapkido, Ji incorporated traditional Korean kicking techniques (from Taoist Lee and the art Sam Rang Do Tek Gi) and punching techniques into the system and gave the resulting synthesis the name Hapkido in 1959. Hapkido is the Korean pronunciation of (Japanese) Aikido and is sometimes referred to as its Korean cousin.

In 1984, Ji moved to the United States and founded Sin Moo Hapkido, which incorporates philosophical tenets, a specific series of techniques (including kicks) and healing techniques into the art. Two of Ji Han Jae's notable students were Myung Jae Nam and Bong Soo Han, who were the founders of the International Hapkido Federations. Ji can be seen in the film Game of Death in which he takes part in a long fight scene against Bruce Lee.

Techniques

On the "hard-soft" scale of martial arts, Hapkido stands somewhere in the middle, employing "soft" techniques similar to Aikido and "hard" techniques reminiscent of Taekwondo and Tangsoodo (tangsudo). Even the "hard" techniques, though, emphasize circular rather than linear movements. Hapkido is an eclectic martial art, and different hapkido schools emphasize different techniques. However, some core techniques are found in each school (kwan), and all techniques should follow the three principles of Hapkido:

Nonresistance ("Hwa", 화 or 和)
Circular Motion ("Won", 원 or 圓)
The Water Principle ("Yu", 류 or 流)

Hwa, or nonresistance, is simply the act of remaining relaxed and not directly opposing an opponent's strength. For example, if an opponent were to push against a Hapkido student's chest, rather than resist and push back, the Hapkido student would avoid a direct confrontation by moving in the same direction as the push and utilizing the opponent's forward momentum to throw him.

Won, the circular principle, is a way to gain momentum for executing the techniques in a natural and free-flowing manner. If an opponent attacks in linear motion, as in a punch or knife thrust, the Hapkido student would redirect the opponent's force by leading the attack in a circular pattern, thereby adding the attacker's power to his own. Once he has redirected the power, the Hapkido student can execute any of a variety of techniques to incapacitate his attacker. The Hapkido practitioner learns to view an attacker as an "energy entity" rather than as a physical entity. The bigger the person is, the more energy a person has, the better it is for the Hapkido student.

Yu, the water principle, can be thought of as the soft, adaptable strength of water. Hapkido is "soft" in that it does not rely on physical force alone, much like water is soft to touch. It is adaptable in that a Hapkido master will attempt to deflect an opponent's strike, in a way that is similar to free-flowing water being divided around a stone only to return and envelop it.

"As the flowing stream penetrates and surrounds its obstructions and as dripping water eventually penetrates the stone, so does the Hapkido strength flow in and through its opponents."

Core Techniques

These consist of gentle or forceful throws and joint control techniques derived largely from Aikijutsu. They are taught similarly to aikido techniques, but in general the circles are smaller and the techniques, particularly those of Sin Moo Hapkido are applied in a more linear fashion. Most techniques work by a combination of unbalancing the attacker and applying pressure to specific places on the body, known as hyul. Hapkido makes use of over 700 pressure points.

Yudo/Judo

Yudo (Judo in Japanese) techniques are centered around extensive throws applied using different footwork than the core techniques. The techniques differ somewhat because of the smaller circles applied to combat, and because of the types of application that are practiced in Hapkido. Yudo techniques also include various chokes, hold downs, joint locks, and other grappling techniques used to control the opponent on the ground.

Types of Yudo Throws

English	Korean	Japanese
shoulder throw	obo chigi	seionage
body drop	bit dangyo chigi	tai otoshi
hip sweeping	hori horigi	harai goshi
shoulder wheel	ukerome chigi	kata guruma
scarf hold	kyutnorugi	hon kesa gatame
4 corner hold	witnoragi	kami shiho gatame

Yudo has one throw that judo does not, called lift and drop or durome chigi. It is a throw taken from ssireum (a form of Korean wrestling).

Kicking

The wide variety of kicks in Hapkido make it distinctly Korean. Many of which are similar to Taekwondo kicks, though again circular motion is emphasised. Some varieties of Hapkido use kicks only to the lower body, but traditional Hapkido also includes high kicks and jumping kicks. The kicks in hapkido are more extensive than in most other Korean arts, including very specialized kicks for all occasions.

Hand Strikes

Like most martial arts, hapkido employs a great number of punches and hand strikes, as well as elbow strikes. A distinctive example of Hapkido hand techniques is "live hand" strike that focuses energy to the baek hwa hyul in the hand, producing energy strikes and internal strikes. The hand strikes are often used to weaken the opponent before joint locking and throwing, and also as finishing techniques. Hand striking in Hapkido (unless in competition) is not restricted to punches and open hand striking; some significance is given to striking with fingernails at the throat and eyes, pulling at the opponent's genitals is also covered in conventional training. In order to recall hand strikes more easily in an emotionally charged situation, beginning students are taught conventional, effective patterns of blocks and counterattacks called Makko Chigi, which progress to more complex techniques as the student becomes familiar with them.

Weapons

As a Hapkido student advances through the various belt levels (basically the same as other Korean arts, e.g. Taekwondo), he or she learns how to employ and defend against various weapons. The first weapon encountered is most often the knife (kal, 칼). Then, techniques and defenses against the short stick (dan bong, 단봉), the walking cane (jipangee, 지팡이), and the rope are introduced in Hapkido training. Some styles also incorporate the long staff (jang bong, 장봉), nunchuk, Kali Stick, and the sword (Gum, 검).

Training

Hapkido training takes place in a dojang. While training methods vary, a typical training session will contain technique practice, break falling (nakbop), sparring, meditation and exercises to develop internal energy (ki).

Although hapkido is in some respects a "soft" art, training is very vigorous and demanding. The practitioner could benefit in training by being lean and muscular. However, strength is not a prerequisite of hapkido; what strength and fitness is necessary to perform the techniques develops naturally as a result of training.

External links

Korean martial arts | Hapkido

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