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Hapkido ( , , ), also spelled hap ki do or hapki-do, is a Korean martial art. It is a hybrid form of self-defense that employs joint locks, grappling, chokeholds, throwing techniques, kicks, punches, and other striking attacks. It also teaches the use of traditional weapons, including knife, sword, rope, nunchaku (ssang juhl bong), cane (ji pang ee), short stick (dan bong), and middle-length staff (joong bong), gun (analogous to the Japanese jō), and bō (Japanese), which vary in emphasis depending on the particular tradition examined.

Hapkido employs both long-range and close-range fighting techniques, utilizing jumping kicks and percussive hand strikes at longer ranges, and pressure point strikes, joint locks, and throws at closer fighting distances. Hapkido emphasizes circular motion, redirection of force, and control of the opponent. Practitioners seek to gain advantage over their opponents through footwork and body positioning to incorporate the use of leverage, avoiding the use of brute strength against brute strength.

The art was adapted from Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu as it was taught by Choi Yong-sool (최용술) when he returned to Korea after World War II after having lived in Japan for 30 years. This system was later combined by Choi's disciples with kicking and striking techniques of indigenous and contemporary arts such as Taekkyon and Tang Soo Do, as well as various throwing techniques and ground fighting from Japanese Judo.

Hapkido

Hapkido or in the native Korean writing system hangul is rendered as in hanja. This is similar to how the Japanese Aikido was written using Kyūjitai in the pre-1946 period. Currently, though, the second character is preferably written in Japanese using shinjitai, which replaces the original 氣 with the modern, simplified , thus reducing the number of strokes by four.

In hanja, the character hap means coordinated, merged, or combined; ki literally means air, gas or breath but is used to mean spirit or so-called 'internal energy'; and do means "way" or "art", yielding a literal translation of "joining-energy-way". It is most often translated as "the way of coordinating energy", "the way of coordinated power", or "the way of harmony".

Although Japanese Aikido and Korean hapkido share common technical origins, in time they have become separate and distinct from one another. They differ significantly in philosophy, range of responses, and manner of executing techniques. The fact that they share the same Japanese technical ancestry represented by their respective founders' practice of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu, and that they share some Chinese characters, despite being pronounced "ai" in Japanese and "hap" in Korean, has proved problematic in promoting hapkido internationally as a discipline with its own set of unique characteristics differing from those common to Japanese martial arts.

History and major figures from Korea

The birth of modern hapkido can be traced to the efforts of a group of Korean nationals in the post-Japanese colonial period of Korea, namely Choi Yong-sool (최용술) (1904–1986) and his most prominent students: Chinil Chang, his personally chosen successor; Seo Bok-Seob, the first student of the art; Ji Han-jae (born 1936), one of the earliest promoters of the art; Jung Hwan Park, a long time student of Choi; Kim Moo-hong, a major innovator; Myung Jae-nam, a connector between the art of hapkido and aikido; and Myung Kwang-sik the historian and ambassador, all of whom were direct students of Choi or of his immediate students. 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 Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu, a forerunner of aikido.

The subsequent history is quite controversial in Daitō-ryū circles but is claimed by many contemporary hapkido-ists and is attributed to Choi in an interview that took place during a trip Choi made to the United States in 1980 to visit his direct lineage successor Chin-il Chang in New York City. In the interview with Chin-il Chang, Choi claimed to have been adopted by Takeda Sōkaku when he was 11 years old and to have been given the Japanese name Yoshida Asao. He claims to have been taken to Takeda's home and dojo in Akita on Shin Shu mountain where he lived and trained with the master for 30 years. The interview also asserts that he travelled with him as a teaching assistant, that he was employed to catch war deserters and that he was the only student to have a complete understanding of the system taught by Takeda.

thumb|200px|Retouched photograph of the master of Daito Ryu Aiki-jujutsu [[Takeda Sōkaku (c. 1888)]]

Stanley Pranin, then of Aiki News and now editor of the Aikidojournal.com, asked Kisshomaru Ueshiba about Choi Yong-sool and hapkido:

While Kondo Katsuyuki has released documentation from Takeda Sokaku's eimeiroku that confirms that Choi Yong-sul did in fact study with him for a short time, some scholars believe it is likely that Choi received most of his training in Daito Ryu from Yoshida Kotaro. () and Lee Joo-bang () who went on to form the arts of Kuk Sool Won and modern Hwa Rang Do respectively (though some argue that their training stems from time spent training under Kim Moo-hong).

Chang (Jang) In-mok

thumb|Grand Patriarch Dr. Chang In-mok (1960)

Grand Patriarch Jang In-mok (born 15 August 1912) of Daegu, who also trained under Takeda Sokaku's lineage, returned to Daegu in 1945 like Grand Patriarch Choi Yong-sul. He was a doctor of Oriental medicine and taught aikijitsu as hapkido. Jang learned Dae Dong Ryu Yu Sul Hapkido from his teachers Masuta Yutaka and Takeda Sokaku in Japan. Choi Yong-sool trained many students but Jang only trained a few. Jang's notable students included Han-young Choi (Chun Ki Do), Jang Seeung-ho, Song Joon-hwi, Hu Il-wong (teacher of Peter and Joseph Kim) and Song Il-hun. He introduced the Dae Don Ryu Sul system to Korea in 1960. He first learned martial arts in Japan in September 1928 with Daito-ryu Jujitsu and received his certificate in 1935 from Yutaka, a student of Sokaku.

Han-young Choi

thumb|Grand Master Han-young Choi in his first gym in El Paso (1980)

Kwang Jang Nim Han-young Choi was born in Kyongkido, Korea December 11, 1935. He began his formal martial arts training at the age of four, instructed by his father (Chun-san Choi) and his uncle (Man-san Choi), in 1939 to learn his family's martial arts system, a system based on stepping, spinning, and jumping. The founder of Chun Ki Do Hapkido Grand Master Han-young Choi learned also Taekwondo Mudokwan under Grandmaster Hwang Kee Hwang Ki and was also a top student and pioneer of Taekwondo in Korea. Choi, Han-young Choi, was the first student of Dr. Chang In-mok's Dae Dong Ryu Yu Sul system in Seoul. His martial arts are based on stepping techniques (triangle step, cross step, skip step), turning and jumping. His early years of formal training at a Buddhist monastery in Kyongi do, where he learned meditation, breathing, and application into the physical world. Hounslow (developed into modern hapkido) – joint manipulation from Grandmaster Chang In Mok. Grandmaster Chang has the same training and lineage as Grandmaster Choi Yong-sul...both brought what is now known as hapkido to Korea from Japan, except Grandmaster Choi commercialized it and Grandmaster Chang did not. Grandmaster Chang focused on oriental medicine and acupuncture. He Choi learned acupuncture and pressure points from him. Before he founded the World Chun Ki Association, he belonged to the Daehan Hapkido association and Kuk Sool Won Association. One of his best friends was Suh In-hyuk's older brother, Seo In-Suk, and he asked Grandmaster Choi to help spread Kuk Sool Won™ in Seoul. In the old days, they spread martial arts by fighting the owner of the neighbourhood schools. Then taking them over and changing the names and techniques. One school at a time, he went neighbourhood by neighbourhood, fighting school owners and taking over schools in the name of Kuk Sool Won. Then he moved to the U.S. and after getting fed up with the politics of Daehan and Kuk Sool Won™, he quit and founded the World Chun Ki Do Association.

Choi, Han-young, was also a pioneer of the Taekwondo Han Moo Kwan system. He held the number one Black Belt certificate from the Han Moo Kwan. Choi, after he had studied for three years under Dr. Chang In-mok, moved to Seoul and began to teach Dae Dong Ryu Yu Sul. But he joined the Kuk Sool organization and taught Dae Dong Ryu Sul under the Kuk Sool name. One of his best friends was Suh In-hyuk's older brother, Seo In-Suk, who asked him to help spread Kuk Sool Won™ in Seoul. He also belonged to the Daehan Hapkido association. In 1972, Choi Han-young immigrated to the United States and moved to El Paso, Texas. He created his own system called Choi's Martial Arts, and later in the 1990s, he renamed it to Chun Ki (Heavenly Power 天氣). It was his ambition to acquire DO so that Chun Ki Do could become accepted as a new style. Grandmaster's goal was to develop his own martial art to reach the 10th-degree black belt. So Chun Ki was born. It took a long time and a lot of work to add the long-dreamed-of DO, and Chun Ki Do gained recognition in the realm of hapkido. As a new style in the greater hapkido world, Grand Master Han-young Choi was awarded the title of Grand Patriarch, the founder of Chun Ki Do Hapkido. He has trained over 50,000 students in Asia, Europe, and America and is respected by many as one of the few remaining original Hapkido Grandmasters.

A few notable students were his son Sam Choi, Daniel Ray Walker, and Roman Nikolaus Urban, who founded the Chun Ki Do Association in Africa and Europe; Jaeshin Cho, his nephew; and Gregory Jump, his first top-student.

Seo Bok-seob

Choi's first student and the first person known to have opened up a dojang under Choi was Seo Bok-seob (서복섭, also spelled Suh Bok-sup).

Ji Han-jae

thumb|right|300px|Grand Master Ji Han-jae (left) and Hapkido founder Choi Yong-sul (right)

Ji Han-jae (지한재) was undoubtedly the prime mover in the art of Korean hapkido. It is due to his physical skills, technical contributions, promotional efforts and political connections as head hapkido instructor to the presidential body guard under Korean President Park Chung-hee that hapkido became popularized, first within Korea and then internationally.

If the martial art education of Choi Yong-sool is unconfirmed, the same must be said for martial art history of Ji Han-jae's training, apart from his time as a student of Choi. Ji was an early student (Dan #14) of Choi. He details that prior to opening his martial art school in Seoul, the Sung Moo Kwan (성무관), he also supposedly studied from a man known as 'Taoist Lee' and an old woman he knew as 'Grandma'.

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 1957.

Although a founding member of the Korea Kido Association (대한기도회) in 1963 with Choi Yong-sool as titular chairman and Kim Jeong-yoon as Secretary General and Head Instructor for the association, Ji found himself not able to exert as much control over the organization as he might have wished. To this end and with the support of the Head of the Security Forces, Park Jong-kyu, Ji founded the very successful Korea Hapkido Association (대한 합기도 협회) in 1965. He also asserted that it was he who first used the term 'hapkido' to refer to the art. While both claims are contested by some of the other senior teachers of the art, what is not contested is the undeniably huge contributions made by Ji to the art, its systematization and its promotion worldwide.

Chang Chin-il

A direct student of Choi, Chin-il Chang (장진일) inherited the title of Doju in Choi's personal and complete system of hapkido on January 15, 1985, becoming the second direct lineage Grandmaster.

On April 5, 1985, Choi personally awarded Chang with the title of Doju (Keeper of the way). Choi left the full documentation and recordings of the system to Chang, who continued to research and document the full history and development of hapkido.

Furthermore, the future Grandmaster, who was a personally trained, closed-door disciple of Choi, was given Letter of Appointment certificates, the second dated December 1, 1977, and the third dated March 5, 1980. This gave Chang more progressive power and authority in Choi's Hapkido Association. Some have even claimed erroneously to have conducted the interview themselves, further clouding and distorting the truth and gravity inherent in the interview. These endless distortions were generally rebutted in various media each time they appeared.

Doju Chang continues to teach in New York City after decades of maintaining a commercial school, as well as a stint teaching hapkido at the United Nations. He currently teaches a small group in NYC dedicated to the preservation of hapkido. Black Belt Magazine, respecting Chin-il Chang as the second lineage successor, asked him to write a brief obituary on Choi that appeared in the April 1987 issue.

Doju Chang died peacefully in his sleep on February 23, 2018, at the age of 77 as a result of hypertensive cardiovascular disease.

Kim Moo-hong

Kim Moo-hong (김무홍; alternately rendered as Kim Moo-woong or Kim Mu-hyun) Kim Jung-soo trained sporadically under Choi Yong-sool (최용술) along with his primary teachers and influencers Kim Moo-hong (김무홍) and Won Kwang-wha (원광화) from 1957 until 1986.

In 1961, Kim Moo-hong (김무홍) moved to Seoul to open a dojang, and Kim Jung-soo (김정수) and Won Kwang-wha (원광화) went with him and became his dojang's primary instructors. Together, they developed the Shin Moo Kwan (신무관) branch of Hapkido. In 1963 Kim Jung-soo (김정수) decided to go his own way and opened his own dojang in Taegu under the banner of Yun Bee Kwan (윤비관). Later, his students began opening branch schools throughout the greater Taegu aerea, under various names, but still considered to be part of the Yun Bee Kwan (윤비관) family. These schools are known to hold tightly to the original teachings of Choi, Yong-sool (김정수), while also including most of the refinements done by Kim Moo-hong (김무홍) in terms of kicking methods.

Kim Jung-soo (김정수) is mostly known for being the founder and president of the Korea-based World Hapkido General Federation, also known as World Hapkido Federation, collecting most of the schools under the Yun Bee Kwan (윤비관) linage in one federation. This organization has since expanded worldwide. While having a similar name, this organization is not to be confused with the U.S. based World Hapkido Federation founded by Kwang Sik Myung (광시숭).

Kim Jung-soo is currently teaching from his dojang in Taegu City, South Korea.

Myung Jae-nam exchanged martial art techniques and information with an Aikido practitioner named Hirata in 1965, for a period of about four years and included many aikido-like techniques into his version of hapkido. He has produced Several books and videos on the subject of hapkido self-defense. Later Myung Jae-nam broke away from all the other organizations and started to focus on promoting a new style, hankido. Until his death in 1999 he was the leader of the International Hapkido Federation.

Lee Chong-min

Chong-min Lee was born and raised in Seoul, Korea. He began his study of hapkido as a teenager and continued studying hapkido throughout his life though not a direct student of the late Grandmaster Yong-sool Choi. He is a self-promoted 9th Degree Black Belt, the Master Instructor of Hapkido Center, President of The World Hapkido Association.

Lee served as an Instructor with the 1st Special Forces Group in the Korean Army, and has taught martial arts to the Police Departments in Seoul as well as Plainfield, New Jersey. He has also served as the director of Hapkido demonstrations for such dignitaries as Hubert H. Humphrey and the Chancellor of the Republic of China, Mr. Chang, during their visits to Seoul, Korea. Lee came to the United States in June 1980. He currently operates a Hapkido Center in Warren, New Jersey, and is also a member of the Law Enforcement Officers Association New Jersey State. He has been instructing students for over 42 years in hapkido.

Kim Myung-Yong

Kim Myung-yong was born in Korea in 1942. He started at the age of 17 training at Seung Moo Kwan School under Grandmaster Ji Han-jae. He was a hapkido instructor in the military camp of Wang Shim Ri. His style of Hapkido Jin Jung Kwan has locations all over the world and is one of the largest hapkido styles practiced.

Kim Yun-sik

Kim Yun-sik (김윤식) was born in Seoul in 1943. He is the founder of Bum Moo Kwan Hapkido. He began his martial arts training in 1954 under the direction of Choi Yong-sool, and received the black belt from Choi in 1957. That same year, he received the black belt in Tang Soo Do from Grandmaster Hwang Kee.

Residing, teaching and training in Brazil since 1977, Kim was the master of several Hapkido World Champions, such as Norberto Serrano Jr., Rafael Tercarolli and Leandro Heck Gemeo.

Lim Chae-kwan

Grandmaster Lim Chae-kwan is the founder of Jin Mu Kwan. The Jin Mu Kwan (Jin: "authentic, true"; Mu: "martial"; Kwan: "school or training hall") is a traditional art of hapkido.

This school was founded by Grandmaster Lim Chae-kwan in 2007 after many years of research and study into the Hapkido of Founder Choi Young-sul. As a high school student, Lim, Chea-kwan began his Hapkido training under Grand Master Lim, Hyun-soo. Through the courtesy of his teacher at that time Grand Master Lim, Hyun-soo, president of the Jung Ki-kwan, he obtained a 4th dan certificate signed by Founder Choi Yong-sul. Since Choi's death in 1986 GM Lim studied with the top students of Founder Choi. Some of these Grandmasters were GM Jun Jeong-pil (kicking), GM Lee Jae-young (advanced wrist technology), GM Lee Young-hee (clothing grab defense), GM Chae Hung-jun (special offensive techniques for joint locking and throwing), GM Kim Yeong-jae (special self-protection techniques).

GM Lim Chae-kwan studied Founder Choi’s Hapkido style and, recognizing its level, trained throughout his life to become a skilled Hapkido practitioner.

Principles

On the "hard-soft" scale of martial arts, hapkido stands somewhere in the middle, employing "soft" techniques similar to jujutsu and aikido as well as "hard" techniques reminiscent of taekwondo and tang soo do. Even the "hard" techniques, though, emphasize circular rather than linear movements. Hapkido is an eclectic, hybrid 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:

  • Harmony or blending principle ()
  • Circle principle ()
  • Flowing or water principle ()

Hwa, or harmony, is simply the act of remaining relaxed and not directly opposing an opponent's force. For example, if an opponent were to push against a hapkido practitioner's chest, rather than resist and push back, the hapkido practitioner would blend with the opponent, avoiding any direct confrontation by moving in the same direction as the push and utilizing the opponent's forward momentum to execute a throw. Thus, this principle is largely based on energy conservation, allowing the hapkido practitioner to remain strong and fresh while his opponent becomes tired throughout the conflict.

Won, the circle principle, is a way to gain momentum for executing the techniques in a natural and free-flowing manner (much like being swept up in a vortex). If an opponent attacks in a linear motion, as in a punch or knife thrust, the hapkido practitioner 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 that power, the hapkido practitioner can then execute any of a variety of techniques to incapacitate his attacker. The hapkido practitioner must learn 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, and the better it is for the hapkido practitioner. Additionally, these circular motions are not limited to mere circles but can also take on spiral or even helical formations, which further serve to confound your adversaries.

Yu, the water principle, is analogous to the concept of a "moving target" wherein the saying, "In regards to a stream, you can't step on the same water twice," the current forever moves the water downstream and that persistent flow can erode away just about anything, even a boulder, which is often perceived as a substance that's "stronger" than water. Hapkido is fluid and does not rely on brute force against force. Rather it is much like water as an adaptable entity, 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.

Techniques

Hapkido seeks to be a fully comprehensive fighting style and as such tries to avoid narrow specialization in any particular type of technique or range of fighting. It maintains a wide range of tactics for striking, standing joint locks, throwing techniques (both pure and joint manipulating throws) and pinning techniques. Some styles also incorporate tactics for ground fighting. (Although, these tactics generally tend to be focused upon escaping and regaining footing or controlling, striking, and finishing a downed opponent, rather than lengthy wrestling or submission grappling engagements.)

The Korean term for technique is sool (). As terminology varies between schools, some refer to defensive maneuvers as soolgi (술기; loosely translated as "technique-ing"), while hoshinsool (; meaning "self-defense") is preferred by others.

Proper hapkido tactics include using footwork and a series of kicks and hand strikes to bridge the distance with an opponent. Then to immediately control the balance of the opponent (typically by manipulating the head and neck), for a take down or to isolate a wrist or arm and apply a joint twisting throw, depending upon the situation; Hapkido is a comprehensive system and once the opponent's balance has been taken, there are myriad techniques to disable and subdue the opponent.

Hapkido makes use of pressure points known in Korean as hyeol () which are also used in traditional Asian medical practices such as acupuncture point. These pressure points are either struck to produce unconsciousness or manipulated to create pain allowing one to more easily upset the balance of one's opponent prior to a throw or joint manipulation.

Hapkido emphasizes self-defense over sport fighting and as such employs the use of weapons, including environmental weapons of opportunity, in addition to empty hand techniques. Some schools also teach hyeong (), the Korean equivalent of what is commonly known as "kata" (or "forms") in Japanese martial arts.

Kicking

thumb|260px|A bidirectional kick<br />

<!-- Deleted image removed: thumb|260px|A [[Flying kick|flying side kick]] -->

The wide variety of kicks in hapkido make it distinctly Korean. Taekwondo kicks appear to be similar to many of the kicks found in hapkido, though again circular motion is emphasized. Also, in contrast to most modern taekwondo styles, hapkido utilises a wide variety of low (below the waist), hooking or sweeping kicks, with one of the most distinctive being the low spinning (sweeping) heel kick.

Hapkido's method of delivery tends toward greater weight commitment to the strikes and less concern for quick retraction of the kicking leg. Traditionally, Choi Yong-sool's yu kwon sool () kicking techniques were only to the lower body, but most derived varieties of hapkido, probably as a direct influence from other Korean arts, also include high kicks and jumping kicks. At the more advanced levels of Hapkido the practitioner learns "blade kicks" which utilize sweeping blade strikes of the inner and outer foot against pressure points of the body.

Two of the earliest innovators in this regard were Ji Han-jae and Kim Moo-hong, both of whom were exposed to what were thought to be indigenous Korean kicking arts. They combined these forms together with the yu sool concepts for striking taught to them by Choi and during a period of 8 months training together in 1961 finalized the kicking curriculum which would be used by the Korea Hapkido Association for many years to come.

Many other teachers like Myung Kwang-sik (명광식), Jeong Kee-tae (정기태), Lim Hyun-soo (임현수), and many others trained in tang soo do and kong soo do, Shotokan and Shūdōkan karate based systems which predated and influenced the forming of first tae soo do and later modern taekwondo styles.

Kim Sang-cook states that while many of the original yu kwon sool students were exposed to many different contemporary Korean arts the Chung Do Kwan was of particular importance in the transition from the original jujutsu based form to what we know today as modern hapkido.

Most forms of hapkido include a series of double kicks used to promote balance, coordination and muscular control.

An example of a double kick set:

  • Front kick
  • Side kick
  • Front kick
  • Back kick ("turning back-side kick")
  • Front kick
  • Roundhouse kick
  • Front heel/hook kick
  • Roundhouse kick
  • Inverted low side kick
  • High side kick
  • Inside crescent kick/outside crescent kick (or heel-down/axe-kick for both)
  • Side kick (or inside heel-down kick and side kick)
  • Outside heel-down kick
  • Roundhouse kick
  • Ankle scoop kick
  • Side kick
  • Cover kick
  • Front kick
  • Inside heel hooking-the-thigh kick
  • Front kick
  • High spinning heel kick
  • Low spinning heel kick
  • Inside footblade kick
  • Outside footblade kick
  • Outside heel-down kick
  • Roundhouse kick

After these kicks are mastered using one foot. The student moves on to jumping versions, alternating the kicking legs.

Kim Chong-sung (김종성, Jang Mu Won Hapkido Founder) was one of the oldest living active hapkido instructors, who maintains that the source of these kicking methods is from the indigenous Korean kicking art of Taekkyon. Others feel that these kicks are more representative of kong soo do and tang soo do styles which emerged from an adaptation of Japanese karate forms.

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 counter-attacks called makko chigi (막고 치기), which progress to more complex techniques as the student becomes familiar with them.

Joint manipulation techniques

thumb|170px|A hyperflexing [[wristlock used as a pain compliance technique]]

thumb|170px|The straight [[armlock is an example of a very effective elbowlock.]]

Many of hapkido's joint control techniques are said to be derived largely from Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu. They are taught similarly to Aikido and Ju Jutsu techniques, but in general the circles are smaller and the techniques are applied in a more linear fashion. Hapkido's joint manipulation techniques attack both large joints (such as the elbow, shoulder, neck, back, knee, and hip) and small joints (such as wrists, fingers, ankles, toes, and jaw).

Most techniques involve applying force in the direction that a joint moves naturally and then forcing it to overextend or by forcing a joint to move in a direction that goes against its natural range of motion. These techniques can be used to cause pain and force a submission, to gain control of an opponent for 'come along' techniques (as is often employed in law enforcement), to assist in a hard or gentle throw or to cause the dislocation or breaking of the joint. Hapkido differs from some post-war styles of Aikido in its preservation of a great many techniques which are applied against the joint that were deemed by some to be inconsistent with Aikido's more pacifistic philosophy.

; Wristlocks

Hapkido is well known for its use of a wide variety of wristlocks. These techniques are derived from Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu although their manner of performance is not always identical to that of the parent art. Still many of the techniques found in hapkido are quite similar to those of Daito-ryu and of Aikido, which was derived from that art. Examples of such techniques are: the supinating wristlock, pronating wristlock, internal rotational wristlock, and the utilization of pressure points on the wrist. These techniques are common to many forms of Japanese Jujutsu, Chinese chin na, and even "catch as catch can" wrestling.

; Elbowlocks

Although well known for its wristlocking techniques, Hapkido has an equally wide array of tactics which center upon the manipulation of the elbow joint (see armlock). The first self-defense technique typically taught in many hapkido schools is the knife-hand elbow press. This technique is thought to be derived from Daitō-ryū's ippondori, a method of disarming and destroying the elbow joint of a sword-wielding opponent. Hapkido typically introduces this technique off a wrist-grabbing attack where the defender makes a circular movement with his hands to free himself from the opponent's grasp and applies a pronating wristlock while cutting down upon the elbow joint with their forearm, taking their opponent down to the ground, where an elbow lock is applied with one's hand or knee to immobilize the attacker in a pin. Both Daito-ryu and Aikido prefer to use hand pressure on the elbow throughout the technique rather than using the forearm as a "hand blade ()", cutting into the elbow joint, in the Hapkido manner.

Throwing techniques

thumb|250px|left|Hapkido students practice [[Throw (grappling)|throws and joint manipulation in a dojang.]]

In addition to throws which are achieved by unbalancing one's opponent through the twisting of their joints, hapkido also contains techniques of pure throwing which do not require the assistance of jointlocks. Some of these techniques are found within Daito-ryu but a great many of them are held in common with judo (pronounced "yudo 유도" in Korean). Many of early practitioners of hapkido had extensive judo backgrounds including Choi Yong-sool's first student Seo Bok-seob.

Judo techniques were introduced in the early years of the 20th century in Korea during the Japanese colonial period. Judo/Yudo tactics employ extensive use of throws, various chokes, hold downs, joint locks, and other grappling techniques used to control the opponent on the ground. It is believed that these techniques were absorbed into the hapkido curriculum from judo as there were a great many judo practitioners in Korea at that time and its tactics were commonly employed in the fighting of the period. Indeed, there also exists a portion of the hapkido curriculum which consists of techniques specifically designed to thwart judo style attacks.

thumb|250px|Hapkido practitioners perform [[grappling techniques.]]

thumb|200px|Hapkido holds many [[Throw (grappling)|throwing techniques in common with judo.]]

thumb|200px|[[Nunchaku (Ssahng Jol Gohn; 쌍절곤), one of the hapkido weapons]]

The judo/yudo techniques were however adopted with adjustments made to make them blend more completely with the self-defence orientation which hapkido stresses. For example, many of the judo style throwing techniques employed in hapkido do not rely upon the use of traditional judo grips on the uniform, which can play a large role in the Japanese sport. Instead in many cases they rely upon gripping the limbs, head or neck in order to be successful.

Even today Korea remains one of the strongest countries in the world for the sport of judo and this cross influence on the art of Korean hapkido to be felt in Hapkido-influenced styles such as GongKwon Yusul (공권유술).

Weapons

As a hapkido student advances through the various belt levels (essentially 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 a knife (). Another initial weapon used to teach both control and the basic precepts of utilizing a weapon with Hapkido techniques is the Tan Bong (police baton sized stick), techniques and defenses against the 35&nbsp;cm short stick (), a walking stick or cane (), and a rope are introduced in hapkido training. Many hapkido organisations may also include other weapons training such as a sword (), long staff (), choong bong length staff, nunchaku (), war-fan or other types of bladed weapons such as twin short swords. Some schools even teach students to defend against firearms. Hapkido weapons techniques are often incorporated into many military and law enforcement training curricula.

Training

Hapkido training takes place in a dojang. While training methods vary, a typical training session will contain technique practice (striking techniques as well as defensive throws and grappling), break falling (), sparring, meditation and exercises to develop internal energy ().

Hapkido is predominantly a "soft" art, but this does not mean that it is easier on the opponent, or that training is easier (see Hard and soft (martial arts)). Hapkido training is 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.

The following is an example of the Korea Hapkido Association technical requirements from 1st degree to 5th degree Black Belt as recorded by Hae-young Kim in 1991, created in association with Ji Han-jae.

  • International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) - 1966
  • World Hapkido Federation (WHF) - 1973
  • World Hapkido Headquarters / Hapkidowon (WHH) - 1981
  • Kerekwan Hapkido Hosinsul India (KKHHI) Founded by Tiger Nasim Khan- 2000
  • World Hapkido Confederation (WHC) - 2004 - Joint to TAFISA in 2010
  • Global Hapkido Federation (GHF) - 2013
  • Global Hapkido Association (GHA) - 2013

See also

  • Aiki (martial arts principle)
  • Ju Jutsu

References

Further reading

  • Kim, He-young. Hapkido. Andrew Jackson Press, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1991.
  • Kim, He-young. Hapkido II. Andrew Jackson Press, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1994.
  • Kim, He-young. History of Korea and Hapkido. Andrew Jackson Press, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 2008.
  • Myung, Kwang-sik. Korean Hapkido: Ancient Art of Masters. World Hapkido Federation, Los Angeles, California, 1976.
  • Myung, Kwang-sik. Hapkido: Special Self-Protection Techniques. World Hapkido Federation, Los Angeles, California, 1993.
  • Myung, Kwang-sik. Hapkido Textbook (Vol. 1–5). World Hapkido Federation, Los Angeles, California, 2000.