Martial Place

Hapkido

Hapkido is a Korean style of joint locking. It shares the same roots as the Japanese style Aikido. Both descended from a style known as Daito Ryu Aiki-Jitsu. Grandmaster Choi Yong Sool brought this style back to Korea where it flourished as primarily a soft style. He referred to it as Hap Ki Yu Sool. This style was based on yielding to and using an opponents energy with joint locking and throwing. Hap Ki Do literally translates into the way of coordinated power. The concept is a you take an opponents energy and use it against them therefore diminishing their strength. As the style began to spread some of Choi's students began to open schools and teach variations of the style. Most notably the honorable Grandmaster Ji Han Jae began incorporating the Korean strikes and kicks and is said to have actually named the style Hapkido. It evolved into what is today both a soft and hard style. Hapkido uses joint locking, throws, strikes, kicks, pressure points and the understanding of leverage and balance in a very efficient Martial Art. In this style someone who is smaller and weaker can gain an advantage over a larger and stronger opponent. Many Taekwondo schools teach Hapkido in some form or another. Some refer to their joint locking skills as Hapkido and they teach only a small percentage of the art. The complete Martial Arts contains 100's of joint locking defenses from every way a human being can be attacked. It contains defenses against punches, kicks, strikes, throws, and virtually every possible restraint.

This is a brief overview of Hapkido more information can be found on the Internet and in many books published on the style. There are new and sometimes watered down versions of the style being taught today, however the complete traditional style features all of the above mentioned as well as the study of complex footwork, the art of falling (in Korean called nakbup) , and Ki energy which is the practice of full mind and body energy working in unison.

Master Frank Ehnle

American Hapkido Federation

http://www.ushapkido.com