Hapkido: What is Hapkido?
Hapkido for Foreigners

 

Hapkido for Foreigners

Introduction

What is Hapkido?

On the Mat

Practice Hints

Glossary

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Hapkido: What is Hapkido?

Hapkido is a modern, practical, Korean martial art. It combines joint locks, throws, strikes, kicks, joint locks, and pressure points, focusing on self-defense. At first glance it appears to be a mix of the circular, defensive aspects of Japanese Aikido and the direct, offensive strikes and kicks of Korean Tae Kwon Do. Emphasized are non-resistive movements and safe control of the opponent. With elements of both, today's Hapkido is considered more soft than hard, more internal than external.

By "modern" I emphasize the recent formulation of the base ciriculum. Aikido was founded in the 1940s (from much older techniques); Tae Kwon Do in XXXX (from much older techniques). Shao Lin Kung Fu (properly Wu Shu), practiced in an unbroken lineage, dates back to the founding of the temple in 5xx. No judgement of efficacy is implied by the comparison of modern and ancient, by the way.

Korean names canonically appear in two different styles. "George Washington Carver" is often traditionally written as "Carver, George Washington", and occasionally as George Washington CARVER. I use the former style.
By "today's" I draw attention to the evolution of Hapkido over the last few decades. The Hapkido of the founder, Yong Sul Choi (1904-1986), was a soft martial art, as befits someone exposed to the Daito-Ryu Aiki-jutsu of Sokaku Takeda (1860-1943) in Japan (alongside the founder of Aikido, Morehi Ueshiba). The second-generation students, in Korea, some of which were skilled in Tae Kwon Do, merged some of the harder aspects. The term Hapkido becomes less precise over time; today the variety of styles taught under the name is staggering.

There is some nationalistic, propagandistic controversy regarding the circumstances of Dojunim ("founder") Choi's time in Japan. I believe it best to air it openly and quickly, and to state that there seems no way to ascertain the truth of the matter.

Mr. Choi claimed to have been a student at the Daito-Ryu, to have been with Mr. Takeda until his death, and to have obtained teaching licenses (which, he said, were in a bag stolen from a train station during his return to Korea).

The Takeda family, on the other hand, claims to have no memory of Mr. Choi, nor do any of the names used by Mr. Choi's appear in the school's meticulously-kept records. (There do appear other Korean names, including some granted teaching licenses.)

Perhaps Mr. Choi was a servant in the Takeda household, a common practice at the time, rather than a formal student at the school. This would certainly allow him exposure to the teachings and practices of the school. In any case, the Takeda family claim on remembering Mr. Choi neither as a student nor servant is befuddling. Whatever the truth, Mr. Choi was a proficient martial artist, skilled in Aiki-jutsu, by the time he returned to Korea after the death of Mr. Takeda.

The Hapkido of Mr. Choi reflects his pedigree as one exposed to Aiki-jutsu. He never claimed to have studied with other teachers, nor did he significantly modify what he taught. What we know today as Hapkido is due to one of Mr. Choi's students.

Han Jae Ji began training in Seoul with Mr. Choi in 1949, at the age of thirteen. He trained as a full-time student for seven years with Mr. Choi, learning meditation techniques, weapons, and of course, Hapkido. At eighteen he added Tae Kyun kicking, from a teacher known as Wise Man Lee. More meditation techniques were learned from a Taoist monk known to him as Grandma.

Mr. Ji added the eye-catching high kicks, spinning kicks, and jumping kicks. He added the cane (to the wooden sword - bokken - and staff - jo - of Aiki-jutsu). He also added the meditative breathing exercises.

Mr. Ji moved from Seoul to Andong, his hometown, in 1956. There, as a 3rd dan black belt, he opened the An Moo Kwan school. Nine months later he returned to Seoul, opening the Sung Moo Kwan school. As he gained students he taught from a boxing gymnasium, and began adding techniques to counter boxing attacks.

Moving his school to Joong Boo Shi Jang in 1958, Mr. Ji began adding the basic kicks and punches from his Tae Kyun background. In 1959, having decided his system was culturally and technically different from his teacher's Aiki-jutsu, Mr. Ji started calling his art Hapkido (the Korean pronunciation of Aikido, written with the same Kanji). In 1960 a fellow student of Mr. Choi, and good friend of Mr. Ji, a Moo-Woong Kim, helped finalize the kicking curriculum.

Closing the circle, Mr. Ji offered Mr. Choi use of the Hapkido name, which he used until his death in 1986. Despite the change of name, however, Mr. Choi taught his Aiki-jutsu style, without the striking, kicking, and weapons training of Mr. Ji's Hapkido.

For completeness, note that Mr. Choi frequently changed the name of his art. Originally it was yawara, then Dai Dong Ryu Yu Sool (the Korean equivalent of Daito-Ryu Aiki-jutsu), then Dai Dong Ryu Yu Kwon Sool and later Hapki Yu Kwon Sool, and eventually Hapkido.

The cross-pollination between Aikido and Hapkido continues through each generation. Hapkido Grandmaster Jae Nam Myong, founder of the International Hapkido Federation, became the International Aikido Federation representative in Korea.

After import restrictions of Japanese goods were lifted, Mr. Ji obtained a book about Aikido, and noticed for the first time the Kanji. He changed the name of his art to "Kido", and in 1963 the Korean government granted a charter - through the Ministry of Education - to create the Korea Kido Association, with Mr. Choi as Chairman and Jung Yoon Kim as First Secretary. (Many of Ji's students didn't like the name change, and many kept calling it Hapkido.)

Perhaps due to the reported personality conflicts between Mr. Ji and Mr. Kim, when Mr. Ji became Chief Instructor for the President's Security Forces, in 1965, he left the Kido Association and created the Korean Hapkido Association.

The Kido Association is now an umbrella organization for many Korean martial arts. It's headed by Grandmaster In Sun Seo. His brother, In Hyuk Suh (same family name, different English spelling), has founded the Kuk Sool Won.

This is of interest because GM Suh claims his art is only from the Korean royal court; that he never studied with Hapkido with Mr. Choi or Wu Shu with Monk Hae Dong and Wang Tae-eui. (Korean nationalism, combined with anti-Japanese feelings, may be responsible for this discounting of things non-Korean.)

GM Suh discounts Mr. Choi's Hapkido as merely Japanese Aiki-jutsu; Wu Shu as merel

The Korea Kido Association retained many members and became something of an umbrella organization for Korean martial arts that did not want to associate themselves with Taekwondo and the Kukkiwon. So now it contains Hapkido, Kuk Sool Won, Hwarangdo, Tuk Gong Mool Sool, etc. at least 31 styles at last count. It is headed by GM In Sun SEO, whose brother In Hyuk SUH founded Kuk Sool. It remains one of the three major hapkido organizations in Korea.

A distinction must be drawn between martial arts and martial sports (and martial gymnastics (sometimes known as extreme martial arts)).

This page is copyrighted 2006 by Mickey Sattler. All rights reserved.