An introduction to the

Korean Warrior Art of Self-Defence

What is Hapkido?

There really is no short answer to this question but |I will attempt to give you a basic outline. Hapkido (pronounced Hap Kee Doe) is a collective martial art that is generally attributed to the Korean nation, as the founder and First Grandmaster, a man called Yong Sul Chol, was a Korean by birth although he spent the majority of his early life in Japan. He was taken to Japan as a small boy and adopted by a Japanese family and it was there that he first began his studies in the martial arts and ways. As a student of the daito Ryu akijutsu style he was personally taught by Takeda Sogaku, one of Japan’s greatest martial arts practitioners and infamous duellist. On his return to his native land as a grown man, Choi undertook a study of traditional Korean martial arts and by forming an amalgam of these two distinct collections of styles and techniques created what we today call Hapkido.

It is because of this heritage that Hapkido is undoubtedly a unique style of martial arts. Because it is not as widely known as say Karate, Kun-fu or Taekwondo, many people are unaware of what the style really consists of. Firstly, it is a pure system of self-defence and can never be adapted to a sporting context. Secondly, as a developing style it still retains strong roots with the tradition of the oriental martial ways. Hapkido encompasses many principles and ideas about combat but there are three which are the most commonly talked about; the water principle, the Principle of Circularity and the principle of non-resistance, because many people label Hapkido as ‘Korea Aikido’, which is totally incorrect, many focus on the soft aspect of the style. Yes, Hapkido does utilise ‘soft’ or pliant techniques but with great devastation. However these are only one half of the whole. Because Hapkido was a traditionally based on Buddhist philosophy, it includes the notion of yin and yang (or um and yang, as the Koreans know it), and so it contains an equal mixture of hard and soft techniques interwoven to produce a dynamic system of combat.

Hapkido is much more than just the physical technique of self-protection, it has evolved over the centuries and become a vehicle for personal, mental and even spiritual development. We use Hapkido to train our bodies, improving flexibility, stamina and strength. By the nature of the training and the lessons we learn, it also helped us to be more responsive, receptive, aware and self confident. So what does it actually mean? Hap translates as ‘harmony’ or ‘coordination’, Ki as power, ‘energy’ or ‘force’ and Do as ‘the way’. In essence, Hapkido is a purely responsive style countering an opponent’s attack by using their energy against them.

The techniques of the system include:

· Basic body position, practical stances and simple evasion skills

· Dealing with realistic close contact situations

· Defence from grabs, holds, chokes and hold-downs

· Blocking and countering realistic punches and strikes

· Effective countering including striking and kicking

· Control and restraint techniques

· Special pressure point manipulations

Defending against armed and multiple attackers

For further information and training times in “international Hapkido” at Exmouth Club in Devon, please contact

Bill Bean 3^rd Dan Black Belt on:

01395 271588

or email here