What is Hapkido?
Hapkido is a discipline of coordination, a way of strengthening the mind and body, of fusing the individual's physical and mental powers so that he or she will emerge as a more fully integrated human being.
The word in fact means; Method or Way (DO) for the coordination Harmony (HAP) of mental Energy or spirit (KI). One should always try to avoid violence, but if someone grabs you, attempts to strike you, or physically assaults you in any way, it has escalated beyond words, and you are left with the only option which is to defend.
The Korean Art of Self Defense, Hapkido is considered a "soft" style of Martial Art, as opposed to "hard" styles that practice the use of force against force, making the outcome a simple matter of size and strength. The Hapkido practitioner diverts or suppresses an attacker's flow of energy peacefully; this diversion allows him to use the attacker's power against himself leading to the attacker's defeat.
Hapkido not only redirects the attack but also turns it back against the attacker and follows through with offensive techniques which may control his violence or render him incapable of further antagonistic actions.
Hapkido provides complete physical conditioning which improves balance, posture, flexibility, timing, quickness, muscle tone, joint strength, and most importantly, confidence through physical and mental discipline.
The immediate aim of Hapkido is the welfare of the one practicing it. Not only will skills in self-defense be attained, but more importantly, there will be a focus on an individual’s character development.
Principle of Hapkido:
Hap: means "together" and signifies the harmony of body and spirit.
Ki: defines the life and body energy.
Do: means "way of life, way of learning".
Hapkido: The way to coordinate internal energy.
Hapkido is a traditional Korean self-defense martial art. It consists of kicking, striking, twisting, and throwing techniques as well as joint lock and pressure point techniques.
Furthermore, many people think that Korean Hapkido and Japanese Aikido are the same types of martial arts, but they are not. The main difference is that the Korean Hapkido includes both hand and kicking techniques, while the Japanese Aikido only has hand techniques.
Hapkido Philosophy:
The philosophy of Hapkido is centered around four principles:
Honesty and Moral Character
Loyalty to Parents and Country
Bravery in Battles
Protect your Family and Community
From these principles, Hapkido practitioners are capable of sacrificing their own interests for those of family, friends, and country.
Hapkido Theory:
To understand the movements and techniques of Hapkido, three theories must be studied:
Yu-Water:
Water symbolizes many things in Korea. It is adaptable. Water never fights against the objects in its path. It moves around the objects without conflict. We should learn to adapt in the same way as water to survive the obstacles we all face in our life.
Won-Circle:
In Hapkido, the circle represents natural and continuous movement. It also symbolizes the evolution of a martial artist's training. As a martial artist approaches the black belt objective, he realizes he is returning to the place where he started, thus completing the circle of his training.
Wha-Harmony:
While training Hapkido, the simultaneous combination of body, mind, and technique must always be present.