What is Hapkido?
Hapkido is a type of Korean martial art that specializes in close combat techniques. The art mainly emphasizes joint manipulation, breaks, and throws. In addition to this, Hapkido also includes safety falls and rolls that not only aid in training but can also be useful in real-life scenarios.
This martial art focuses on using your opponent’s weight and movements against them with minimal force. This means that the size of the opponent is not a significant factor in determining the winner. The person who wins in hapkido is the one who has the best understanding of the body and its weak points, as well as the ability to manipulate it.
My experience
After earning my taekwondo black belt, I decided to pursue something new. My school offered more than just taekwondo – it was a Korean martial arts school that taught taekwondo, hapkido, and keomdo. Though I had seen only a few people training hapkido in the taekwondo class, I was intrigued by it and wanted to give it a try.
A few months after earning my black belt in taekwondo, I signed up for hapkido and started from the basics. It was a completely different way of thinking. Unlike in taekwondo where my targets were larger and movements were more fluid, hapkido required more concise movements and targeted smaller areas of the body. I also learned about pressure points and how to manipulate the human body.
Training in hapkido was challenging but rewarding. I gained strength, confidence, and a better understanding of self-defense. However, it was important to have a good partner and good communication during training, as this martial art like many others can be dangerous if done improperly. I suffered a few injuries due to partners who were too aggressive or arrogant, but fortunately, they were only minor muscle soreness.
Overall, training in this new art was a great experience that taught me a lot about self-defense and helped me grow as a martial artist.
Where I want to go with Hapkido...
Hapkido is my second love, but I’m having difficulty finding a good school to train in. I’m eager to return to regular training and pursue my 2nd degree in this art. Currently, I train sporadically in the techniques I learned from white belt to 1st degree, in an attempt to maintain my proficiency in the art.
Time is a factor, but I definitely want to return and dedicate more time to learning this art.
