Hapkido – A Unique Martial Art For Developing Wisdom

Prof. Dr. Rizwan Mustafa Zubairi

HAPKIDO- A Unique Martial Arts for Developing Wisdom.

In the nations culture they have some-thing to contribute into martial arts and have an understanding that what technique they are going to teach and of what benefit the practioners will get it. The most popular martial arts for self-defense in modern times is given to the world by Korean culture and we all now call it HAPKIDO.

Hapkido is a pure traditional martial arts used for self defense in south Korea. The art is previously practiced mainly by buddhist temples ,royal court ,sun and presidential body guards of Korean. Today in the millennium years, the South Korean Hapkido martial art has been flourished all over the world and practiced by many nations. Few nations have made high superiority in Hapkido techniques with its birthplace practioners. Hapkido is mainly focused on self-development skills and motivate personal confidence and strength in human personal life, which ultimately makes a person successful in every corner of life.

The technical areas focused in Hapkido teaching from white belt to black belt is composed on basic exercise , special breathing techniques ,Self-defense, kicking, board breaking and sparring. In self-defense techniques, joint locks, pressure points, ground fighting techniques, blocking. It’s curriculum also includes selected weapons. There are many Non-Korean masters in the world who develops unique methods or styles in Hapkido and get recognition from leading Hapkido world wide organization according to the needs of their nation and members.

The Hapkido unique techniques are composed of soft and hard. The soft techniques e.g. are throwing, chocking, paralyzing, and twisting, while hard techniques e.g. punching, kicking. The Hapkido practioners not only redirects the attacks but turn it back against the attackers and follow through with offensive techniques if require. Hapkido students can learn the concepts that are based on scientific principals of anatomy and biokinetics, as well as psychology and strategy. The great emphasis is on redirecting the assailant’s force and controlling the attackers with minimum efforts on the student’s part. The ideal Hapkido practioners could be any one-e.g. men, Women, Business man, Law enforcement agencies, Police, military , busy professionals as well as students of schools, college and universities.

Studies have shown that Hapkido system is also ideal for senior citizens as well. Hapkido is strongly oriented to practical self-defense rather than the competitive or sports oriented approach. The modern approach in training of Hapkido provides any of its practioners to deal in real fighting situation in the streets, parking lots, stores etc.

As a Hapkido master instructor in today’s modern world I suggest every one to go into Hapkido training and develop his mind, body and soul to live longer, happier, healthy and wisely. So in true sense one who has been master in Hapkido techniques by the passage of time in years can be considered a wise man than a normal human being. A wide range of martial arts people around the globe including Hapkido practioners are of the opinion that the new concepts in martial arts are turned into sports and many martial arts are become Olympic sports like Judo and Taekwondo, and many others are in process of getting recognition with Olympics like, Wushu, Karate, Thai kick Boxing, Pencak Silat, Ju-Jitsu etc, and some gets recognition at some stages.

Hapkido also need a strong unification at organizational level and to make Hapkido under one umbrella, which is a very big task, for its leaders to full-fill. Its time now for Hapkido leaders to think over what and where they want to take Hapkido to make it most popular martial arts in the world with all its modern and traditional ways.

About the author:  Prof Dr Rizwan Mustafa Zubairi is a highly respected International Master Instructor-5 th Dan. He is also President & Founder Pakistan Hapkido Federation, the official Hapkido branch of the Korean Martial Arts Instructors Association in the country of Pakistan and a master of Haemukwan Hapkido.  Professor Zubairi can be reached by e-mail at zubairihapkido@yahoo.com . Be sure to read his articles in World Martial Arts Magazine.

A Little About Hapkido

Master Darren Norris

Learn A Little About Hapkido
By Master Darren Norris

What is the Korean martial art of Hapkido? Let’s take a look at the basic definition of the word Hapkido to beging.

Hap = unity, eclectic, gathering

Ki = inner strength

Do = art of, the way

What we learn from this definition is that Hapkido is an ecclectic art centered around inner strength. Some people might even consider it to be the original Korean Mixed Martial Art with roots in Japan. As the story goes, Dojonim Choi-Yong-Sool was abducted as a child and taken to Japan. There he lived and trained with Aikijutsu Master Sogaku Takeda from 1916 until the time of Takeda’s death in 1943. Choi returned to Korea where Korean Yudo (judo) and the Korean style of kicking influenced his Jujitsu art. He eventually remnamed his modified style Hapkido.

Thanks to the Grand Master Ji Han Jae, Hapkido is curently well known throughout the world for it’s outstanding and realistic self-defense techniques. He was one of Choi’s early students and became the President of the Korea Hapkido Association which later became known as the Korea Hapkido Federation. This more modern form developed by Choi Yong Sool uses the striking & kicking skills popular in styles like TaeKwonDo and blends them with the ease and flow of arts like Aikido.  Much like it’s Japanese counterpart Aikido (who’s founder also trained with the same master), the Korean art of Hapkido uses the opponent’s energy against himself while simutaneously building the defender’s personal power.

I like to tell students that the art of Hapkido is a blend of the soft and hard. It is also a blend of offensive hand and foot techniques, defensive throwing, rolling and restraining techniques. This is what make Hapkido a realistic self defense art. We see that any valid technique can be incorportated. With its underlying theme of obtaining physical and mental balance and confidence in oneself it is an ideal develpmental art for both genders as well as for adults and children as long as it is properly supervised.

Members of the Korea Hapkido Federation Haemukwan learn breathing exercises are also incorporated to strengthen “ki”, or internal power.  Hapkido teaches one to become more “centered” in mind body and spirit. Hapkido movements originate from a relaxed and natural position from whence opposing energy is controlled and redirected. This is whey Men and women of all ages benefit from participating in classes.

Hapkido, as taught at Korean Hapkido Federation Haemukwan schools, is an excellent vehicle to acquire self defense and family protection skills, self-confidence, discipline, fitness, focus and self-esteem while at the same time enhancing non-violent conflict resolution, goal setting abilities and strength of character.

About the author: Master Darren Norris is the US Representative for the Korean Martial Arts Instructors Association, A certified master of Hapkido and Korean Weapons and owner of Aikido Hapkido of Hendersonville, NC. He can be reached via his website at www.masterdarrennorris.com . To find a Hapkido school teaching self defense classes in your area visit http://haemukwan.com