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"...Hapkido ("Way of Coordinated Power") identifies a Korean method of combat utilizing hand strikes, kicks, joint-locks, throws, restraints and chokes. In its most specific use the term Hapkido identifies that art transmitted to Han Jae Ji by Yong Sul Choi between 1953 and 1957.
In a broader sense, though, the term Hapkido has also come to identify Korean martial arts which incorporate both strikes and grappling according to the three guiding principles of Hapkido, and derive from, or are heavily influenced by, the Japanese martial art Daito-ryu aiki-jujitsu. Into this category fall a wide range of organizations (kwans) including, but not limited to, Mu Sul Kwan, Yon Mu Kwan, Hapki Yu Sool, and Jung Ki Kwan. There are also various federations and associations the most notable of which are the World Kido Federation, the International Hapkido Federation and the Korean Hapkido Association.
In its widest usage Hapkido also identifies organizations and arts which seek a greater representation of the Korean Martial tradition. These organizations' heritage may derive in some part from either the teachings of Yong Sul Choi, or his students. However, the way the body is used in these arts may, as much, reflect the strong Chinese and Buddhist heritage of the Korean culture. This category includes the arts of Kuk Sool Won, HanMuDo, Hwarangdo, Han Pul, Mu Yei 24 Ban, as well as the martial training practices of the Sun Monasteries.
The modern art we know as Hapkido is the product of more than 2000 years of martial tradition which can be subdivided into 5 major cultural infusions and many lesser cultural influences. The first of these are the ancient tribal techniques (Sado Mu Sool) which are thought to have incorporated combat techniques best accomplished from horseback and would have included archery, lance, stone sword and knife as well as the brand of wrestling common to across most of central Asia. Practiced by the migrating tribes of the steppes of northeastern Asia, these martial skills formed the foundation for Korean martial tradition. The Second and Third Infusions to Hapkido were the introduction of Buddhist and Confucian belief systems to Korean culture as well as the attendant martial and administrative traditions from China during the 4th and 5th century.
The introduction of Buddhist beliefs is reflected in the establishment of various codes which were established to guide the warriors' efforts in meeting his responsibilities to his community and country. Buddhist tradition pressed an accomplished warrior to submit to a code based on patriotism (Ch'ung), filial piety, (Hyo), fraternity (Shin) Justice (Yong) and Benevolence (Im). In this way the role of Buddhist thought for the Korean warrior was not unlike that of the Christian church in Western Europe with the development of Chivalry. From a fighting sense the addition of a code to the warrior's training helped to dissuade the warrior from misusing his skill by abusing members of his family and community.
The Confucian system, for its part, advocated a reverence
for governmental authority and supported this through a hierarchy of levels,
examinations, and offices. Such a strict hierarchical system readily lent
itself to affirming the rigid class system comprised of the aristocracy,
bureaucracy, farmers and slaves as well as the supremacy of the king. In
a manner of speaking, then, if Buddhism indicated to the warrior what he
was not to do and whom he was not to act against, Confucianism indicated
the proper focus for the warriors' skills in terms of government and superior
authority. In addition to their respective religious and administrative
influences, Buddhism and Confucianism were also avenues for the introduction
of many
cultural and martial traditions from the Chinese culture.
Among these contributions are varieties of weapons and martial skills,
strategies, tactics and order of battle, history, science, medicine and
literature.
These twin forces guided and supported Korean martial
tradition but also contributed to it's decline as well. As much as we might
think well of the influence of the Buddhist faith, its power and influence
in the Korean government soon was seen as a threat to the kings'
ruling authority. The decline of the influence of Buddhism left an opportunity
for Confucianism to make its influence felt.
With steady support from various factions throughout the Yi dynasty (1390 to 1910) military tradition in Korean was seen as little more than a necessary evil which was continually minimized at every turn. Even those occasions which required a military defense such as the Japanese Invasion of 1592 by Toyotomi was not enough to stop the decline. The occupation by the Japanese in 1910 finally brought the Yi dynasty to an end. Initially more bureaucratic, the Japanese occupation experienced steadily growing resistance by the Korean people until harsh repressive measures were instituted in the 1930-s by the Japanese that outlawed nearly the whole of Korean culture and demanded the adoption of Japanese cultural counterparts.
Japanese nationals were brought to Korea to dominate the
agricultural and industrial base of that country and bringing with them
such martial art traditions as Judo, jujitsu, Karate, Aikido, Kendo and
Kyudo. Korean nationals were relocated to Japan to service the needs of
the Japanese industry, farming and domestic service. The Fourth infusion
to the Korean martial tradition is best represented in the personal experiences
of Yong Sul Choi whose teachings subsequently set the foundation for much
of modern
Hapkido. At the age of 8, Choi was reportedly taken to
Japan from Korea, later abandoned and subsequently taken into the household
of Sokaku Takeda, teacher of Daito-ryu Aiki-jujitsu. Choi states that he
remained in Takedas' employ for some thirty years, before being repatriated
to Korea at the end
of the Second World War. To date, no documentation has
been found to support Choi's statements regarding either his residence
with the Takeda family, or his instruction in the art of Daito-ryu. However,
it remains that Choi along with a very limited number of other Korean nationals
such as Mok Jang In,
and General Hong Hi Choi returned to Korea to add the
martial skills they had experienced in Japan to those arts of the Korean
culture as had survived, or had been introduced from Japan by the occupation.
In 1948 Choi began teaching his art, yu sool, to Bok-sub
Suh a Yudo black belt and president of a brewery. The name "yu sool" itself
suggests that the arts' techniques included joint locks and throws. However,
following an incident in 1954 in which Choi's student Suh used a sidekick
in an altercation, the name was changed to "yu kwon sool", indicating that
the art utilized kicks and punches as well. As a student Han Jae Ji had
begun to train with Choi in 1953. Working with the head instructor of the
school,
Woo-woong Kim, Ji had begun to organize the kicking repertoire
that would be identified with yu kwon sool. This introduction of various
kicking techniques by Won-woong Kim and Han Jae Ji to the yu sool curriculum
constitutes the Fifth and latest infusion of techniques. As with the martial
sport of TaeKwonDo, the source for this kicking material was the historic
national past-time of taek kyon and su bahk both kicking arts of long standing
in the Korean culture.
On beginning his own school in 1957 as a 3rd degree Black
Belt, Ji is attributed with changing the name of the art to its present
form, "hapki do" from "hapki yu sool." In this way, Ji is thought to have
emphasized Hapkido as a "do" or "way of living" rather than merely a collection
of techniques ("sool"). In this way, whatever principals may be examined
on a physical plane such as motion, balance, leverage, timing and focus
may also be regarded on an intellectual, emotional and spiritual plane
as well. The
result is that the art of Hapkido is as much a method
of character development as a martial endeavor.
Many Hapkido practitioners can trace their instruction
back to Ji,or to Yong Sul Choi through Ji. Among the most notable personalities
who have trained with Choi directly, or with Choi through Ji are Joo Bang
Lee (HwaRangDo), Jae-nam Myung (International Hapkido Federation),
Kwang Sik Myung (World
Hapkido Federation), and Bong Soo Han (International
Hapkido Federation).
The members and cadre that descend from these lines support
to Ji's reputation as the "father of modern Hapkido." There are also large
networks of contemporaries to Ji who have sought to introduce innovation
to the Hapkido teaching each in their own way. These include In Hyuk Suh
(Kuk Sool Won), Kwan-wha Won (Moo Sool Kwan) and Hyun Su Lim (Jung Ki Kwan).
In examining Daito-ryu, Hapkido and Aikido, another Daito ryu derivation,
it is not surprising that one is able identify a number of similarities.
All
three arts support practice in both unarmed techniques
as well as the use of weapons. Though curriculums vary from organization
to organization, all three arts hold to the position that techniques remain
biomechanically the same whether a weapon is incorporated into the movements
or not.
The weapons themselves continue to reflect a certain
consistency in biomechanics, despite cultural variations. The Japanese
iron fan or iron truncheon (jutte) is represented in Korean by the short
stick, or dan bong. The Korean cane approximates the Japanese jo,
or stick.. Sword, knife and staff techniques are often comparable in either
Japanese or Korean culture though the Korean biomechanics more often bespeak
their Chinese influences in circular rather than linear motion. To a lesser
degree Hapkido
practitioners continue to incorporate rope or belt techniques
as well as the larger Chinese fans on occasion
A second connection among Daito-ryu aiki-jujitsu, Hapkido
and Aikido are their operation under of the same three principles whether
on the physical, intellectual, emotional or spiritual plane. These are
the Water Principle, Point and Circle Principle and Economy of Energy Principle.
The Water Principle bespeaks adaptation to circumstances and a readiness
to adjust an action or response with ease. Sometimes characterized as "tenacity"
or "relentless" for the penetrating qualities of the liquid, the
Water Principle is better represented by the manner in
which water adapts to the shape of the container that holds it. In this
way the Hapkido practitioner accepts whatever is given them to work with
and makes the most of it.
The Point and Circle Principle acknowledges that "all
things are a cycle" and as such can be much easier to understand in cause
and effect. A punch, thrown, does not remain extended, but is "recycled"
to become perhaps a block, another strike or a grab. The same can be said
for a kick, or a throw, perhaps walking, eating-in fact any activity. Actions
occur and are recycled to become other actions as thoughts recycle to become
other thoughts. In combat application, the interception and management
of an
attack is open to a greater number of options along the
track of an arc rather than a straight line. An appreciation of the cyclical
nature of events also allows for anticipation according to a variety of
options and an execution of a particular option in a tangential rather
than confrontive manner.
The Economy of Motion Principle encourages the practitioner to identify the most efficient, least wasteful way of accomplishing ones' goals, and admonishes the student to avoid "working harder than ones' opponent" In this way, whatever is learned is under constant pressure to be done more accurately, efficiently and effectively. In this way a Hapkido practitioner learns to "work smarter, not harder" in dealing with conflicts.
A third connection among Daito-ryu, Hapkido and Aikido is their reliance on a subtle hierarchy of sophistication which guides the practitioner to identify increasing levels of efficiency and effectiveness in their arts. For the Japanese arts the first level of expertise is identified as gentle technique (ju jitsu) which is approximated as 'soft technique" (yu sool) in the Korean tradition. Essentially an art based on strength; leverage and speed this level of expertise often includes a degree of pain compliance for the successful execution of the technique. Though the least sophisticated of the three levels, this skill level is perhaps the most widely exhibited among Hapkido practitioners and contributes to its reputation as a no-nonsense form of self-defense.
The second level of sophistication is identified in the Daito-ryu tradition as aiki-jujitsu or "hapki yu sool" in the Korean tradition. Aikido for its part speaks of "blending" with ones' partner. All three states indicate the ability to use the nature of the attackers' own physical structure against them. Disrupting the attackers' foundation, balance. direction, timing or focus allows for the defender to optimize his assets in a confrontation with an individual of greater size or ability. Well-known among Aikido and Daito-ryu practitioners, this level is less well-known in the Hapkido community with the exception perhaps of the practitioners in Korea itself. The highest level of expertise is designated "aiki-jitsu" (lit: "spirit techniques") and is the subject of much debate within both the Aikido and Daito-ryu aiki-jujitsu community. This level of training allows the practitioner to exploit the biomechanical responses of the attackers' own body against him such as "conditioned responses," and "reflexes". In such cases the defender, then, is able not only to engage the enemy, unbalance them and use their strength against them, but incorporate the volition of the partners' own action in defeating the attack as well.There are plenty of people who like to attribute this sort of technique to some sort of cosmic forces, but the fact is, it is only sound training practices done over and over again that produce this sort of "magic".
The organization of a typical Hapkido school reflects
many of the accepted organizational practices common to most martial arts
in both Korea and Japan. A director (kwang jang nin) attends to the managing
affairs of the school while an instructor (sabunim) oversees regular instruction.
Nearly all Hapkido organizations have adopted a hierarchy of ascending
student (guep) ranks numbering ten through one and usually assign a belt
color to indicate rank. Individuals committed to continued
study,
following completion of the student ranks, are assigned
a rank of one through seven indicating various levels of competence and
designated by a black belt. Ranks eight, nine and ten are essentially administrative
positions. Consistent with the use of a Confucian educational model, criteria
for advancement, testing policies, certification and licensure vary greatly
from organization to organization and are regularly a source of negotiation
and discussion in the Hapkido community regarding significance
and relative merit.
The art itself is an extraordinary inter-relationship
among kicks, strikes, throws, joint-locks, chokes and projections all of
which abide by the three principles of Hapkido. Though occassionally practitioners
of the art will participate in competitions, the art of Hapkido, itself
is not competitive. It is easy to see that for an art whose intent is to
stop the fight, asking a practitioner to participate in a competition designed
to
extend a confrontation for even a few rounds does not
make a lot of sense. Instead, Hapkido practitioners honor the Korean martial
tradition that asks the warrior to serve his country, his family and his
community by only coming out of the best part of himself to further the
good of everyone.
Kim, S.H (2000) The Comprehensive Illustrated Manual of Martial arts of Ancient Korea, Turtle Press, Hartford, Ct.
Kimm, H.Y. (1991) Hapkido, Andrew Jackson College Press, Baton Rouge, La.
Lee, J.B. (1979) The Ancient Martial Art of HwaRangDo (Vol. 1-3), Ohara Publications, Burbank, Ca.
Lee, K.B. (1984) A New History of Korea, Havaard University Pree, Cambridge, Ma.
Lee, P.H. (1993) Sources of Korean Civilization - Vol 1&2, Columbia University Press, New York
Myung, K.S. (1982) Hapkido - Ancient Art of Masters, World Hapkido Federation, Seoul, Korea
Omiya, S (1992) The Hidden Roots of Aikido, Kodansha International Ltd, Tokyo, Japan
Suh, I.H. (1987) Kuk Sool
Yang, J.M. (1992) Analysis of Shaolin Chin Na, YMAA
Publication Center, Jamaica Plains, Ma...."
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