# TDK & Hapkido??



## Jrush (Mar 21, 2005)

I am starting a new school with my son on Wednesday, this will be both of our first lessons in any MA. Just curious if it common for TDK to be taught along with some Hapkido? If so what is the benifit of this.


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## glad2bhere (Mar 21, 2005)

Congratulations! Hope its a good experience! 

As you can imagine teaching Hapkido and TKD at the same school can be a "good news/ bad news" joke. The attitude or philosophy of the person running the school will pretty much dictate what the balance between these two poles might be. 

TKD tends to be a good revenue-generator, and it can off a broad spectrum of contact, competition, and activities. While it CAN be a more serious martial art, most of the time here in the States it is more of a martial sport. 

On the other hand Hapkido can offer some pretty intense and effective self-defense. Its not an art that lends itself very well to competition though there are people trying to make the effort. Taught as a no-nonsense MA Hapkido can be a pretty good challenge for anyone. For myself I don't accept students who are still in High School or younger. However, there have been those who have "cleaned-up" Hapkido a bit by removing some of the more "extraordinary" techniques. (Theres just some things you don't want your child to know until you are sure they can handle the responsibility. ) As a parent you will probably need to keep an eye on how the person running the school relates these two arts together, and what he teaches to his kids versus adults. All-in-all these two arts usually go together pretty well, but if I had to guess you will probably learn a whole lot of TKD and the Hapkido will be relegated to the HoShinSul part of the class. Thats usually the way it works. FWIW. 

Best Wishes, 

Bruce


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## ajs1976 (Mar 21, 2005)

I go to a TKD school that teaches Hapkido as part of the curriculum.  There are 3 one-steps and 3 grabbing techniques per colored belt level. I have been told the grabbing techniques are 'Hapkido' techniques and I think the one-steps are also.  The practice is very static.

The Hapkido techniques are my favorite part of class.


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## Whitebelt (Mar 21, 2005)

In my class the instructour gave us an hour of Hapkido training. It involved mostly grabbing an opponent as if to hurt them and to allow them to pull out of it quickly and nutralise the threat.


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## Jrush (Mar 21, 2005)

Thank you for the information. From what I understand the school I am attending leans more towards traditional TDK than sport. I guess that would be ITF vs. WTF. 

The grandmaster that owns the academy that we will be attending started the academy in 1964, and apparently selected, formed, and directed the United States team in the First World Taekwondo Championship. So we hope to learn a lot from him.


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## traz (Mar 21, 2005)

My opinion on TKD + Hapkido schools is this...

If you're trying to learn TKD, then its a good thing, as you're getting an excellent and useful bonus with the Hapkido techniques.

If you're trying to learn Hapkido, then its not such a good thing, as chances are the Hapkido you learn is incomplete, watered down, and not quite the same as the real, full Hapkido.


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## shesulsa (Mar 21, 2005)

In my humble opinion, cross-training is very good.  Lots of folks like to think if their art is being taught alongside another art then it must be watered down ... most likely because it sometimes is.  However, it is my opinion that you need to cater to your needs and goals.  Some cross-training rarely hurts and I think either one studies a combined curriculum from the beginning or cross-trains later in advanced color ranks or after.  To do something else might confuse the student in more ways than one.

 Enjoy your endeavor.


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## Mithios (Mar 21, 2005)

T.K.D.& H.K.D. In my opinion, go well together. Or, at least classical T.K.D.& H.K.D. I have never done the wtf sport version of T.K.D. Of course i learned them as seperate arts, so that probably has something to do with it.
Mithios


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## American HKD (Mar 21, 2005)

Greetings,

Cross training in HKD & TKD is sort of pointless, because Hapkido has much more to the art than TKD does unless you're looking to learn forms or don't like physical contact because HKD has a lot of throws, falls, joint manipulations, pressure point techs.

If your a new student all you need is good HKD school to be a very complete MA, if your already in TKD then Hapkido would be a good supplement.

Just remember KHD is much more physical and harder on the body.


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## FearlessFreep (Mar 21, 2005)

I think it depends on your goals.

 I know in our school, which is otherwise a fairly traditional TKD school, our instructor incorporates some Hapkido tecniques into our self-defense training. He says his opwn background is roughly 70% TKD and 30% Hapkido. So we use Taegeuk TKD forms, olympic-style TKD sparring, but in self-defense we incorporate other techniques from other arts.

 That is not to say or claim we are learning Hapkido. I am not a Hapkido MA, I'm a TKD MA, and would not claim to be any more. Hapkido is it's own martial art with it's own philosophy and techniques and traditions and such.

 I think you often see the two grouped together because TKD offers the sport organization to get involved with but those who practice TKD often will try to pick up some Hapkido close-quarters techniques to augment the TKD self-defense

 If your goal is to be a TKD MA, find a good TKD school; if your goal is to learn Hapkido, find a place to learn real Hapkido.  If your goal is just to do TKD sparring and learn effective self-defense...well, a TKD school will do the former but you have to be sure your instructor is serious about self-defense and it could end up including TKD, Hapkido, Judo, etc...


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## American HKD (Mar 21, 2005)

FearlessFreep said:
			
		

> I think it depends on your goals.
> 
> I know in our school, which is otherwise a fairly traditional TKD school, our instructor incorporates some Hapkido tecniques into our self-defense training. He says his opwn background is roughly 70% TKD and 30% Hapkido. So we use Taegeuk TKD forms, olympic-style TKD sparring, but in self-defense we incorporate other techniques from other arts.
> 
> ...


Greetings,

True, HKD & TKD are grouped together only because thier both from Korea so it's an easy fit in that sense, also TKD has litlle self defense so they need HKD for that aspect.

But I agree bottom line is find a school that specializes in what you want.


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## FearlessFreep (Mar 21, 2005)

_also TKD has litlle self defense so they need HKD for that aspect._

 I would tend to disagree with that. Many schools focus only on the competition aspects, forms, breaking and sparring, and from that aspect TKD is surely short on self-defense. But that doesn't come close to covering the gamut of what TKD is or can do. It really depends on the focus of your instructor. If your instructor really focus on self-defense than you will learn more of TKD as a fighting style as opposed to just a sparring sport.

 I know that in our self-defense we practice strikes that are straight out of TKD. The inner-block that is stylized in the Il-Jang form we also use a bit more directly in striking to the tricep muscle as part of various defensive counters. The knife-hand strike to the neck, practiced in Som-Jang can, if followed through properly, start a takedown. True, TKD has many aerobatic kicks, which is what it seems to be known for, that may have limited self-defense usage, but it also has a lot of medium and short range hand and foot strikes that can apply very well to self-defense application, *if* you have an instructor who re-enforces and trains those usages. 

 Mostly what we seem to be drawing from Hapkido seems to be a lot of the very close in hand work; joint manipulations and pressure-points and such. I don't think TKD has much of that in it's own.


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## Digger70chall (Mar 22, 2005)

i think i'm in the same boat as most everyone else who has already posted.  We are probably 80% TKD with a couple hours "hapkido" practice in there a week.  I know it's not full fledged dedicated hapkido like others practice but we do use it to augment our TKD.  I like it because it give me a chance to work on simple grabs and joint locks, for some reason i like practising rolls and falls too   We are mostly a traditional style TKD school but hapkido is part of our belt testing.  Strangely our focus on self-defense techniques depends on who is instructing that class.  Some instructors focus almost entirely on self-defense while another will work only on forms/sparring.  Hopefully all this will at least make me well rounded in TKD if nothing else.  I like to think that my training would help in a self-defense situation...hopefully though i'll never have to find out!
 respectfully,
 Derrick Ransom


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## American HKD (Mar 22, 2005)

Greetings,

I know pure TKD has some self defense applications, but I belive it's still mainly a punching & kicking type applications maybe a leg sweep and a simple JL or two. 

Most Trad. HKD schools have 400-500 techniques to 1st Dan, about 100 tech are the various kicking techniques, basic, combos, jumping, skipping, ground kicks etc.

All the rest of the 400 or so tech. is locks, throws, strikes, Nerve points, from all kinds of defenses, punch, kick, grabs from anywhere, hugs, ground defense, knife etc. 

It makes me dizzy just to think about all the variables we really have.


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## Jrush (Mar 23, 2005)

Thank you everyone for the information. We start our first class tonight and I am hoping to find out if we will be learning some Hapikdo or not.


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## Paul B (Mar 23, 2005)

I hope you have fun and come back to tell us how it went! Good luck!


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## Jrush (Mar 24, 2005)

It was a blast.. I am sore in places I didnt know I could be sore in. Which is odd because I race Cross Country Mountain Bikes and thought that I used all my leg muscles on climbs, etc. 

GM Hwang did inform me that they do not teach sports techniques but true Martial Arts. He also said that TDK is the base with some Hapkido & Judo mixed in for the self defense applications. Thanks again for all the information.


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## Paul B (Mar 24, 2005)

It sounds like you had a great time...it just gets better. Good luck in your training!


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