Why HKD?

[Michael89]

Why did you choose HKD as your martial art? What did/do you expect out of the art? What are your goals in the art? Has it met your expectations and/or would you change anything about the art if you could?​

well, I learned and still am learning Hapkido at Taekwondo school though self defense sessions I didn't know I was learning Hapkido till much later, one of masters explained to me what "Hapkido" is and [FONT=Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] emphasizes circular motion, redirection of force, and control of the opponent that was little before I became black belt. I love it, i kinda put [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]puzzle[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] together and just not "one after one" techniques. only thing I'd add "hapkido free sparring" at dojang. If i ever truly want to tone my throwing,grapping, jointlocks. i will just go to "pure" hapkido school which is not around my area. better than nothing I guess. [/FONT]

 

[oftheherd1]

well, I learned and still am learning Hapkido at Taekwondo school though self defense sessions I didn't know I was learning Hapkido till much later, one of masters explained to me what "Hapkido" is and emphasizes circular motion, redirection of force, and control of the opponent that was little before I became black belt. I love it, i kinda put puzzle together and just not "one after one" techniques. only thing I'd add "hapkido free sparring" at dojang. If i ever truly want to tone my throwing,grapping, jointlocks. i will just go to "pure" hapkido school which is not around my area. better than nothing I guess.

I am curious, what did he say Hapkido was?

 

[JJK HKD]

I loved reading these - you are my people!
I started taking hapkido as I was searching for real self-defense and I wanted effective techniques which I believed will work. I have a black belt in taekwondo and the self-defense I learned might be called "hapkido" but for the last 11 years I have been a student of real hapkido. I have a hapkido only school - I teach "elements of" boxing (always with grabs allowed and sometimes takedowns allowed so not sport boxing), kickboxing, joint locks, throws, ground defense, weapon disarms, pinning techniques and escorts. If my school has a specialty it would be kicking and joint locks - but we do a little bit of everything - not my addons but the actual system of hapkido. The knowledge my 5th Dan instructors in taekwondo had regarding self-defense - and they were great people - was about what my yellow or green belts have. There are exceptions to every rule, however, a hapkido only school will know how to generate power in punching, kicking, how to apply leverage when throwing (or stopping throw attempts) and joint locks / breaks. The instructor in a hapkido only school learns to become more expert in their techniques - these techniques are not sport techniques or how to be precise in forms, but in self-defense techniques, redirecting energy and applying leverage. I just don't see how someone can accurately learn taekwondo tournament kicks and then learn hapkido kicking - that's just one example.

 

[Raymond]

This could be a long post but I'll try to keep it brief.

I love Hapkido because it offers everything I believe a martial art should have. It has tradition, a history (albeit a controversial one ), and a broad range of techniques. I also like that it is an eclectic art. There are as many ways "to do Hapkido" as there are individuals doing it. Hapkido schools and masters can range from very no nonsense and tough all the way to being very artistic. With all the Kwans, organizations, unaffiliated clubs, and lineages that make up the world of the art, there's something for everyone. These are great things but they unfortunately can come with draw backs.
I have done many styles and despite my lineage not tracing to any one organization, I will still consider myself a Hapkido stylist

 

[Skip Cooper]

Why did you choose HKD as your martial art? What did/do you expect out of the art? What are your goals in the art? Has it met your expectations and/or would you change anything about the art if you could?​

Hapkido chose me.

 

[marysson]

I chose it because 1) it was nearby and 2) it is a hybrid system and the particular school is more 'street' oriented than flashy or competition based.

 

[jezr74]

I trialed two other MAs for 6 months each, during my 6 months trialling HKD I decided it was what I was looking for, I liked the variety in the syllabus, from joint locks to striking to grappling and take downs, even starting to enjoy the falling and rolls.

A major factor was the people at the club as well.

 

[Instructor]

I trialed two other MAs for 6 months each, during my 6 months trialling HKD I decided it was what I was looking for, I liked the variety in the syllabus, from joint locks to striking to grappling and take downs, even starting to enjoy the falling and rolls.

A major factor was the people at the club as well.

If you're training with good folks style hardly matters at all!