Hapkido........?

Question

Is hapkido any good compared to when you are fighting a different style? I know skill level is the big factor but what do you think? and is punching and kicking allowed in it?

Answer 1

In my opinion it is a good style of martial art. Yes, there is punching and kicking incorporated into Hapkido, but it is combined with joint locks and throws. As you said skill level is very important and maybe more so with this style (a joint lock that isn't done properly puts you in striking range of your opponent).

Answer 2

You ask if it is good when fighting a different style. As with any martial art, it all comes down to the skill of the opponent. One important thing to remember is that many schools who teach Hapkido teach the techniques against willing opponents. Even belt testing is done by simply demonstrating techniques rather than using them against a resisting opponent. Although the techniques appear quite effective, the student may have a false sense of confidence that these techniques will work against skilled fighters. The techniques DO work. But if you have never used them against a resisting opponent, then you will be unprepared the counter.


This is not unique to Hapkido, but any school that emphasizes forms and shadow boxing over full speed sparring.

Answer 3

I can't really answer your true question.

Hapkido was the first art i ever took and as a white belt, we larend kicks and punches......i stopped after that because our winters are cold and the studio's floor is straight concrete. I was 6 and didn't have the will power to deal with the pain associated wtih that.

I take tang soo do. A striking style We have "hapkido" techniques. These are all techniques against grabs. There are 20 we need to know for black belt. 5 more for second degree. ( i never made it past that and its semi secretive, so i dont' know if there were more.)

Alot of the 3rd degree blackbelts in my class have a 1st degree in hapkido. We also have a lot of hapkido and judo practiioners com into our classes and they give us a mini seminar.

It is a very respectible style....of course depends on the instructor. Beign a weak person myself ( i can bench press about 80 lbs max)....i prefered the striking styles.

It is good...depends on your goals.....my view is you only start learning martial arts when you hit black belt and thats 4-6 years of training. As you go up in ranks.....i was told all arts are the same. To be a 4th degree blackbelt in Tang soo do...you better know the what a 1st degree in hapkido knows....if not...more.

If you are looking for results you can see really fast.....Beef up on weights.... and take boxing or kick boxing....or somehting related...*competative things*. A side benefits of these sort of things are keeping you in shape. Although i lost 20 lbs in 6 months of tang soo do. Long run though, choose a traditional martial arts...they are all good....even tae kwon do or judo that are sometimes considered sissy on the short run due to light contact competitions.....as oyu go up in rank from black belt in those arts.......it really means something

Answer 4

although I've never really fought against someone who has studied another discipline, but I can tell you that Hapkido is quite effective with it's techniques, ans is often considered one of the "complete" Martial Arts.

Hapkido is based around both skilled (opponents who have a fighting knowledge, such as other Martial Artists) and unskilled (the average everyday person you happen to come across)

You are right that skill level and the practitioner's own level has a lot to do with how well he or she can utilize it.

Hapkido uses both the "soft" techniques of Aikido, with it's use of redirection (through circular motion, which is a core basis of Hapkido as well), throws, and joint locking along with ground fighting techniques as well.

it also uses the "hard" techniques of striking (ie kicking and punching) as well. but the striking aspect is merely used for the most part as distractionary motives and weakening the opponent temporarily to gain a slight advantage to perform the technique you are planning to use, whether it's a throw, or a joint lock for a pain compliance to subdue the opponent without causing them serious injury.

So yes, punching and kicking are allowed as a general rule in Hapkido.

Answer 5

Hapkido will do fine against another martial art. Hapkido is essentially desined to be the "anti-martial art" martial art. Many of hapkido's jointlocks and throws are against grabs and holds specific to Judo. Alot of other moves are vs attacks that are typical of Taekwondo and Karate. Later on defenses were developed that were for use against wester style boxers, and currently there is much talk and development of techniques and strategies that will be usefull against grappling/groundfihting styles/

Of course it ultimately comes down to the individual Hapkidoin, but HKD has all the tools.

Answer 6

There is no way to really know. It completely depends upon the student. I shall give you a couple of examples:

I can tell you that I had a very good chance against a Hapkido stylist of equal skills if I could keep away from his hands. If he got his hands on me, I went down hard and fast. A Wing Chun stylist of equal skill could usually best me if he could get inside my comfort range and I could not get him back out. I have never been good at in-close rapid hand techniques.... that is a personal failing of mine as a martial artist, one that I worked on throughout my training with some success.

I always enjoyed sparring with people from different styles and my Grandmaster encouraged this.

Answer 7

Hopkido is a combined martial arts. It has many attacks to the joints and a many strikes and kicks. Good Hapkido instructors can be hard to find. Hapkido training is rough and many instructors water it down because if they don't, their students don't come back. We Americans often are not willing to do what it takes to master the tougher martial arts.

Good luck.

Answer 8

Hapkido does include striking techniques. It's as good as any other style as long as you are good at it. It's not the art, it's the artist.

Answer 9

it's good as an overall part of a ma's cross training.if you only do stand up you'll always be vulnerable,and the same goes for ground and grappling.i would suggest a stand up style and do hapkido as one of your crosstraining styles.

Answer 10

Hapkido is good. Takedowns, Strikes, and Joint Manipulation.