+'s and -'s of Hapkido

[Arys]

Im fairly new to the art and want to know some strengths and weakness it might have againt say striking arts or arts that focus primarily on grappling.

 

Care to help me out?

[RJRKihap]

From my experience Hapkido seems to be 50% striking (both hands and feet) and 50% joint locks, throws, arm bars, etc. This holds true whether it be defense against punches and kicks or defense against various grabs or chokes.

 

Again, just my experience.

 

Ron

[Thuggish]

don't know much about the art- also depends on your teacher and all that... but if there is no ground fighting techniques that is one significant minus.

[daoshi]

As a young man with a Kuk Sool (Hapkido) black belt I began competing against BJJ and Judo fighters and found that none of my techniques wouled work. Wrist locks will never work against a trained fighter. It is very easy to tighten the wrist and counter the technique.

 

Hapkido, Kuk Sool, Aikido, Japanes Jui Jits, et al, provide a great foundation, but to truly learn takedowns and submissions, Judo or BJJ are the only options.

[White Warlock]

No, judo and bjj are not the only options.

As a young man with a Kuk Sool (Hapkido) black belt I began competing against BJJ and Judo fighters and found that none of my techniques wouled work. Wrist locks will never work against a trained fighter. It is very easy to tighten the wrist and counter the technique.

If you fight your fight, rather than their fight, you wouldn't be having these difficulties. As to wrist locks, yes they will work against a trained fighter, you just have to know how and when to apply them. As to tightening of the wrist, this is an exploitable defense, but even then... if you gave them the time to tighten their wrist before you completed your action, you weren't quick enough and likely didn't distract/disrupt them before committing to the lock.

[Blade3]

As a young man with a Kuk Sool (Hapkido) black belt I began competing against BJJ and Judo fighters and found that none of my techniques wouled work. Wrist locks will never work against a trained fighter. It is very easy to tighten the wrist and counter the technique.

 

Hapkido, Kuk Sool, Aikido, Japanes Jui Jits, et al, provide a great foundation, but to truly learn takedowns and submissions, Judo or BJJ are the only options.

 

I don't know where you train & how it's taught but I do know that the Hapkido that I train in has defense against ANY other style.

 

Hapkido compasses joint locks, throws, take downs,kicks, punches,& sweeps.

 

I was back east on a shoot for a couple of months & I trained with some guys who train in mixed martials arts (i.e. Muay Thai, BJJ)

 

Some of them were so gung ho about BJJ like it was the start all & end all for self defense. Mind you I had never trained against this style so my first few nights in their gym I was there to learn & was tossed around & choked & told how great BJJ was & that along with MT how good they've become complete fighters. (Hapkido has what both styles have in one art)

 

It seems (TO ME) that BJJ has about 75% Ground & about 25% stand up & that 25 is pretty effective. Hapkido is about 70% stand up & 30% Ground & THAT 30 is very effective.

 

Now I had to learn quickly that if I'm going to spar these players, then I don't have to just go around in circles letting these guys size me up & then slamming me down & making me tap. (See I was fighting their fight, a no no )

 

So when we'd square off sometimes I just launch a kick into their mid section (when they'd get upset & say hey this isn't Muay Thai night & I'd say but it isn't a training night either, it's sparring night & if we're sparring & I don't know a lick about BJJ then I need to go for what I know)

 

So to shorten this up I'd use ankle sweeps or kicks to put em' on their * & then while their down there I didn't go down there after them where they're really good so they had to get up & come get some more & when they ended up on the floor again from a simple ankle sweep or a push kick it would irk the hell out of them so they'd go into Muay Thai mode (AH HA!! I was no longer fighting their fight...Because I couldn't ...because I hadn't trained in it so why try & get molested?)

 

& start throwing kicks & punches & now my freinds we have some real sparring useing our own styles of training , so we'd have kicks & punches which I do very well & throws which I'm pretty good at & some ground fighting which I'm okay with. Over the course of a about 4-5 weeks we'd have some interesting matches I lost a few & won a lot but in the end I learned a few things about BJJ & THEY learned a few things about Hapkido

 

& we've maintained some close freindships since then.

[Blade3]

As stated in my previous post BJJ is awsome as well as Judo TKD, TSD & even Thai Chi when it's used properly.

 

As I said before these guys back east had fought in a lot of tourneys around the world & won even King Of the cage matches they contiually have weekend seminars where someone from the Gracies or Machados;etc; will come & teach them some new stuff & the schools owners & cheif instructor will go away for a couple of weeks to train with some guys & then come back with some new stuff to add to their arsenal.

 

About four years ago they went from a BJJ school to MMA school because guys in K-1 sort of events where they had to wear Boxing gloves and needed skills to stand up & punch, kick & throw because they could not rely on BJJ in those type of events, also the owner told me that some of the guys who were bouncers had gotten into confrotations with stupid patrons & didn't want to go to the ground & get cut up by glass or get rushed by the freinds of the aggresor any longer, even one night a female student returned to class with a black eye & some stitches in her head when she was attacked by a former ex- boy freind after work & tried to take him down head on, that's when the owners & cheif instructor realized that that needed something that'll complement their BJJ & it's striking skills & after making a call to the late Alex Gong at the time, Fairtex Muay Thai became a part of the curricular & thus the end of the

 

BJJ only school.

 

IMO Any Boxing is THE best way to knock some one out in a stand up confrotation & I would not try to get in the ring with a Sugar Shane or Roy Jones for 12 rounds because I don't have their skills to last that long without having to kick, sweep, or throw.

 

On the streets that's different but still I wouldn't try to box a boxer so I'd surely go for what I know & launch some side kicks to his shins, knees, & thighs & if he gets through that a side step & sweep & IF he gets through (lol) then I resort to some high kicks to keep his Krazie * away from me. (LOL)

 

At my current school our instructor teaches a drill called get aways where we learn not to get choke out by a wrestler,BJJ, or Judo player our senior instructor/owner has been training in Hapkido for 43 years & has sparred against & even fought against in his (Marine Corps days ) Judo players, Kung Fu dudes, Karate dudes, Greco Roman guys,etc;

 

When we do these drills sometimes we stand up, or sit down in a chair or on the floor or laying on a cot in a sleeping position.

 

The purpose is to get your reaction timing in synch with the attack, & to teach us us a thing or two about what can go wrong when you panick.

 

So it'll be students of all sizes coming at you and choking you from behind or in front or sides. Beleive me after about 9 months of that your nearly untouchable ( in that situation)

 

In our system it goes like this White belt to Yellow & Orange it's the fundamentals of Hapkido,(Strecthing, Striking, Kicking,Grabs & Locks with one throw after a set of four Lapel grabs or Wrist Locks.

 

Then from Purple, Green, Blue,& Brown you learn defense against chokes,throws, & take downs. (Our instructor insists this is the best way of building a solid foundation) Red belts basicly learn & reveiw EVERYTHING from White through Brown & a FEW new moves from the Black Belts this is to prepare you to test for your Black belt because in front of Everyone you'll be drilled on a lot of techniques from W to R. & back to W in order to show your class mates, other instuctors from other schools, little kids & parents that you've been paying attention & know your stuff & are conifident & competent enough to teach a class of color belts. When you reach the coveted Black belt (I've heard from my class mates who are) you'll realize how much it is that you don't know & around others who've attained that rank 10-15 years ago you'll feel like a White belt all over again, and you see that there's twice as many techniques to learn until you reach 4th degree & then it starts all over again, & again.

 

The black belts do get to emphasize more on HOW to initiate take downs & throws with the legs & so forth but from Purple to Brown you are drilled to near death on what to do when it's attempted or it gets through and happens to you, & how not to panic & get the hell out of it & make your attacker pay a pint of blood for it.

 

Let me make it clear once again that I don't knock any style at all do what works for you, but I'll tell you... I love Kimo, Marice Smith, Shonie Carter, Tito & the rest of those UFC/K-1/Pride/KOTC, Etc;I'm sure that they can kick butt in a bar too , but understand they are Prize Fighters & most of the guys I know here on the Left Coast & on The Beast Coast who train in Hapkido or Kajukembo, Kung Foo San Soo, Northern Mantis Kung Fu & evenAkido, will probably lose quickly in the ring to these guys but will probably hurt them bad in a street fight because a few years back I've worked with them as a bouncer at clubs & concerts in L A, Philly, Atlanta, & New York & have seen them in action against steroid monsters & muliple attackers, I've seen them take nives from people & have seen them stabbed & still rumble & quell the situation at hand. I've been shot myself at a club on the door because we had to get some trouble makers out.

 

All I'm saying is no matter what your being taught & no matter how many trophies you've won can you use what you've been taught to defend your life in hand to hand combat if needed?

 

Peace