Hapkido: Traditional or Crosstraining

[Hapkidodude]

I have been training Hapkido for just over a year straight now and have noticed that this art is still evolving. With its relative new beginning around 1950s , has hapkido settled or is it still developing? In our dojang some instructors teach just the straight Hapkido techniques as Ji Han Jae did them. Yet we also have instructors who add ground techniques and make our training more applicable to real fighting scenarios. I tend to like the more realistic crosstraining approach. I have trained Jeet Kune Do and can appreciate the blend of effective techniques. How does your dojang approach teaching and training?

 

 

[Phantasmatic]

It kinda erks me that there are way too many children at our dojo (dojang). I mean it's not that bad but having too many kids (like 5/1!!) Is really annoying, especially when they don't listen. I try to teach them but they can't get it in their heads... oh well, I don't have any kids yet so thats probably why I am still nervous around kids (but not girls!! ). What the heck am i talking about, im only 15!!!!

[Angus]

HapKiDo is a fairly progressive art... It's like some MMA's, it's trying to integrate everything useful and attempt to reject that which is seen as useless... Although u DO still have the strict traditionalists out there.

 

Angus

 

 

[Hapkidodude]

That is kinda the point that I am trying to make. How traditional can an art be that is only fifty years old. I think that Hapkido is still going through some fundemental changes. While most arts started as a combat form and later developed into a sport, Hapkido is still a combat art. Some techniques are changing a tiny bit to maximize effectiveness. If this is a progressive/eclectic art, can it still be considered traditional?

 

 

[SBN Doug]

You could say the same for Kuk Sool Won. We're only about that old as well. And yet the Grandmaster likes to refer to it as "Traditional Korean Martial Arts". More because it is based on the traditional arts, than IT is a traditional art. He's still modifying and improving the curriculum today as well.