Hapkido or Taekwondo?

[Tae-Kwon-Do kid]

I'm trying to decide whether to do Hapkido or Taekwondo. I have studied many things but I have studied Taekwondo the most. I'm switching classes and they offer either one. Should I try Hapkido or stick with Taekwondo?

Hey man look, i am a first dan in Tae-Kwon-Do and i have to admit sometimes i wish i knew how to do more with my hands, since Tae-Kwon-Do is mostly a kicking martial art, i have taken classes for Hapkido to lear how to control my opponent better with-out having to jump up and kick him in the face. "Hapkido" means "Way of Harmony" which means that you use the other persons attack against them with quick, fluid jabs flips and even a few joint locks. plus Throwing People around is really fun! but whatever you choose to do make sure you commit and always finish what you start:)

[myataschool]

What do you want out of your classes?

TKD has a reputation, unfortunately well earned by a lot of its instructors, of being mostly for sports. That means distorted technique useless for anything other than scoring points in their particular competitive venue, poor self defense applicability, and a focus on belts and tournaments. Some people like that, though, and that's what they came for. They do do lots of competitions and the like, and you can find TKD anywhere, so those can be plusses depending on what you want to achieve.

Hapkido doesn't do the competition thing really, but they do a lot more throws and takedowns and self defense work.

If you can, try them both and go with the one you like most.

Most Taekwondo sparring is geared towards competition with very little practicality. I make it very clear to my students that there is a difference between sparring and self-defense because their purposes are completely opposite.

Self-defense is just that... Defending yourself. In most cases, your objective is simply to escape. Techniques are usually simple, but effective.

Sparring is basically a game of martial arts skill between two martial artists. Your objective needs to be both defensive AND offensive. You can't win a sparring match without scoring at least one point. Simple techniques are usually ineffective, requiring footwork, combinations, etc. to be effective.

Don't let generalizations about each style of martial arts discourage you from considering a style. Each school is unique. As a strictly-TKD practitioner, I'd say do TKD, but you should check out a couple of schools, try a few classes, and then decide which you like best.

[shimizu]

I don't know whether or not you have already chosen but you should choose (or have chosen) Tae Kwon-Do because that's cool

[SoTexGuy]

I study TKD and my instructor let's us know how every move we do is important if we were in a fight on the street. I saw stick with TKD!

[shinka]

I did TaeKwon Do couple years ago and I've been doing Hoshinkido Hapkido for over 2 years now and It's very different.

Ok, Hapkido use a lot of the TKD kicks but we learn so much more...

I'm a security officer and I use hapkido frequently in my work.

I'm not allowed to kick or punch unless i'm in total hell.... so i use joint locks, pressure points, take down etc ...Which I learn in hapkido.

So if you want to compete and kick a lot...Go TKD

If you want to be more complete in different styles (ground,foot,hands etc) go for hapkido.....

If you're a security officer,cops etc...hapkido is for you....

[Dobbersky]

I did TaeKwon Do couple years ago and I've been doing Hoshinkido Hapkido for over 2 years now and It's very different.

Ok, Hapkido use a lot of the TKD kicks but we learn so much more...

I'm a security officer and I use hapkido frequently in my work.

I'm not allowed to kick or punch unless i'm in total hell.... so i use joint locks, pressure points, take down etc ...Which I learn pkido.

So if you want to compete and kick a lot...Go TKD

If you want to be more complete in different styles (ground,foot,hands etc) go for hapkido.....

If you're a security officer,cops etc...hapkido is for you....

Totally agree, for me given a choice Hapkido all the way. Love ITF but hate the Sinewave, like WTF but not too keen on their sparring