Style: Hapkido (pronounced hop-key-doe) Meaning: "The way of spiritual harmony" or "The way of coordinated power" Country of Origin: Korea
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An interesting feature of this martial art style is that an Hapkido artist learns vital targets and pressure points in the human body in order to immobilize their attacker as quickly as possible.
A slightly strenuous martial art style, Hapkido has its roots in the ancient style of Tae Kyon (from which Tae Kwon Do originated). The Hapkido practitioner becomes skilled in numerous kicks, punches, and blocks. From Aiki-Jujitsu (the predecessor of Aikido) it gets most of its grappling techniques. Thus, the Hapkido practitioner spends an equal amount of time learning techniques such as throws and joint locks. The benefit of studying Hapkido is that the practitioner gets to use both the approaches of grappling and striking equally. For example, a Hapkido artist might use a punch to distract his opponent when a difficult throw is set up. On the other hand, he simply might spin or off-balance his opponent to decrease their ability to defend against a kick. As a result, he confuses his enemy, not giving the opponent any chance to anticipate his next move.
Similar Styles:
Combat Hapkido - Very similar to traditional Hapkido, this modern version uses kickboxing styles. Cuong Nhu - A Vietnamese style which incorporates both Karate and Aikido. Kajukenbo - Named after the five styles which were combined to create it: Karate (ka), Judo and Jujitsu (ju), Kenpo (ken), and Chinese Boxing (bo).
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