Traditional Hap Ki Do

[Hapkid0ist]

Ok there is always a debate on this topic. But I think one thing that MAY be able to help people understand others point of view is if we all understood what is generally considered to be TRADITIONAL HAP KI DO and what is not. What does everyone believe it to be?

I myself agree with my Grandmaster. Though he was a student of Chois' he believed that what made traditional hkd, traditional was not the exact techniques that Choi taught. He believes that it is defined by the adherance to the phylosophies, principals, the CORE techniques, and the fact that traditional hkd was developed to be a progressive and eclectic art. The latter 2 being just as important as anything else. That is what permits our beloved art to develop, grow and stay in the forefront of all the martial arts as one of the most effective Korean arts and Martial Arts, period. That is a defining aspect of Hap Ki Do. Not to develop and grow, to not be progressive and eclectic is to not be traditional by Hap Ki Do standards. We were origionally developed to fight/defend against other arts. If we do not progress, grow, develop then we will never be able to keep up. We will become a shadow of the once contraversial art that existed for such a short time. Then we will be nothing but a memory, dreaming of a revival.

Your thoughts.......................................... ...............

[klaasb]

there is no such thing as 'traditional hapkido'

[iron_ox]

there is no such thing as 'traditional hapkido'


Hello all,

This is nonsense. Sorry. All martial arts are defined by their traditions. Very few consider lineage unimportant, or that the root of the system is the tradition from which it sprang.

This type of sentiment as quoted above is the reason that Hapkido is in the mess it is in now. The tradition is Dojunim Choi. All else has come from him - there was no Hapkido before him - and as often as people try, they cannot document it.

In my opinion, the reason that the art suffers so much is that too many people have allowed themselves to claim uber-dan in an art that they were low or middle ranked by Dojunim Choi. I see no problem that people want to go it alone - but then they need to be honest with others about their standing with respect to Dojunim Choi and his art.

It seems to me to be grand insecurity that leads some into saying that Hapkido cannot be the work of a single man - but the evidence is that it is - and that man is Dojunim Choi. Sure, others have taken his teaching (to a greater and lessor extent) and modified it with different movements like high kicking, big circular throws, acrobatics, and history of "ancient warrior" classes - but that is their take (and all power to them) - but it is not traditional at that point in my opinion.

Call it Hapkido, but how close are you to the root of the art? Ask that question. If what you do works for you - that is the best thing, but to deny the obvious fact that Hapkido is Dojunim Choi is to attempt to cobble a martial tradition of old technical wisdom down to a bunch of nameless, faceless people that in a modern era could have never created such technique.

My sensabilities on the subject.

[JimH]

Tradition,as was discussed here before,to me, means that it shows where you have come from,your lineage,your past,your roots.

The Roots of Hapkido are the same no matter the lineage,sometimes with additions,but the base art DRAJJ/Hapkido , is all rooted similarly.

If we go by the base art and we work in the attack (attack by our actions or reaction to attack)by causing the attacker or opponent to bend to our desire through the use of softening the opponent,the use of non resistant application of more circular techniques (which allow easier application and redirection of a linear based body) and we do so with the flow and execution of movements and techniques,then we are within the core of the art of which Hapkido is derived from Jujitsu (as is Aikido,Judo,BJJ and other arts).

Just as Dato Ryu is a line of Jujitsu,it has the base art,or root system,as found in all other lines of jujitsu.

Some Daito Ryu History says it was around for centuries and that most jujitsu is an off shoot of it, others say it was founded by Takeda and the History is false and Daito Ryu was just a creation from existing Jujitsu,what we do know is that the root,the base is the same in all jujitsu,hapkido,aikido,Judo,BJJ and on and on.

Once one knows the application of the base then their art will grow ,we all have seen changes and the various lineage show these growths and adaptations,but even if we have add ons,we all still share the Tradition of the root,the base,the core the truth of the root is seen in the application.

just my opinion.