Hello all- I don't post here much but I would like the opinions of some fellow hapkido practitioners. I train with GM Bong Soo Han in Santa Monica. When I was younger I used to train at Rickons school which is actually very close to GM Hans. My brother started training in bjj again around a year ago and I realize now how much I miss it, and also, how useful ground fighting is. Unfortunately, ground fighting is not stressed at the Hapkido school I go to. We do have it in our curriculum, but not until your like a 4th dan (which won't be for a good 20 or so years^^-- I am never going to leave hapkido, but after I graduate high school I will have a lot of free time opening up, so I'm thinking of starting up my training again at Ricksons place again- Do you think bjj and Hapkido would go well together? Has anyone mixed these styles?
If you love both styles, nothing should stop you from trying to learn both. Obviously, BJJ rules on the ground. HKD has great stand-up grappling & striking. Sounds like complementary fighting styles, IMHO. Plus, you're learning from the pioneers of both arts: Rickson Gracie & Bong Soo Han! How many people can be so lucky as you?! All the best... P.S. Have you seen both of your teachers in action on film? If not, check-out the documentary "Choke" with RG. Also, check-out the Billy Jack series of movies with BSH which should be available in video stores for rental.
Have to agree with Juego Todo here that I think they will be complimentary styles. You'll be able to own people in any position. I have a BJJ club near me and am thinking about doing the same thing once I finish working on the weekends so let us know how you find training them both together.
haha- yes- I own both Billy jack and choke- and love them both My mom said back when billy jack came out it was amazing- I really liked the fight scene with GM Han but I couldn't stand to watch the rest of the movie lol
Hapkidofighter, I'm kind of surprised by what you wrote. I have studied hapkido at two entirely different places(different organizations, different instructors, etc). In both places ground grappling was trained from very early kup ranks. I can not think of why they would not do that at Han's place. Maybe should ask them why.
i have trained in hapkido and bjj, i am not currently training in hkd because i am in the military and they have moved me to a desolate cow field that has nothing i am lucky they have a bjj program here on base. i think they are very complimentary styles. i have used alot hapkido principles in my jj
I have taken hapkido before and i currently train in Bjj, hapkido is a wonderful art but the reality factor never sat in for me. In BJJ we train for our takedown, joint locks, throws and ofcourse ground grappling/submission/fighting and we start fully sparring from the first class. Now some have the choice of sparring if they like, I sparred from the very first day in bjj. In BJJ you will learn every move that the art has to offer from days 1. You dont have to wait till you are a blackbelt to learn the higher end moves, but although you will be shown beginner to advance moves as a white belt your ranking of belts depends on how many mat hours you have and how well you have perfected the moves. BJJ belt grading are among the toughest and can take a long time. I know blue belts that have been tarining for 8-10 years.
I agree with you- My hapkido school however, is extremly good. Conditioning, sparring, jointlocks, take downs, throws, striking, its all coverd- the only thing i miss is the ground work
Wow... to have a choice between an awsome HKD Grand Master and a God-like figure in the world of BJJ and MMA. I train in Calgary, Alberta with another HKD Grand Master with a similar background to GM Han. Some of my friends are senior students or instructors in other arts including BJJ and MMA. Once a week we get together and spar/grapple. I would say that HKD and BJJ are very similar. If you just pracrice the basic ground positions HKD becomes very easy to apply on the ground. It is worth noting that both systems have strong ties to Old School Combative Japanese Jujitsu. If you practice some ground basics and your HKD together with some friends outside class time you would be getting similar ability as BJJ. (though nothing would truly replace being a student of Rickson.) Just to be a devil's advocate here but you might consider studying another style that is not so similar like Boxing, Tia, Wrestling, or weapon training. Just a brief exposure to other styles will let you see how amazingly awsome HKD is, and help you see some details about your HKD that you may not have seen otherwise. Of course you must not get too distracted by other styles and always bring them back into a HKD context.
I do roll alot with my friends who do jiu jitsu so that does help when trying to apply hapkido locks to the ground. When i was starting to do hapkido- my mother and father wanted to take up tai chi- so i found an instructor who would come to our house and tutor us privatley. It turns out that along with tai chi, he is also very experienced in sil lum fut ga and shuai chiao. So for the past few years hes been teaching me tai chi. He kind of took me under his wing so hes been teaching me alot of shuai chiao latley as well . I have played around a little in other systems like escrima and stuff- i cant wait to learn hapkido weapons and see how they compare
Weapons of Hapkido The Weapon systems of HKD and Korea seem to be right in the middle of other famous weapon systems, kinda like how Korea is in the middle of Asia so you can see the martial arts influence from many other countries. The Dan Bong is my favorite, a short stick only about 12 inches long and tapered in the middle. It’s use is very similar to Escrima stick fighting but it can also be used as a thrusting weapon like a knife, and the butt end hammer smashes are a lot more common. It is also used to activate pressure points during throws and joint locks. Your Escrima training will complement this weapon well, it has many similarities to Philippine and Tai weapons. The Sword techniques are very similar to Japanese Kendo. There are also many forms from the old Hwrang Warrior days with one or two swords held inverted, very smooth and in contrast with the quick lines of Kendo. The long staff is used very similar to the Japanese/Okinawa staff techniques. And of course the Hapkido Cane. It can be used like a simple medium stick. The hook on the end can be used to hit pressure points like the back of the opponent’s leg or neck even if you are standing in front of him. The hook is also great for trapping limbs and controlling the opponent’s movement. They also use the cane to assist with throws and joint locks. If you combine the Chinese creativity with daily objects as weapons and usual ways to use them with the power and Tan Jon movement of the Koreans you have the Hapkido Cane. To: Hapkidofighter, since most of us are in HKD, can you tell us what it is like in Rickson’s class?
I teach TKD, train in HKD and just started BJJ. I think BJJ rounds out the package very nicely... Go for it.
Heya Hapkidofighter, Good to see more folks from socal on here. Are you considering the Gracie Academy in Torrance or does Rickson have a gym up on the westside somewhere? I was considering the torrance gym but found some great BJJ clubs down in Huntington Beach. I do TKD, HKD, and BJJ and love it. There is alot of crossover between them so that I don't feel like I am really sacrificing anything. Instead it feels like each of my arts is becoming stronger by training in the others as well. For HKD I study privately under Master Jeung Young Seo, but am looking for a good dojang to join where I can fit classes in my schedule and budget. To address your question more specifically, I think the styles blend really well together. Having HKD will give you a solid striking base and I find the weapons work to be enjoyable. Things like takedowns, throws, breakfalls, locks, and such I have noticed alot of overlap and see the two arts as very complementary. You should become a very well rounded fighter so take advantage of your great opportunity. I also love TKD, but I am fortunate to train under a WTF master that encourages my cross training and doesn't just train us for point sparring.
i don't understand hapkido should be an INTEGRATED complete system why would you need to take all these different arts? partucularly ones based on very different body mechanics. at our school ground fighting takes equal precedence with everything else, dynamic striking and kicking is all part of the curriculum.
Hello all, I agree with Wild Pitch, I am never quite sure why people find it important to cross train before they have any real standing in one art. I think that if you have all that free time, devote it to the study of a single art, then in 20-30 years, if something is still lacking, move to another art. With respect to Hapkido, I am in my third decade of training, and find neither the time or desire to train outside the art - there is just too much here to learn.
I do both and boy do they work together. One time i was ground fighting this guy i know who takes BJJ and I couldnt get him in a arm bar so I put him in a goose neck.
I posted this somewhere else, but I think it fits nicely in this thread. Please forgive the length. I got on a roll... This whole notion of “Cross-training” in a Martial Art strikes me as odd. If you look at Martial Arts as a sport, then I guess it makes sense. I can see cross-training cycling with jogging. But, learning a martial art cannot compare with jogging or cycling. True martial arts training has so much more depth. Most people in our contemporary society don’t get it. I’m sure those of you who have been training a long time in your art still get those questions from some people “ You’re still doing that?” They can’t seem to comprehend what would keep us doing one art for so long. There is the old analogy of a person seeking water. You can dig a little hole here, another little hole over there, and another hundred others scattered all over the place. But, if you had just stayed in one place and DUG DEEP, you would have found what you were looking for. Now I can see training in Aikido and Kendo. Or Taekwondo and Gumdo. I wouldn’t call it “cross-training”. But, to train in Aikido while training in Judo or training in Hapkido and mixing that with BJJ? Pick an art and stick with it, at least until Black Belt. Getting a Black Belt should mean that you know the “Basics” of that art. Prior to that, training in another art could only prove confusing, especially if they have different philosophies. Each of these arts has so much to offer. Why cheapen your training in an art by throwing in another art because you feel that somehow the art that you are currently training in is lacking in something? Wait. Be patient. I myself have witnessed people who have trained for a year or two express these ideas of training in another art. I ask them to do a front kick. They can’t even do a front kick properly! My advice to them: Learn every detail of your art. Don’t just “get by”. Get your Black Belt. If you still want to inspect another art, go ahead. If you truly think that your art is lacking prior to getting your Black Belt, then maybe you picked the wrong art! Or should I say, the wrong art for you. Most people don’t do their due diligence when choosing an art. They see a Karate class and sign up. When I chose an art, I did my research. I looked at Taekwondo, Aikido, Kenpo, Hwarangdo, Kung Fu, Shotokan, and Hapkido. Hapkido, to me, seemed to have it all. I have been training and teaching for 12 years and feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface! If you think of martial arts as a sport, then you will train in them as a sport. Mixing this with that and never getting a deep understanding of one art. If you want to be an ultimate fighter and it’s really just about beating people up or twisting them into a pretzl, that’s fine. That’s one path to take. But, there is no philosophy behind Ultimate Fighting. It’s “thugery”. Martial Arts training should not be about training killing machines. A true martial artist balances all of the yang of kicking, punching, etc… with the yin of breathing exercises, meditation, ki development, etc… If you only train the body and don’t give equal attention to the mind and spirit, then you are out of balance. Bottom line: When I hear the words “Cross-training”. It makes me think of a Reebock commercial. I think they even coined the term!
"But, there is no philosophy behind Ultimate Fighting. It’s 'thugery'." I strongly disagree with that opinion, but that is another topic, unrelated to this thread (and forum).
I understand to a certain extent what you mean, but trust me I dont think of it as sport. My Instructor uses three styles for a cirlce of balance. Tang Soo Do for striking, Hapkido for self defense, Muay thai for condtioning, and BJJ for the ground. Your right theres many who "dig small holes" too much and jump around schools. We mostly focus on TSD. But if u look back in time Samurai warriors used many styles, and so have the shaolin. I guess what im trying to say is that its not bad to train in all angles.
BUT hapkido should be a complete system. it has an integrated system of striking, groundfighting, joint locks, throw etc. why would you need to look to other places for these things.
