HAPKIDO

Hapkido (hangul: 합기도; Hanja: 合氣道; McCune-Reischauer: hapkido; Revised Romanization: hapkido) is a modern Korean martial art based on military self-defense.The term can be interpreted as "the way of union with energy."

This martial art can be described as an energetic hybrid art, physical and, where brute force is not a primary requirement, and where it matters the body movement (kinetic chains) own, breathing and the reaction rate upon different techniques. It is also an internal or soft system, although his training is very vigorous and demanding. With Hapkido seeks, in turn, energy development and training of the individual as a person.


When speaking of hapkido usually often speak of two trends: a hard, linear, and a more circular and fluid. Its founder, Grandmaster Choi Young Sool, born in 1904 and died in 1986. Although Grandmaster Choi was one of the people who most influenced the collection and structuring under a single format, of Chinese traditional arts , Korean and Japanese, was the little people who recognized his work in life, even among their own students and Korea itself. This was due mainly to disputes among several of his direct disciples.

Today there are many styles of Hapkido and more than a dozen federations, associations, organizations and governing bodies. Some styles have produced forms (hyung in Korean or katas in Japanese) to encode the techniques and fundamentals of art, other styles emphasize the use of high kicks (including jumping and flying kicks) and others in handling traditional weapons. Some instructors have even added a greater number of techniques from the Japanese kickboxing or even several techniques from mixed martial arts (MMA English), following the hybrid nature of art to complement it.