Hapkido history
"Way of Co-ordinated Inner Energy": Early History
The martial art style known as Hapkido (way of co-ordinated inner energy) is a living, breathing, evolving art – not a fixed set of rote robotic movements passed down for countless generations unchanged. There are countless versions of Hapkido "history". Many accounts begin in the distant past of the Korean peninsula and trace various martial traditions over many centuries and incarnations. It must be noted that many Korean styles of today do have some overlapping roots. An example of inclusion can be seen in the role of healing arts in various Korean styles and lines of Hapkido itself. Who or what style can lay claim to certain well-known techniques or body of knowledge cannot be substantiated with scientific certainty.
Styles such as Hwang Do and Kook Sool Won do contain some similar techniques to modern day Hapkido. Although this view has been debated extensively and contested constantly, it is a fact, which can be observed by the enlightened martial art eye. Ownership of a particular technique is NOT style-dependent at all, but rather, inspired by varying degrees of "accepted risk" to the human body.
Yong Sool Choi is considered by most historians to have initiated the modern incarnation of Hapkido as we have come to know it today. He employed many names to describe his art, but we can recognize it as the root from which essential Hapkido has flowed. Jae Han Ji also had a fundamental influence on Hapkido. This is true for both his direct personal instruction and through his varied student base manifestations.
New Directions
Students who claim to be direct students of Master Ji (or any other well known second generation master for that matter), can be generally divided into two groups: those with more than a thousand hours of direct personal contact, and those with less. However, it must be noted that there have been numerous other individuals who made significant contributions to the evolution of Hapkido since its mid-20th century inception. Such well-known teachers as Kwang Sik Myung, Bong Soo Han, Oh Se Lim, Chong S. Kim, and Jin Pal Kim, among many others, took the root beginnings of Hapkido and made lineages of their own.
Even though it has only been fifty years since Master Choi began his teachings, many diverse claims and accounts of technique inclusion, evolution and root developments have surfaced. This is in fact not the result of any single problem but rather a complex set of cultural and political factors flowing from the fundamental quest for martial arts truth, which interweaves fact with social, historical and self-promotional aspects of influential individuals. Time, myth, science and art do make strange bedfellows (as demonstrated through the story of a master instructor of mine who asked his students to capture and bring him a dragon if we ever saw one).
In the absence of full consensus among Korean second-generation masters about the definitive history of Hapkido, it is sufficient to say that the period between the late 1940's to the mid 1960's saw formidable martial art practitioners reconstituting seminal Korean martial training generally, and in many cases, through evolving Hapkido manifestations. During this time, the exchanging of specific techniques, technical ideas and philosophies was common. Unfortunately, it was also during this period that the practice of "withholding" certain sophisticated technical concepts useful in free fighting began as a result of a culture of rampaging egos, physical challenges as well as political and personal confrontations.
In addition to not divulging certain "tricks" of the trade, some teachers actually introduced incorrect and misleading concepts to slow the development of promising students. Some masters will go as far as to say that they personally introduced crucial fundamental concepts as late as the early 1970's. Some of these individuals were part of the development, reconstitution, testing and refinement of the diversified art we have come to know as Hapkido. It is around this time period (early to mid 1960's) that many other formal Korean styles were granted Kwans. The classic description of the Korean Hapkido masters is that they are individually like diamonds, but as a group, act as grains of sand in the wind. This continues up until today with a very few notable exceptions.
From Shared Understanding – a Path Forward
What can be generally agreed upon is that Hapkido has evolved from a fundamental core set of techniques, which Master Choi had learned in Japan when he lived there before the Second World War (and no, he did not study in far off mountains for thirty years). These techniques are quite similar to Dato-Ryu Aikijujutsu and certainly do appear to have come from that immediate source. These included, but were not limited to throwing, sweeping, projections, misdirections, twisting (joint manipulation, breaking and pain compliance), pressure point attacks, knife defenses, rope as well as belt entanglements, internal energy development exercises and some medical health knowledge.
However, there are some differences we can notice today in terms of rote formality and explosive striking dynamics. According to many second-generation masters who were exposed to Master Choi, he demonstrated very few kicking and striking techniques, and those that were observed, appeared as formal Karate like motions. My first master instructor, Master Chung studied other striking oriented arts to compliment his Hapkido knowledge. Precisely who introduced each specific kicking, striking, weapon or other sets of technique cannot be known with absolute certainty. The ancient folk kicking art of Taekkyon, as practiced today in some forms, exhibits certain subtle Hapkido free fighting root concepts such as weight transfer, fluidity, rhythm, flexor pick up and hip release. We can only surmise that this traditional way of kicking traces its beginnings to the northern section of the Korean Peninsula near the current border with China.
This kicking style was witnessed and studied by a select few of the early Hapkido masters. From Hapkido's modern birth onwards, what seems to have happened is that diversified kicking, hand striking, ground grappling, selected weapons, and internal energy and mind management techniques were added until the mid 1960's. What were the roots of these new techniques? In fact these were not new in any real sense, but mined from traditional sources, which had been in general remission during the repressive Japanese occupation, before the Second World War. It was at this juncture (about 1960 - 1964) that the major split of branches occurred. Many specific Korean styles were recognized and numerous Hapkido Kwans (charters) were granted by the Korean government.
The granting of new Kwans continues to occur today. Hapkido itself is divided into many schools with new systems being recognized on a fairly regular basis. The growth of the "sport" of Tae Kwon Do (Hapkido was never developed as a sport) has had a progressive diluting effect on Hapkido. Many of the third and fourth generation western Hapkido Masters are claiming high degrees in Tae Kwon Do as well as their Hapkido ranking. These Masters may be easily recognized by the "snap" kicking they display (they use their quadriceps to lift the leg and kick). Over-canting the lower leg past "neutral" when executing and retracting is also a clue that it is not in fact, pure Hapkido kicking. It may also be noted that during the executing of the heel turning kick, a pulling of the heel just before target contact using the hamstring can often be seen.
Many schools claiming to teach Hapkido have modified their curriculum using techniques from other styles, which are not consistent with the principals of Hapkido; namely the principals of circle, flow and harmony. Students and teachers of the free fighting lineage will display to varying degrees, punching similar to western boxing, (introduced by Master Ji when his first gym was located near a boxing club). Other striking techniques can include ridge, hammer and back fist, finger jabbing and raking. It is reported that the expansion of complex punching motions to include eastern internal energy dynamics can be traced to Master Hwang when he was head Instructor of the Korean Hapkido Association (late 1960's).
This aspect of Hapkido can be characterized by the term "release" and is NOT very common in the various lines of the martial arts. We can make a few generalizations about the range and philosophy of motion – from almost pure Aikido like using exaggerated large circles and very little kicking or striking through to very small circles with extensive kicking, hand striking, weapons applications and athletic aerial demonstrations of advanced body control. Although all Hapkido practice incorporates Ki breathing development exercises, the three original branches which may be distinguished within the general framework of modern Hapkido are: (1) Aikido like in nature and exhibit very little in the way of striking techniques, (these individuals can be recognized at the black belt level because they wear the Kamas); (2) those of Choi Yong Sool lineage; and, (3) those of Jae Han Ji lineage.
The first group is by far the minority with a fraction of the profile of the other two. The second group includes such masters as Bong Soo Han, Chong S. Kim, Chung Kee Tae and others. The third group more or less evolved under Master Ji (prior to constituting Sin Moo Hapkido) and would include Masters such as Jin Pal Kim, Tae Man Kwon and to a lesser degree Hwang In-Shik. This is not to say that there were not any sub-categories splintered from the originals somewhat early on. However, it must be noted that many of the second-generation masters prior to the 1970's were exposed (in various amounts) to both of the founding individuals.
Today there are more Hapkido schools than ever before, spawning countless organizations, federations and governing bodies. There are even Hapkido Kwans, which have been founded by individuals who were not present during the seminal period of Hapkido history. These newer manifestations are usually characterized by a number of differences including a much smaller range of techniques, dramatically reduced physical challenges, a lack of practical fighting practice and minimal health and medical aspects. These newer subsets can be considered as one way to make this complex martial art more marketable to our western mentality and consistent with the commercial consumption ethic well know in society today. It may also be related to the limited range of techniques that some Hapkido teachers display, particularly their application in free fighting.
More than ever before it is important to seek out the remaining Hapkido teachers with knowledge emanating from the birth of modern Hapkido after the Second World War. Those teachers who were part of the crucible of consolidation and refinement during the early 1960's are of particular interest, as many have established their own organizations and generally do not share rank recognition (although there are some notable exceptions). No two Hapkido Masters are the same. Each individual has defined personally what they feel constitutes Hapkido. The diversity and types of techniques, their order of introduction, importance of fighting skill, level of difficulty, practicality, inherent risk, skills required for promotion and a myriad of other variables together define a Masters particular style of Hapkido. One very famous Hapkido Master is fond of saying that if you like the techniques he demonstrates, then take them with you, if you don't, leave them where they are found.
