Hapkido

Historia

Hapkido was born in Korea after the Second World War. Choi Yong-sul, who had lived in Japan and learned Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu, returned in 1945 and began teaching; his student Ji Han-jae and others added kicks and strikes and gave the art the name hapkido in the late 1950s.

The name is written with the same characters as aikido and means "the way of coordinated power". Hapkido mixes joint locks, throws and pressure points with powerful Korean kicks, and it is widely taught to police and military in South Korea.

¿Sabías que…?

• Hapkido training includes weapons such as the cane, the short stick and the rope or belt.
• Ji Han-jae appears fighting Bruce Lee in "Game of Death".
• Actress Angela Mao trained hapkido for the 1972 film "Hapkido".
• Students learn to fall safely before learning throws.

Glosario de técnicas

Joint locks

wrist, elbow and shoulder locks

Throws

throws using the attacker's force

Kicks

low, fast and spinning kicks

Pressure points

striking or pressing nerve points

Armas y equipo

Jipangi

walking cane

Dan bong

short stick

Belt / rope

used to control or bind

Figuras clave

• Choi Yong-sul (1904–1986) — considered the founder of hapkido
• Ji Han-jae (b. 1936) — developed hapkido and spread it abroad

Fuentes: Korea Hapkido Federation · Encyclopaedia Britannica