Hapkido

Hapkido

Hapkido tournament in Korea
Also known as	Hap Ki Do, Hapki-Do
Focus	Eclectic and Hybrid
Country of origin	Korea
Creator	Choi Yong-Sool (최용술)
Parenthood	Nippon Kempo
Ancestor arts	mainly Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu, Judo, Taekkyeon, Tang Soo Do
Descendant arts	Sin Moo Hapkido, Hankido, Hwa Rang Do, Kuk Sul Won, Combat Hapkido, Hapki yusul
Olympic sport	No

Hapkido (RP: /ˌhæpkiːˈdəʊ/,GA: /hɑːp'kiːdoʊ/, also spelled hap ki do or hapki-do; Korean: 합기도, Korean pronunciation: [hap̚.k͈i.do]) is a highly eclectic Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, grappling, and throwing techniques similar to those of other martial arts, as well as kicks, punches, and other striking attacks. It also teaches the use of traditional weapons, including knife, sword, rope, ssang juhl bong (nunchaku), cane (ji pang ee), short stick (dan bong), and middle-length staff (joong bong, gun (analogous to the Japanese jō), and bō (Japanese)), which vary in emphasis depending on the particular tradition examined.

Hapkido employs both long-range and close-range fighting techniques, utilizing jumping kicks and percussive hand strikes at longer ranges, and pressure point strikes, joint locks, and throws at closer fighting distances. Hapkido emphasizes circular motion, redirection of force, and control of the opponent. Practitioners seek to gain advantage over their opponents through footwork and body positioning to incorporate the use of leverage, avoiding the use of brute strength against brute strength.