Hapkido - Cleveland Academy

Hapkido

Hapkido is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, pressure points, throws, kicks, and other striking techniques. Hapkido practitioners train to counter the techniques of other martial arts as well as common "unskilled" attacks.

Although Hapkido contains both long and close range fighting techniques, the purpose of most engagements is to get near for a close strike, lock, or throw. Hapkido emphasizes non-resisting movements, and control of the opponent. Practitioners seek to gain advantage through footwork and body positioning to employ leverage, avoiding the use of strength against strength.

Hapkido seeks to be a fully comprehensive fighting style and as such tries to avoid narrow specialization in any particular type of technique or range of fighting. It maintains a wide range of tactics for striking, standing joint locks and throwing techniques (both pure and joint manipulating throws). Proper Hapkido tactics include using footwork and a series of kicks and hand strikes to bridge the distance with an opponent. Then to immediately control/disrupt the balance of the opponent for a take down or to isolate a wrist or arm and apply a joint twisting throw, depending upon the situation; Hapkido is a comprehensive system and once the opponent's balance has been taken, there are a myriad of techniques to disable and subdue the opponent.