Hi guys, I'm new here so apologies if my conduct is noobish. Anyway, I've done a little training in a couple different arts, mostly ninjutsu, and I'm always interested in learning more about different arts. I was researching hapkido, and I don't know much but something I wanted to ask practitioners is how much of a hard or soft style would you consider Hapkido to be? Or more generally, what would be the main things to build on for a beginner? (i.e, conditioning, body movement, blocking, striking, ect)
Depends on how you define the two terms - they are arbitrary at best. As Hapkido is basically a Korean reading of Aikido then it would probably fall on the "softer" side of the fence - but I have also seen Aikido that would make your toes curl so it really does depend on the school
Thanks for the reply! You're right about them being arbitrary, but I find the terms can carry some weight as to whether or not a specific art requires conditioning, like using strength and conditioning to block rather than redirecting or moving away. I couldn't particularly tell with Hapkido, which is why I asked
As a general rule Hapkido uses more redirection than hard direct blocks. I wouldn't worry to much about conditioning, you'll get some in class and anywhere you feel you need work you can focus on outside of class, but don't sweat it before you even get started. As for whether Hapkido is a 'hard' or 'soft' style, I agree with Hannibal in that it comes down to the instructor to the degree it's one or the other, but generally Hapkido is likely to be more on the hard side of center of the spectrum.
if you consider hardness as meeting force with force, like a karate block against a punch, gripping hard, and explosive responses and softness as relaxed, blending, dodging and unbalancing an attack, then imo hapkido is both soft and hard. however, as mentioned earlier, since most schools of hapkido use deflections and prefer using timing for unbalancing, sweeping and restraint, it's softer than what are considered ''hard arts'' (karate, muay thai) and harder and more militant than most aikido. i would say it falls in the same range on the spectrum as filipino arts or judo. it's in between hard and soft but mentality wise, slightly leaning towards the hard arts. aikido seems to be more blend and follow using momentum to eventually redirect and spin. while hapkido is similar, the emphasis or flavour seems to be more on the redirect part and is also quicker to activity control/unbalance/submit rather than gather and lead.
CH is what I take and thus far most of it is more on the soft side, there are strikes, but they are used much more as distractions such as the snap kick to the knee, open palm strike, radial nerve, or top of the hand strike. Again though, all of these are used much more often to distract an opponent that is already attacked you rather than a more competitive sport where you would meet force with force, which is ok too.. unless you get someone much bigger that your power may not hinder their attack.
Hapkido the Korean Aikido? Wonder what kind of HDK you take? HDK and Aikido both derived from Jujitsu, however HDK is more direct and devastating than Aikido. If you want to dislocate, break and rip joints along with strong strikes and kicks to pressure points, joints and organs and practice a style of pure self defense then you want Hapkido.
Yeah thanks for that salespitch tips..... Daito Ryu Aikijutsu was pretty much the base, but if you think I am putting that in a generic advice thread you can think again.
that's great that you're rooting for hapkido and are really into it. in my view, hapkido falls on the softer side of the fence, if you consider the principles, like redirection, circular movements, etc. certainly, there are some "hard" things about it too. but with all due respect, you're way off base with aikido. a lot of people think that the limit of aikido is the syllabus that kisshomaru ueshiba codified. not true at all. hapkido is a great art. but so is aikido.
You can make any martial art a 'hard style.' Just wear a Tapout shirt! Wear anything else and it's automatically a 'soft style.' ::drumroll:ING::
cheers. i personally loved training in aikido (as well as loving hapkido tremendously). both from the same base, and both tremendous to train in.
Depending on the school and its emphasis then it can be one or the other. It's been my experience that Hapkido is a fantastic blend of both.
Did someone say "hardstyle"? [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfSIcx1YgVE"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfSIcx1YgVE[/ame]
HapKiDo is a "Soft" style... it is a Water-based art. If you place a rock in the middle of a stream, the water does not try to beat it down, it flows around it, working upon it gently and slowly...but in the end, it will overcome and remove the obsticle Harmonious, circular, flowing...
You took two months to come back to a dead thread and that is your contribution? I addressed that at the time and I am still right
I'm inclined to agree. But there are "hard" and "soft" elements to every style I've encountered. ****o-ryu karate, for example is "hard", but it borrows some "soft" elements from kung fu.
