ok marc, i'll jump into the deep end of the pool... the kicking techniques we use in jungki hapkido are very basic and traditional. we almost always strike below the waist, although we sometimes use the front snap kick and a kind of inside-out roundhouse kick that we call a scorpion sting to strike targets like the solar plexus and the floating ribs. probably our most frequently used kick is a heel kick to anywhere between the lower shin and just below the waist, into the hip joint. it works great off a soft outward parry of a face punch (attacker punches R, you same-side parry outward with your L hand and kick with your R heel). we really don't use any of the elaborate kicking techniques that were introduced into the art after some of choi young sool's first group of students struck off on their own. our entire curriculum is as close to what choi taught as the kwan leaders have been able to keep it.
Yeah, we follow most of the kicks you'd find in most ma schools...roundhouses, side kicks, snap kicks, crescents, ax kicks, turning kicks...etc But we spend the majority of our time concentrating on using them "belt level" and below...nothing flashy or fancy.
We cover the sort of reliable kicks to start with, mainly to the side of the ribs, stomach and chest. The black belt training also covers more ellaborate kicks similar to some of the kicks in capoeira in some cases. The general emphasis, however, is on loose speed as apposed to rigid power. We cover:- Front, Axe, Side, Hook, Turning, knee, roundhouse, turning front, inside cresent, outside cresent...as basics combination kicks, jumping round house, sweeps inside and outside, handstand kicks, kicks from the ground, flying kicks etc as more advanced kicks Then 540s inside and outside, double foot 540, combinations etc as special kicks. The more fancy kicks arent really in there as 'real' kicks, more as training. Though some kicks that seem very ellaborate can be very effective, like hands kicks as punch defence.
Most of the time, we focus on the more basic kicks, especially the roundhouse, front, side, and back kicks... usually aimed at lower targets. We also use slap kicks, scoop kicks and other different ones. Sometimes for fun, we work the "Special kicks"... like the 'both feet together' flying front kick and side kick variety. We also work the combos like the jump roundhouse + drop to the floor and low spoinning heel kick with the body crouched. I like the fancy kicks for body control and for a good bit of fun, but I rely heavily on basic kicks for distractions, strikes, and so on. (I do know that some Hapkido schools use no or little kicking... we happen to use a lot!)
the low spinning kick can be very effective against many frontal attacks, like the basic face punch. our version is: he attacks with a R face punch, you step back diagonally R, drop onto both of your hands as you pivot your body 180 degrees clockwise, and throw a R spinning heel kick to somewhere on his lead leg. then get back to your feet quickly before he recovers. the fancy kicks are a bit of a dilemma for me... i too like practicing them, if for no other reason for the pure physical fitness aspect. but at the same time, i always try to remember: you will fight as you train. so, if i'm spending too much time on high kicks for any reason, i may reflexively use one in a real situation. and i wouldn't want to do that. does anybody else have this concern? if so, how do you deal with it?
So far we've learned 8 kicks in this order: 1. Front snap 2. Axe 3. Inside axe 4. Outside Axe 5. Shin (Scoop) 6. Side 7. Back 8. Roundhouse I have the most difficulty with the inside axe and side kicks. I will have to use the side kick in my promo test in 2 weeks. I'm about 70% there.
For the punch attack situation, we learn a few kick based techniques 1 The sweep you metioned 2 Roundhouse; but delivered to the ribs 3 Roundhouse; middle, high jumping then low sweep 4 Quick front kick the the ribs 5 Cresent kick to block the punch, then followed by another kick 6 Handstand kick to the head / body (a morpheus) Its strange, alot of the kicks you consider fancy are fairly basic to us
What is the problem, specifically? The most common fault (front kick) is to forget to rotate the supporting foot away from the target. What do you mean by an inside axe? I think a good point with the axe kick is to try and kick your own head. The axe has to be aimed sort of higher, as if the kick occurs before the impact. Although an inside axe kick seems a bit weird to me, ours are always outside.
kosh, "fancy" was probably not the best choice of words... what i basically mean is that the jungki kicking techniques are so basic, anything high or outside of a small repertoire of kicks will be somewhat unfamiliar to us in actual self-defense situations in training. having said that, we drill other kicks against pads, bags, focus mits, etc.
NJ Howard- what part of Nj is your school in, visited one hapkido school once, but there seemed to be something missing. I wouldnt mind seeing what hapkido close to the original form looks like.
brothershaw, we're in clifton, which is about 10 miles west of nyc, right on rte. 3. the school is called iron eagle hapkido. here's a link to the website: http://www.intac.com/~eagle/homepage.html the website has directions to the school. feel free to stop by any time. we always welcome visitors. regards, howard
reply, To nj Howard, just wondering but are you a student under forgive me for not remembering his last name, but his first name is Mike? I believe he is the chief instructor there, at Iron Eagle Hapkido. I was just wondering because I just noticed where you said that you train. I'm not sure if he mentioned it to you but about three months ago he visited my school down here in Florida. But anyway did not mean to get off topic, just thought I would ask. "namaste"
mike-ihf, yes, you hit the nail on the head. it's mike d'aloia. he's the school owner and chief instructor. he told us about visiting your school in florida - he enjoyed working out with you all.
reply, nj-Howard, Thanks for the eply, I was pretty sure thats the school that Mr. d'Aloia said he taught at, but I wasen't certain. Thanks for clarifying it for me. He seemed like a really nice guy when he visited. Also instead of argueing about the difference in Hapkido techniques like alot of ppl, it's nice to have ppl like your instructor, and mine that can get together and share information. Just to give you a heads up. I will be moving back to my home state of Virginia next week do to a custody situation with my son. But I will be looking for a school to teach at part time until I am able to open my own school. I will be relocating to around the Manassas, Woodbridge area. So I will keep in touch with you on this board, and after I get settled in up there maybe we can get together and do some joint training. Cause your not to far from where I'll be. But anyway must go train, talk to you soon. "namaste"
mike, sure, stay in touch. virginia is my original home too (norfolk). yeah, mike pretty much told us that what you all did was exchange info about techniques. i think he mentioned that your first 12 techniques are punch defenses. he is a very down-to-earth guy who's real interest is in keeping the art alive. fortunately, since our kwan is quite small (we only recently opened our 2nd school in korea) and not affiliated with any major organizations, we avoid the politics that plague hapkido. you are welcome to drop by our school any time. also, i have some friends i've trained with down in northern va (right outside of dc, can't believe i can't think of the name of the place) who train in a nice style of jujutsu. (i actually met them thru a m.a. forum like this one). you might be interested in looking them up. just let me know. good luck with your move. all the best, howard
mike, i just checked... the town my friends live in is... woodbridge. you should definitely think about hooking up with them. their main dojo is in philly, but they teach out of their house in woodbridge.
