Respect in Hapkido

The Hapkido that I teach was not designed to be conducted like an aerobics class. Hapkido, generally speaking is military in its origins. The formalities, and by this I mean all the bowing, showing respect to higher ranking students and instructors and anything else a lay person might view as not furthering the study of Hapkido, are in place for a reason.

Some people have felt that bowing interferes with some religious beliefs. Hapkido is not religious. Bowing in Asia is like shaking hands in the West, there is nothing religious about bowing. It is simply a sign of respect. Bowing before entering the dojang to train is to show respect for the training hall. It also shows respect for all those coming before you. It is also checking your ego at the door. Understanding that you do not already know all there is to know is very important in Hapkido. If you feel that you know all there is to know, it would be impossible to learn anything new. Or as the old adage goes, a cup that is already full can hold no more.

Where else do formalities come into play? There is a general level of respect that should be transmitted between those that we train with. We have to trust each other; this is absolutely vital. I can’t say this strongly enough, it is VITAL that we TRUST. We are striking, throwing, and doing other techniques of supreme unpleasantness to each other. We have to trust that our partners will use control and precision in their techniques. If they don’t we will be seriously injured at minimum. If we do not have the proper respect for each other we might not take our endeavour with the seriousness required. Mutual respect is so important in Hapkido and it cannot be understated. You can’t play with death and serious injury in a haphazard method. Formalities are used to foster this mutual respect.

What about rank? As one moves through the belt system of Hapkido expectations on that student increases. The more advanced the student the more they are looked at to be not just examples of excellent form and technique but also to be models of humility and respect within the Dojang. A black belt or high ranking colour belt is an example to the lower students. The high ranking students set the tone for the lower students. This is in terms of how people are addressed and how formalities are conducted in the school.

In short, formalities is about respect. The building of respect is necessary in military organizations and it should be no surprise that it exists in Hapkido. Respect for the training area and each other is necessary due to the serious material that is covered in traditional Hapkido. A lot of what happens inside the training hall may look strange to the lay person but there is a reason and it has nothing to do with people trying to feel self important or superior to others

Hapkido gun defence

Visualisation for Hapkido, by Rebekah Apelt

Visualisation for Hapkido (and any other physical skill you want to practice)

Practice is essential for any new skill you want to master but many Hapkido practitioners find it hard to practice at home where they may not have the room to practice, an appropriate practice mat or a partner to practice with. Visualisation becomes useful in these situations and makes it possible to practice anywhere at anytime.

Visualisation is where the student imagines themselves completing a move or technique successfully. It is important not to focus on mistakes. By practicing with visualisation student will find themselves more familiar with each technique allowing for better flow and control. They would notice improvement in consistency especially in the details of each technique and a greater ability to focus during practice and gradings. It would also help with memorising the large number of techniques that have to be learnt and the order they are performed in.

Visualisation works best if students use it regularly. 5 to 10 minutes per day is adequate to make a real difference but any visualisation practice is better than none. During this time students can practice similar to how they would in class but imagining themselves doing it. There are 2 main types of practice we do at Hapkido

Memorisation - this is going through the technique, often without takedowns,
to confirm students remember the order. Students can go through the techniques from 1 - 10 or 10 - 1 or all even numbers then all odd numbers or any other order they can think of.

Detailed practice - this is going through a set of techniques step by step
and making sure their hand positions, stepping and takedowns are correct.

Memorisation is most useful before gradings because by this point the students would already know all the techniques and just need to re-enforce the order. Detailed practice is more useful straight after learning a new technique as it helps students to remember all the details of the specific technique they just learnt. It can be useful to keep a note pad and pen close by when doing detailed practice so students can write down any questions about the specifics of a technique they were not sure of. Both forms of practice should be done regularly on techniques that were learn’t in previous grades.

An added benefit of visualisation is that it is considered a form of meditation and so many of the benefits of meditation can also be found with visualisation.

It is not only a useful technique in martial arts, but also other activities where it is not possible to practice in real life over and over (such as doctors performing surgery, or parallel car parking).

Hapkido Brisbane Logo Explained

Hapkido Brisbane Logo Explained

A review of my time at Hapkido Brisbane, by Aaron Henry

I was asked to write a review of my time at Hapkido Brisbane as I am leaving the club almost six years after I first joined.

The reason why I am leaving is that I and my family have decided to return to Ireland (my first home) and in a way this decision is connected with what I have learned during my time at the club.

I could not have explained why it was important to me that I learned self-defense when I first decided to learn, I just knew that it was important and something I needed to do. Sometime later when I read the student manual something that Sabumnim wrote gave me the answer to that question.

Sabumnim wrote that self-defense is a right, not a privilege. This straightforward point resonated with my own attitude. And this affirmation it makes it clear for people who have a certain way of looking at things that in fact no explanation is needed for why you would want to learn self-defense.

This attitude and so much else about Hapkido and about our club has been a perfect fit for me.

When I decided to join Hapkido Brisbane it was not because I knew anything about martial arts or what to look for in any style, but I did know that I would be able to say I had found the right club judging by the atmosphere during the class and by the character of the teacher.

I knew after my first Hapkido class that both of these conditions were present at Hapkido Brisbane and I knew I had found what I was looking for.

During the past six years what I have seen is that every student has had the opportunity to improve in every class that he or she attended. The only question was whether that person took the opportunity or not.

Our Sabomnim has created the conditions that allow for each student to grow as they need to whatever their individual goals are.

In any field of human endeavor there are certain values that are sought after and there are those who set the standard in those values.

And just as it is true that no river can rise above its own source, our Sabumnim’s example is that which we aspire to and in truth it is why we are part of Hapkido Brisbane.

The values of integrity, respect and discipline are the values that people respond to and seek out most commonly and are values that can only be delivered by people. But answering how these values are delivered, how well and by who, is not such an easy task.

At Hapkido Brisbane it is clear to every student that we have the standard; our Sabumnim is the example that we aspire to and every student knows that without doubt.

As my time at Hapkido came to an end I began to see what the single biggest change that had happened for me over my years at the club was and what it is that now has contributed to my decision to return to Ireland.

When I first joined the club I attended class each night expecting to get something, to take something away from each class. Eventually I came to see things differently.

I began to see that this was my club and it was no longer about what I could get from the club but what I could give to my club, like my Sabumnim’s example I resolved to offer what I could give to other students.

Hapkido Brisbane has given me a sense of power which I never had before.

 Hapkido Brisbane has led to me believing that I have a positive contribution to make and just as with my decision to learn self-defense, no explanation is needed for why I would want to do this.

Hapkido Brisbane Logo Explained