Greetings from a Hapkido Newcomer

[Tyrant171]

Hey guys, Hapkido newcomer here. I have my second class tomorrow night with Grandmaster Gedo Chang in Naperville, IL. I'm super stoked.

I switched from TKD, in which I was a yellow belt. I'm 25 and I started doing TKD as my first martial art about 3 months ago. I fell in love pretty quickly, but I found myself wanting something more than a kicking sport, which, at my school, is basically all TKD is taught as. Did some research and found Grandmaster Chang's Hapkido Academy nearby. Gave it a try and immediately signed up for 6 months (I hate contracts, but whatever). GM Chang is a great teacher from what I've seen...he has the power to calm yet excite at the same time.

It's been strange trying to do many of the Hapkido techniques so far, as they're often very similar, yet different, from what I'm already proficient at in TKD. Also, I'm looking forward to/dreading doing the throws/locks that I've seen demonstrated already. On the one hand, they look like a lot of fun to be on the giving end of. It doesn't look like too much fun for the guy on the receiving end. Oh well...pain builds character.

Anyway, even though I'm back to being a lowly white belt, I'm super excited about learning Hapkido. Seems comprehensive, practical and potentially deadly so far.

P.s. Sorry to post a "hey guys, I'm a n00b" thread, but I figured no one would mind considering the relatively low amount of traffic.

 

[Mark Jordan]

Glad to have you here. Good luck on your endeavors.

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

I'm looking forward to/dreading doing the throws/locks that I've seen demonstrated already. On the one hand, they look like a lot of fun to be on the giving end of. It doesn't look like too much fun for the guy on the receiving end. Oh well...pain builds character.

Most likely, you'll do a lot of falling and rolling drills prior to learning locks and throws will come after those. You have to be able to roll and fall before you can be thrown around and falling is also a necessity for some locks.

Just remember that your part of the drill is to fall and/or roll. The drills are as much for the receiver as they are for the active.

Daniel

 

[Tyrant171]

Well it's been about two full weeks of training so far and here are my thoughts...

1) So far, the classes haven't been very taxing cardio-wise. Having only taken TKD classes previously, I was expecting a much higher level of intensity...not that it's a bad thing. In TKD we would do about 20 minutes of push-ups, sit-ups and squats and then do either arm or leg exercises (depending on the day) until complete muscle exhaustion. With Hapkido, we do about 10 minutes of abdominal breathing/stretching and then we dive right into technique, with light sparring near the end of class. With TKD, I almost always ended up panting like a dog and trying not to collapse at least once during class. I've gotten winded in Hapkido and usually have a good sweat going, but it's not even comparable to what I experienced in TKD. All in all, I prefer the Hapkido format...it feels less like a cardio workout and more like a practical, technique-oriented approach. I dunno...maybe it just doesn't get to me as much because I'm in much better shape now than I was when I started TKD.

2) In Hapkido class, I find myself sitting on the perimeter of the mat and watching the higher belts practice techniques quite often. This is definitely different that what we did in TKD, where all belts were always doing something. We wouldn't always be practicing the same technique at the same time...the different belts were often separated and given different instructions...but everyone was always doing something. In Hapkido, I always seem to spend about 5-10 minutes sitting after being told by the instructor to have a seat because I don't know whatever techniques are being practiced. It struck me as odd at first...but I've found that sitting and watching the higher belts perform advanced techniques has given me insight into the mechanics that I can use later when I learn the techniques. Not a complaint...just an observation.

3) As a final thought...it's been a real pain trying to train my hands to stay open on elbow strikes and palm strikes, etc. The damn things just wanna make fists. I don't know if this is because I never really learned open handed strikes in TKD or because I just have some kind of mind-body connection misfire going on. I'm sure I'll get it eventually.

So, there ya go. I hope you enjoyed reading the incoherent ramblings of an excited white belt. :erg:

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

Sounds like you're enjoying it! Keep us posted.

Daniel

 

[oftheherd1]

Every school will have differences. When I was learning, we did a lot of stretching and workouts. The more students, the more workouts; everybody got to count. Kicking was also a big part, not only practice of kicking, but mental, remember a sequence of 10 or 12 kicks. Higher belts taught lower belts as well. But as we are all individuals, GMs are too. They have what they believe is the best way. Many also teach differently for westerners than for Koreans.

But it is all good. If you stay with it, you will learn much that is very practical for self defense. There are things that require mind changes. Not always making a knife fist was difficult for me, as was not clenching my fists. Moving in to an attack as opposed to moving back and then counter-attacking is always difficult for westerners as well as those from TKD.

Just stay with it and have fun.