Lame Demo's?

[FearlessFreep]

Agreed with Jeff, wrist grabs are easy to teach, to beginners especially, because they are non-threatening compared to other forms of attacks (like punches, bear hugs, etc...), but they start teaching you how the body works and moves and what directions forces can work on the body, and how to apply pressure, etc. I never really saw wrist escapes as simple "if someone attacks me like this, I will escape like this" but more as demonstration points of how to move and apply pressure to the other person to escape and avoid being hurt myself.

Like a recipe when watching the cooking show. The recipe itself teach how to make a certain meal, which is good and useful in out's own right. Watching a chef build a meal from that recipe also teaches you how to user salt and other spices, how to apply heat, how to use milk as a base, etc...and those simpler applications become building blocks for many other recipes

Wrist grab escapes are 'easy to teach and easy to demo but start the course of buildng and understanding in applied body mechanices that is useful in many other situations

Disclaimer: Like many, I don't formally study Hapkido, but my instructor has a strong background in it so our self-defense draws from some Hakipdo techniques

 

[Brad Dunne]

I understand the teaching concepts of starting off with wrist techniques, but many of them are really not practical for a real altercation. There are many folks who don't have the hand size or strength to allow them to work the techniques. I know that some will want to say that it's the technique itself and that size and strength don't matter. All I can say to that is that I put that right up there with "everyone really pays their fair share of taxes" One has to remember that many of the techniques in question from demo's are predicated on the fact that the attacker continues to hold on, long after it would be practical to do so. That aspect alone gives anyone with a lick of common sense a not to warm and fuzzy feeling about what's been viewed.

Thanks for the feedback folks.....:asian:

 

[howard]

"...One has to remember that many of the techniques in question from demo's are predicated on the fact that the attacker continues to hold on, long after it would be practical to do so. That aspect alone gives anyone with a lick of common sense a not to warm and fuzzy feeling about what's been viewed."

I definitely agree with this.

And you'll see the same thing in punch defenses... the attacker punches, the defender parries or evades, and the attacker leaves his punching arm fully extended for what seems an eternity. Nobody should think for an instant that a trained fighter would ever do that. They punch and retract very quickly. It's fine to use that approach when people are starting to learn punch defenses, but at some point you need to make the speed of the attack - and retraction - more realistic.

 

[The Kai]

One of the reason's why the wridtlock off the punch dense is a peeve of mine

 

[guitarac311]

I too have been a bit confused and disapointed with all of the throws, all though i can see the resoning, Hapkido is a defensive art, simple as that. Throwing someone to the ground is the most effective way to defend yourself, and on a real surface hitting your back after a 3 foot fall or worse can really hurt. If you would like to see some more realistic combat for hapkido take a look at some of these clips

http://http://www.hapkiyoosool.com/video.htm

Most of these are demos, though the "kick demonstration" seems to be authentic. I recomend checking that one out, also the "belt techniques."