Hapkido Schools

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Black Belt FC

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Wondering how many Hapkido schools in the USA. Schools teaching some Hapkido with Taekwondo shouldn't count.
 
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Disco

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Well, I hate to see a thread go without some input, so here goes. True Hapkido schools seem to be an endangered species. Every school that I have seen has Hapkido classes offered, but they are primarily TKD dojangs. I think this is the only way many of the instructors can keep their doors open.
 

Cryozombie

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I know of at least 2 in Illinois, and 1 in Ft Worth Indiana.
 

Paul B

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Make that 2 in Illinois,1 in Merrillville,IN,1 in Valparaiso,IN,1 in Ft.Worth,IN,and one in Bloomington,IN.:) and probably 40 in Indianapolis!
 

Kumbajah

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We have 4 in our Federation in the US - Jin Pal Hapkido. The KFH has 7 or more listed on their site. Master West has a quite a few listed on his site as well.

Brian
 
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Iowa Hapkido

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In Iowa there is one in Des Moines, one in Ames, and good programs at the University of Iowa and Iowa State.
 
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B

Black Belt FC

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I estimated that there're 30 to 40 full time complete curriculum school Hapkido schools in the country. My guess is that the numbers are falling due to lack of involvement/interest of new students and instructors who change their venue of interest. In addition, some instructors prefer (due to liability risk) to take the easy road and just add a little basic Hapkido techniques to their program and proclaim that they teach Hapkido.

To add on to the difficulty of offering a program some Hapkido instructors attack instructors who proclaim to teach Hapkido program in their schools. If Hapkido is to survive all current Hapkido connoisseurs should try to support and educate future generations.

Let’s be honest Hapkido when taught with wrist grabs, hip/shoulder throws and joint locks isn’t for everyone, NO ONE LIKES BEING TOUCH. The future survivor of Hapkido lies in creating curriculums with safe precise direction and build-up to Black Belt.

Leadership. Just recently I gat in contact with a Hapkido Master near me who trained with Dae Hoon Choi personally and ask him for his assistant; he didn’t turn me down neither did he accepted. It was more like don’t call me I call you; in addition my pocket wasn't deep enough for him. This is shameful! I hold Masters like him responsible of the current state of Hapkido. However, on the other side of the coin there’re Masters like Whalen who sacrifice everything to promote the art. Master Whalen your not losing a school your gaining one in New York with new students/friends.

I’m no one of great rank or authority to criticized Hapkido however, I do teach a full Hapkido curriculum at my school. Some days I feel like the last line of defense on the front; either you join me or get out of the way, let others who are willing to sacrifice promote the art.
Lugo
 

Paul B

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So true. Why is that,do you think? Snobbery of one who has trained "with the masters"? People like that, are people I have no desire to learn from. How can they teach through the veil of their own prejudices?

Personally,I would train and share/gain knowledge from anyone regardless of affiliation,art or whathaveyou.

I do see the need for a shift in mentality from "my" Hapkido group to "our" Hapkido,period. Organizational politicing is disaster waiting to happen. How many great teachers and students have fallen or will fall by the wayside before we,as fellow Hapkidoin,can see this for what it is?

I look forward to meeting and training with you next month in Merrillville!:)
 

SenseiBear

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Technopunk said:
I know of at least 2 in Illinois, and 1 in Ft Worth Indiana.
Was one of them in Downers Grove? if not make it 3 in Ilinois - or at least it was there 8 years ago
 

Drac

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I know of one in Lakewood Ohio that teaches traditional Hapkido and one in North Olmsted that teaches Combat Hapkido
 
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Baytor

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For Minnesota, there's the Combat Hapkido school that I train at in the Minneapolis metro area. There is also a traditional school up north more. I'm not sure about any others.
 
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Disco

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I estimated that there're 30 to 40 full time complete curriculum school Hapkido schools in the country.

This in an interesting perspective, which unto itself requires the question; Just what is a complete hapkido curriculum? The KHF lists over 70 different Kwans that they recognize. The Kido has their own number of Kwans that they recognize and so on. Just based on those numbers, what is taught varies from kwan to kwan. Some have lots of kicks, some have but a few and there are those that claim to use no kicks at all. Other techniques I'm sure are subject to interpertation also. So,....just what is a complete, or should we say a correct Hapkido curriculum?
 

glad2bhere

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Dear Disco:

Using my curriculum as a measuring stick I can give some perspective to this.

By chodan, in the Yon Mu Kwan, people know about 400 unique techniques including, blocks, kicks, strikes, chokes, locks, pins, projections, and throws.

Now add to this that easily half of those techniques can be done both offensively (off the strike) and defensively. That brings you up to 600 hundred unique techniques. Also, about half of the original 400 techniques have both a yu sool and hapki-yu-sool execution, so add another 200. That gives us 800.

Now add a weapon to each of the dan ranks and figure each weapon has about fifty unique techniques both offensive (attacking) and defensive (disarms). Thats another 300 techniques. So I would say that 1100 unique techniques is about right for a standard curriculum. To reach chodan just in the yu sool part of the curriculum takes five years, then 3 years for the next, 4 years for the next, five years for the next and so on. And I have not even spoken to nutcases like me who get caught up in a particular aspect of training like preasure point work, dan bong, cane or sword work simply because they find a special place in their heart for it. FWIW.

Best Wishes,

Bruce
 

Kodanjaclay

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Brian,

Let me interject here...

Combat Hapkido is NOT Hapkido. In fact, if you ask me, it should not bear the name Hapkido. The examples that I have seen on JP's tapes leave a whole lot to be desired.

Perhaps others who have seen him in action can say something to that?
 

Kodanjaclay

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ever been on the mat with a classically trained instructor? I have never been on the mat with him, but I have his student's and was less than impressed. You need to experience some good Hapkido. i like playing with Jin Jun Kwan guys personally... good, hard training.
 

Hollywood1340

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Thank you, but I have. My instructor was classically trained for 15 years. I enjoy the hard training I get, and am looking forward to more. Blanket statements about people you havn't meet show elitism and ignorance. You don't have to like it, but remember that there are execptions to the rule.
 

Kodanjaclay

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Well James, since you have chosen to infer that I am ignorant, let me explain a couple of things... I have been an instructor since 1988. I have somewhere between 25 and 30 years of experience in mudo.

While I have not been on the mat with him, I have seen his rendition of technique on film. To be quite honest, it was a color belt level tape... and the performance would have caused a failure had I been the judge. That would have meant remedial training.

Now that is not based on heresay, but is my opinion based on what I have witnessed. Now when you factor that in with the poor performance I have witnessed by people that have been trained by the ICHF, that adds up. Now I'm not saying that everyone is poor, but what I have seen is poor.

Before inferring someone is ignorant, you might want to find out more about them. I have taught at the Richmond, VA police academy, and have been an expert witness for the prosecution in a case in the Richmond General District Court where I was to testify about the amount of force, or rather lack thereof, that a martial artist should be able to use in a confrontation.

As far as elitist, I have said nothing elitist. Being elitist would have been saying that our group is better than your group, which is not what I said. Incidentally, my opinion is shared by quite a few Hapkido Kwanjangs.
 

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