Scott Shaw

[Hapkid0ist]

Scott Shaw is all over the internet. In almost every Hapkido search on the net he pops up. I myself know very little about him other than what is on his web site. As well, that I know of I have never even spoken with any of his students or former students on these forum sites. What does everyone else know? Is he any good? Are his techniques more TKD influenced since he does TKD as well? What is his rep, since I never see anything about him on any of the forums?

 

[SFC JeffJ]

Is that the same Scott Show I see in BB magazine every now and then? He's usually writing about TKD there. From the pictures I've seen in there his kicks look kind of sloppy for a TKDer.

Jeff

 

[Jesse M.]

I took a seminar from Scott Shaw in January. It was pretty good. He did say that he lived in Japan, so maybe that is why none of his students visit this forum.

I don’t know if he is more hapkido or taekwondo. It kind of seems like he is doing his own thing. The seminar he taught was about deflection and the redirection of energy and I did learn some pretty good techniques.

I can tell you that there was this big burly guy who kept talking smack to Shaw. Finally he told the guy why don’t you just come at me. When the guy rushed at him, Shaw took the guy down, had him locked up and slapping the mat in about two seconds. So he does know his stuff.

 

[Paul B]

Based mostly on hearsay and his "show me your mean face" pictures in his books..I don't think much of his stuff. Just my opinion.

 

[IcemanSK]

I don't know anything about him, personally or professionally. But I do know, he does know how to market himself. Black Belt magazine is So. Cal. based & so is he. He's positioned himself to be one of the "go to" writers to write stories for BB & a few other MA industry magazines. I will say, he writes well.

 

[matt.m]

Based mostly on hearsay and his "show me your mean face" pictures in his books..I don't think much of his stuff. Just my opinion.

If he is the same blonde hair pony tail dude that has a small paperback at B&N, I have to agree totally.

 

[hapkenkido]

i got his book along time ago and liked it very much. it was the only book i found on hapkido that put more emphasis on the joint locks and not the TKD style kicks. in my hapkido classes was 15min of warm ups 1hr 45min of joint locks. very little time was spent on kicks. but at some of the other hapkido schools i had visited spent 5% warm ups 90% kicks 5% on locks.

 

[YoungMan]

I've seen his books as well, and also his numerous magazine articles. His writing isn't bad, but his technique is, well, lacking. Another one of those Hapkido guys who seems to write a lot about Taekwondo. Take what he says with a grain of salt.
One thing about Black Belt (and most other martial arts mags): they always seem to get the worst people to write about the Korean arts, especially Taekwondo. I seldom if ever see a good article about Taekwondo. This Scott Shaw is no exception. If I want to know about Taekwondo, I'll talk to a Taekwondo guy.
Okay, rant's over.