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Hapkido Overview
What is Hapkido? What type of martial art is Hapkido? Where did it originate, and who is the founder?
Hapkido was first introduced to the United States in the late 70's with the release of the movie "Billy Jack". Tom Laughlin was Billy and Korean Master Bong Soo Han was Laughlin's instructor. In the sequel "Billy Jack II" Master Han was cast as Billy Jack's instructor to help him get the bad guys. At that time, Hapkido seemed to be exciting to watch, as well as very effective as a martial art form. Master Han is recognized as the first man to bring Hapkido to the United States. Grandmaster Ji, Han Jae, the founder of Hapkido, promoted Master Han to 9th Dan in 1984.
If you are already familiar with Hapkido, and have prior experience with a genuine Hapkido Master, then you can attest to the effectiveness of this no-nonsense, diverse and practical method of self improvement and defense. If you haven't seen and felt Hapkido for yourself, and if you are an open-minded martial artist interested in learning new, interesting techniques and philosopies, then Hapkido has a wealth of excitement for you.
History of Hapkido
Ji, Han Jae
Ji, Han Jae was born in 1936 in Andong, Korea. He began his martial arts training with Choi, Young Sool in 1949 at the age of 13. He trained full time with Choi until 1956 when he moved back to his home city of An dong from Seoul. During this entire period, Choi referred to the art that he taught as "Yawara". Later, Choi referred to the art he taught as "YuSool", Yu Kwon Sool, and Hapki Yu Kwan Sool. When Ji was just eighteen, he began to train with a man who he refers to as Taoist Lee. Taoist Lee, trained Han-Jae Ji primarily in various methods of meditation, and in the use of the Jang-Bong (6' staff), the Dan-Bong (short stick), and in Korean Tae-Kyun kicking. During the same period, a lady monk known to Ji only as "grandma" taught him spiritual power for almost five years.
In Andong, Ji, Han Jae, then a 3rd Dan, opened his first dojang which he called An Moo Kwan and began to teach Yawara and Tae Kyun. After approximately nine months in Andong, Ji decided to relocate to Seoul in September of 1957. He stayed in a boarding house in Wang Shim Ri. The son of the owner of the boarding house, Duk-Kyu Hwang, became his first disciple at his new dojang, called Sung Moo Kwan.
Ji was also able to open an additional small dojang at a neck-tie factory where he had only a few students. These students were mainly from Han Yang University. Eventually, Ji's skills and teaching became even better and he decided to move to a more suitable location. He rented a room from a man named Bong-Ah Ko, a local boxing instructor, and for the first time had access to a regular mat where he could conduct his classes.
In 1958, Ji moved his school to Joong Boo Shi Jang where he continued teaching until April of 1960. It was during this period when Ji began to piece together the Yu Sool (Yu Kwan Sool) teachings of Grandmaster Choi, with the methods of meditation, the Tae-Kyun kicking techniques, and the weapons techniques learned from Taoist Lee, along with the spiritual training he received from "grandma," to formulate his own style of martial art, for which he chose the name "Hapkido". He had originally thought of calling it "Hapki-Yu-Kwan-Sool," but decided against that, feeling it was too long of a name. He thought of other martial arts he had heard of, such as Tae-Kwon-Do, Kong-Soo-Do, Soo-Bak-Do, etc., where the word 'do' was being used instead of 'sool'. He liked this idea because the word 'do' means a path to follow, or a way of life, rather than simply meaning 'technique', as 'sool' implies. The name Hapkido was chosen in 1959, and has been used ever since. The word itself can be translated as the "way of coordinated power." Where "hap" means to unify or coordinate, "ki" means mental and/or physical energy, and "do" means a way of life, or the 'path' or 'way' of coordinating your mental and physical energy into one entity.
After Ji, Han Jae chose the name Hapkido to represent his art, he gave this name to his teacher, Choi to use - out of respect. Ji also had printed in Seoul the first Hapkido Black Belt certificates, which he also presented to his teacher, Choi. Choi taught under the name Hapkido until his death in 1986, even though he did not teach the complete curriculum which Ji had developed -- leaving out the majority of the kicking techniques, and a lot of the weapons techniques.
The actual Hapkido curriculum as developed by Ji was not finalized until the early 1960's after a fellow student of Grandmaster Choi's, Moo-Woong Kim, moved to Seoul to visit and study with his friend Han-Jae Ji. He stayed for approximately eight months, during which he practiced with Ji, and gave his input and advice regarding which kicking techniques should be adopted (Kim also had previous Tae-Kyun training). The only significant difference that evolved from this collaboration was that Ji taught that a low spinning kick be done with only the ball of the supporting foot touching the ground. Kim teaches that the knee and foot are both on the ground while the kick is executed.
In May of 1961, the Korean government was overthrown by General Park, Chung-Hee (1917-1979), an action that ultimately resulted in his being elected President. In 1962, Ji moved to Kwan Chul Dong, in a space in back of the Hwa Shin Department Store. By this time, he had built his Sung Moo Kwan school up, and it was financially strong. With assistance from Major Lee, Dong-Nam, Ji was given permission to instruct the Military Supreme Council in Hapkido techniques. Ji then received a government job teaching Hapkido to the Presidential Security forces (a position he would hold until Park’s death in 1979). During this time, he moved his school to Suh Dae Moon (West Gate section), which he felt would give him greater exposure to the public.
In the early 1960's, Park, Chung-Hee lifted import restrictions banning Japanese goods from Korea, after which, Ji came across a book on Japanese Aikido. Ji saw that the Japanese characters for Aikido were the same as for Hapkido. Discouraged that a Japanese art had the "same name" as Hapkido, he decided to drop the "Hap" from it's name, calling his art simply, "Kido."
On September 2, 1963, the Korean government finally granted a Charter through the Ministry of Education to the Korea Kido Association. They were granted the right to supervise and regulate the standards of teaching as well as promotion requirements of Black Belts in thirty-one different Korean martial arts. The first chariman of the Korea Kido Association was Choi, Yong Sool. The Association tried to promote martial arts to public school students, police officers, and to military officials.
In 1965, Ji, Han-Jae left the Korea Kido Association and established the Korea Hapkido Association. There were several reasons for this. First, the Korea Kido Association appointed Kim, Jung Yoon as Secretary-general. Kim, who was a university graduate, dominated the policies of the Association, and Ji did not like this situation. Second, the students that were trained in Sung Moo Kwan under the name Hapkido, did not like the new term, "Kido." They continued to call their martial art Hapkido, and continued to teach it the way they learned it. The students did not feel that it mattered that a Japanese art had the same name. And lastly, Han-Jae Ji was appointed Chief Hapkido Instructor for the President's Security Forces and had become a powerful person. This power translated into the ability to successfully operate his own organization without help from others who were being less than ethical in their lives as martial artists.
Three dominant Hapkido organizations began to immerge during the next few years. These included the Korea Hapkido Association (founded in 1965 by Han-Jae Ji), the Korea Hapki Association (founded in 1969 by Jae-Nam Myung), and the Korean Hapkido Association (founded in 1971 by Kim, Moo Woong). Eventually, in 1973, the leaders of these organizations met and agreed to unify their associations as one. The new association was named Dae Han Min Kuk Hapkido Hyub Hwe (Republic of Korea Hapkido Association).
In 1984, Grandmaster Ji moved to the United States and founded Sin Moo Hapkido. That same year, Grandmaster Kim, Moo-Woong resigned from the Republic of Korea Hapkido Association, and founded the Korean Hapkido Association. Grandmaster Oh, Se-Lim became the president of the Republic of Korea Hapkido Association , and late in 1984, he renamed it the Korea Hapkido Association (the name Ji had used in the 60's). Eventually, Oh, Se-Lim founded a new organization, the Korea Hapkido Federation.
Today there are still several dominant Hapkido organizations in Korea. These include, the Korea Hapkido Federation (Oh, Se-Lim, Pres.), the International Hapkido Federation (founded by the late Myung, Jae Nam), and the World Hoi Jeon Moo Sool Federation (Myung, Jae Ok, Pres.). The Korea Hapkido Association is still prominent Hapkido organization in Korea, and the graduates of the Sung Moo Kwan make up the majority of it's instructors. However, all of these organizations and grandmasters have their roots with the founder of Hapkido, DoJuNim Ji, Han Jae.
Grand Master Ji's representative and senior student in Florida is Master Rick Nabors, owner of Korea Martial Arts in Valrico. Master Nabors has been a student of Korean Martial Arts since 1975, when he began his training under Grand Master Young-Taek Yu. Master Nabors has studies Hapkido under several instructors around the world, including Grand Master Myung Jae Ok, who was an early student of Ji. Master Nabor's other instructors include Master Kyo-Sig Kang and Master Ki-Dae Lee. Today, Master Nabors, a 7th Dan Black Belt continues his training under the founder of Hapkido, Dojunim Ji, Han Jae.
Ji Han Jae Philosophies
"You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called life. Each day in this school you have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think of them as irrelevant and stupid."
"There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial and error: experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately "works".
"A lesson is repeated until learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can then go on to the next lesson."
"Learning lessons does not end. There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned."
""There" is no better than "here". When your "there" becomes a "here", you will simply obtain another "there" that will, again, look better than "here"".
"Others are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something that you love or hate about yourself."
"What you make of your life is up to you. Yu have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours."
"Your answers lie inside you. The answers to life's questions lie inside you. All you need to do id look, listen and trust."
Ji Han Jae
Reprinted with the permission of Korea Martial Arts, and Master Rick Nabors.
