Okay I know I could just do a search and get a tone of stuff, but I am looking for honest opinion here from someone who may have taken it. What’s it like? How difficult is it to learn? Is it a good martial art for women? And anything else you would like to offer.
Hapkido, boiled down, is a Korean art that is a mix of several styles. It’s got a blend of strikes, kicks, a smidge of grappling, some throws, some joint manipulation, etc. As I recall, it’s a fairly recent creation, like less than 60, 70 years old. (I haven’t studied it in particular, myslef but I’m a student of martial arts in general.)
As to whether it’s for you, well, (classic geek response coming) it depends. Why do you want to learn? Defense? Fitness? Spiritual balance and well-being? My guess is, like most people you want some of each. If that’s the case, it doesn’t much matter which martial art you study. Avoid some of the obvious commercial endeavours, like the majority of Tae Kwon Do dojos.
My advice would be to look in your local phone book for a dojo that is in the Yellow pages, but doesn’t have a big flashy ad. Call 'em up, and ask to sit in a watch a session. If they hesitate, hang up. If they don’t, go down and watch. After the session, introduce yourself to the sensei/sifu/master and get a feel for him/her. Trust your instincts. Are they friendly? Do the students look happy? Does it look like fun? Assuming your goal isn’t to enter the Ultimate Fighting Championships within a year, these are the most important things.
Expect any art to take a minimum of one year of regular practive to become competent in. What sort of art are you interested in? Strikes? Throws? Grappling? Defense? Weapons? Wannabe-Ninja? I can recomend some arts based on that.
I guess defense, something to help with flexibility. Something fun and exciting, I get bored easily. I would like something challenging, not quite wannabee ninja (just the thought of me being ninja like is a little humourous, if I ever get my pic sent in you will see why), but interesting.
Also how much approx. should a class like that cost? I called one place and they said 300.00/cdn for three months. That seems kind of high. That includes uniform and stuff. 899.00 for the year. Is that normal, my gym membership wasn’t even close to that high.
Popsyn,
If you’re looking primarily for self defense, may I suggest looking into an Okinawan style (a lot of them have ‘Ryu’ in the name - from the old name for Okinawa, Ryukyu). Look into their history and you can see a hint of their martial ability in the amount of time they were able to hold off the Japanese, even though they were vastly outnumbered and under-equipped.
A lot of Chinese styles are good, too (though you’ll probably want to avoid Wu Shu). I haven’t run across any combat Tai Chi instructors that were worth their salt yet (not saying they don’t exist, just that I haven’t found any).
Personal opinion: I’d avoid any Korean MAs. Their government did a really good job of wiping out the traditional schools and their arts were almost completely wiped out. TKD, Hpkido, Tang Soo Do and Hwarang Do in their currnet incarnations borrow heaviliy from other styles without an understanging of what they borrowed.
Also, (again, if self-defense is a goal), as a rule of thumb, avoid styles that end in ‘do’. ‘Do’ means to ‘the way’, referring to spiritual development; a martial art based on defense will often end in ‘-jitsu’ or ‘-jutsu’. This assumes a Japanese language bias and that the instructor/owner/operator hasn’t just changed the name of his/her style with this in mind. This may seem trivial and I’ve heard a lot of people say that martial arts in this day and age should focus on spiritual growth, but that’s abandoning all the reasons they were developed. After all, a warrior then learned whatever style he did, not to improve his soul, but so that when he next went into battle, he’d be more likely to survive. Martial arts, when you get down to it, are about fighting, just like car races are about racing cars.
Talk with the (potential) instructor and ask if you can watch a class, and be suspicious if you’re told you can’t. And when you go to watch a class, show up 15-20 minutes before the class starts so you can have time to talk to the instructor and get a feel for his personality (just because someone is a good martial artist, doesn’t mean that they’re good with people). Ask him how his style is different from the other styles in town. Check out the class size (for myself, 10-15 is the ideal class size, more than that and I can’t give enough attention to each student). Do they emphasize sparring (and do you want them to) ? Do they acknowledge that sparring is not like real fighting ? Ask about the schools philosphy towards both self-defense and life. Find out if the advanced students are doing the same thing the beginners are (in a lot of TKD schools, this is the case; they don’t believe in advanced moves, just doing basics over and over to get faster and stronger at them); and, if they are, ask yourself if this is what you want to be doing.
As far as the cost: what’s the exchange rate to US ? We charge $65, $75 or $85 US per month depending on whether the person signs up for 12, 6 or 3 months. We used to charge less (about 40% less), but couldn’t get many people to come in. I guess people figured that if they weren’t paying much, it couldn’t be worth much. When the price went up, so did the membership.
Didn’t mean to go off there; I haven’t posted much I was tickled to find a topic I actually know something about.
b.
I’ve known some very good fighters trained in hapkido, tang soo do, and TKD. I also know of many TKD belt mills. My friend who teaches hapkido impresses me with the practicality of his techniques, based largely on circular motion. Nice locks and joint manipulations also.
You are going to run into a problem that just about every school will tell you that they are good for defense. I think that is a bit of a misconception, because I feel defense is much harder to learn than offense. Meaning, you can learn much more quickly how to injure someone, than you can learn to block, parry, counter, redirect an incoming attack. The reality is, if it comes down to stopping someone from injuring you, the best way to do it is to injure them first. Ugly, but I believe true.
Also, use the name only as a rule of thumb. I have experienced some jiujitsu (traditional) classes that were fun, but of little practical use. Also, realize the distinction between traditional and Brazilian jiujitsu. The name on the front of the building may not really say what goes on inside.
The option I have chosen is to train an eclectic style. I guess it could be called jeet kune do (JKD) to provide a frame of reference (no, we don’t have to get into the JKD vs JKDC argument). I think it is important for a practical style to work various ranges including kicking, punching, and grappling, as well as transitioning between them. For example, you can be the best boxer in the world, but if you never train grappling, what are you going to do if some wrestler takes you to the ground? The use and manufacture of weapons is also useful, and loads of fun. One list of such instructors is at http://junfanjkd.com/
As with all other “styles,” some schools will be better than others.
If you let us know your general area, we might be able to give you more specific info.
It is very important that you study an art in a setting that is fun with people you like. You could be learning the most devastating style in existence from the most accomplished grandmaster, but if your instructor and fellow students are jerks, and it is a hassle getting to lessons, you aren’t going to keep it up.
Moreover, there is nothing wrong with practicing hapkido for a year. Then check out another art for a year. Either another striking art, or something completely different like judo. You should be able to learn something worthwhile from just about any art. The more you learn, the better you will be able to evaluate the substance of other arts, and the ability and personality of other teachers. One cool thing about martial arts is that it is something you can do all your life. Whether you explore various styles, or stick with one, you can keep improving until your body completely fails you.
Fun, flexible, and defense oriented. Hrmm… I might look at jujitsu, judo, aikido, something along those lines. Jujitsu, IMHO, is incredibly fun, as it focuses on grappling, throws, joint manipulation, pressure points, etc. What’s neat about it is you can show your friends things other than “Watch me punch you in the head”, which is all you can take away from some arts.
Another point to consider is if you honestly plan to use this in self-defense, in today’s world you have to consider lawsuits. “Your Honor, he attacked me and I kicked him the nuts fifty times” and “Your Honor, he attacked me and I applied a wristlock to subdue him, then called the police” are two very different things. I come from a store security background, and it’s easier to claim “reasonable force” when the subject isn’t battered and bruised. Look at Philadelphia, yes?
Oh, you mentioned that you’d be humourous as a ninja. Haven’t seen a pic of you, but if you’re referring to being overweight (not assuming, mind you), a little extra weight helps a lot in jujitsu. Lowers your center of gravity, and puts a little more oomph in throws. Trust me, I think I’m about 6’0" and 255 right now. Could certainly stand to shed some pounds, but it has come in handy on occasion.
Don’t know the current exchange rate, but I wouldn’t pay more than 30-60 a month for a two-three times a week class. Especially if they’re providing (and marking up) a uniform (gi). You can almost certainly find cheaper on the net.
Regardless, take my and bauble’s comments about comfort to heart, and you’ll do fine. Best of luck to you!
Some comments from a pragmatist:
If you want to learn to defend yourself effectively and still have fun, some things to watch out for:
Do they spar?
If not, don’t waste your time. Never get instruction from somebody who does not believe in sparring as an effective means of teaching (true it’s not like real fighting, but it’s a damn sight closer than katas/forms). Would you take swimming lessons from somebody who didn’t believe in letting you get wet?
Do they charge too much or dive right into prices before telling you what they’re all about?
If so, leave. You don’t want to go to a “black belt assembly line” or anyplace that wants to get your money in their pocket more than teaching you anything. The exception to this would be a big-name, reputable, high-profile places where a large number of pros and champions train.
Do they teach martial arts as a religion/spiritual path?
Is this what you’re looking for? This is more of a “what do you want” type of question. Personally, I train to learn how to fight more effectively, not to become one with nothingness.
My personal choice is muay Thai (no, it’s not like the movie “Kickboxer”). In the years that I’ve been training I’ve learned how to deliver more power in a hit than I thought the human body was capable of generating. I’ve conditioned my reflexes to be much faster than I ever thought possible. It’s mounds of fun. And it’s a great way to keep in shape. The only catch is that it’s hard work (exercise and concentration). It’s not spiritual, you just learn how to damage your opponent and condition your body so that you don’t get hurt back. Muay Thai is technically a sport, but it’s as close to real street fighting as you can get without weapons or grappling.
For my money, the best way to learn self-defense would be to train in muay Thai (the best way to fight standing up, unarmed) combined with jujitsu (probably the 2nd best way to fight on the ground) or wrestling (not WWF, amateur-type wrestling, like greco-roman or freestyle. the REAL best way to fight on the ground).
If you’re just looking to have fun and keep in shape, pretty much any good school will do that for you. Just make sure they don’t make stupid promises, like guaranteeing a black belt in 3 months, or start grabbing for your money right away.
Sorry to ramble so much.
If you can find a teacher, I recommend arnis or kali–both are primarily weapon styles, mainly stick- and knife-fighting. There’s a lot of emphasis on disarming and disabling opponents quickly, complete with strips, locks, throws, and good old-fashioned clubbing 'em senseless.
Fair warning: Be prepared to get clobbered a lot in training. If you’re never at risk of getting clobbered, then you’re not going to learn much self-defense. Our favorite drills involve multiple armed attackers–it’s the guy in the middle’s job to get out of the way, preferably with one of the attackers’ weapons in hand. If he doesn’t manage it, he usually gets thwacked pretty solidly. :eek:
Hey everyone,
It’s nice to hear some opinions from other martial artists. I agree with what you’re saying, and I’d like to add a bit of my ideas as well. If you’re serious about getting into marital arts, the ones mentioned here are excellent. However, I have been trying to get my girlfriend into martial arts, and am starting her off in Tae Kwon Do. I know it isn’t the best in many ways, but it is very fun (when you have a good teacher), will get you flexible, and is a good workout. The teacher really makes the difference, though.
Wow, thanks very much. Just to clear up, no I am not overweight, just not anyone idea of a “ninja” type. I’m about 5’9" blond and I weigh in at a staggering 130 - 135lbs. I just want to take something that is challenging but also satisfying. But thanks everyong for your opinions. I have already sort of ruled out Tae Kwon Do, just because everyone and their dog seems to be taking it. Siktai is only taught in one school here and it’s in a really bad area, maybe not a concern if I ever get really good, but not so great for my defenseless car parked outside.
JSexton - just as a point of interest, we had a store clerk royally kick the crap out of a would-be mugger and get nothing but a round of applause. I think the rule is, you have to fairly warn the person or something, I don’t know.