Chicago’s a big area. This is where I train.
http://www.vitaljkd.com
has anybody trained in hopkido? i got my shodan (1st degree) black belt in aikido a couple of months ago, and i’ve always thought i’d like to branch out my training after accomplishing that. from what little i know of it, it sounds like it’s best described as a cross between the striking and kicking of taekwondo, and the circular movement and ‘force leading’ of aikido (or aikijujitsu, at least), so it sounds like a well-rounded art, and a natural extension of my background. any thoughts about it?
i would disagree (in part) with the idea of finding a school that teaches multiple styles, unless there are different ‘head’ instructors for each style. from what i’ve heard and seen, too many schools that claim to offer 25 different martial arts have one head instructor with a black belt in one style who has attended a few seminars in others styles, and claims to be able to teach them. obviously, that isn’t always the case, but it would be something to be careful about…
I personally haven’t studied it, but a close friend of mine did in college. We’ve discussed it, and practiced a bit. His particular style involved very little striking, at least at the levels he reached before moving away. I would say, from what he’s shown me, that it bears a much closer relation to aikido than tae kwan do.
This is an excellent point–my recommendation was for small schools (a personal preference) with an instructor for each art. For example, my last school was run cooperatively by an American Kenpo black belt, an arnis/kung-fu/kenpo black belt (who only taught arnis), and a kickboxing champ. Each one only taught his specialty, although they all worked together to transfer useful techniques between the different arts. Students could study one, two, or all three styles, according to their time and inclination, for the basic membership fee. It was a beautiful deal, and I wish they were still running it.