THE HISTORY OF HAPKIDO
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Part 2
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It was in 1955 that the Korean government and many prominent martial
arts instructors, most significantly General Choi, Hong Hi, tried
to unite all Korean fighting arts under one banner. The name chosen
for this national martial art was Taekwondo. However, a few schools
remained outside the new organization; these included Tang Soo Do
and Hapkido. Hapkido chose to remain independent because the techniques
of the art were so different to those of the other schools.
Today, Hapkido is
represented in Korea by three main organizations. These are, the Korean
Ki Do Association (President In Sun Seo); the Korea Hapkido Federation
(President Oh Se Lim); and the International Hapkido Federation (President
Myung Jae Nam). The Korean Ki Do Association retains many other styles
of Korean martial arts other than Hapkido. The Korea Hapkido Federation
is still the leading association in Hapkido. The International Hapkido
Federation is not widely known
outside of Korea.
These three associations are constantly competing with each other
and watching each other. In this respect, the future of Hapkido will
be bright.
As with most modern martial arts, Hapkido has changed somewhat since
its inception. Some schools have introduced patterns or forms into
their syllabus; others allow students to enter tournaments and competitions.
Both these aspects were not present in Yong Sul Choi's original system
as he devised it primarily as a form of combat without any sporting
connections. In fact, to enter a competition the techniques of Hapkido
would have to be severely diluted as many of the crippling strikes,
kicks, locks and throws would not be allowed.
Which is better? No one system is better than another as all
have something to offer the individual. All genuine Hapkido
schools can tailor their techniques to suit an individuals way
of thinking and his physical structure. |
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Hapkido has been practised in the U.K. since 1971; however, it is
not an art with a great number of practitioners or schools. This may
be due to the arts complexity and the very high standard a student
must reach before becoming an instructor. Another reason that Hapkido
is not as well known as other Korean arts, such as Taekwondo and Tang
Soo Do is a lack of genuine instructors in this country. The European
Hapkido Alliance with the help of Grandmaster Sung Soo Lee and the
Korea Hapkido Federation aim to further the development of Hapkido
throughout Europe.
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