Skip to content
BeyondDojo

Discipline hub

Hapkido

Joint locks, throws and kicks – the Korean art that combines grappling with striking.

Origin
Korea
Region
East Asia
Founded
1940s–1950s
Category
Hybrid
18th-century Korean genre painting of two men wrestling while a circle of spectators watches.
Ssireum, Korean wrestling, painted by Kim Hong-do in the late 18th century – the older Korean grappling culture that hapkido's founders invoked. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Hapkido (합기도) emerged in Korea in the 1940s and 1950s around Choi Yong-sool, who taught joint-lock and throwing techniques related to Daitō-ryū aiki-jūjutsu. Students added Korean kicking and striking, producing a hybrid art that covers all ranges. The name shares its characters with aikido, but the two arts developed separately and feel very different.

Character

  • Joint locks: Wrist, elbow and shoulder locks applied from grabs and strikes.
  • Throws and takedowns: Often flowing out of a lock.
  • Kicks and strikes: Including low, spinning and jumping kicks.
  • Weapons: Cane, short stick, belt and rope in many schools.

Who is it for?

Anyone who wants a broad self-defence toolkit rather than a single specialisation. Hapkido is less standardised than taekwondo, so schools vary a lot – visit before you commit. A dobok and a mouthguard are enough to start.

Further reading: Hapkido on Wikipedia

Hapkido

History