James O'Neill
11-28-2005, 10:33
I'm curious to see how others approach this. Hapkido contains a vast number of different techniques. From handstrikes to kicks, knees, elbow strikes, throws & joint locking techniques, grappling & knife work, we do allot of different stuff. As a result, it can take the beginner a really long time before they have a handle on the "basics".
But what constitutes the basics? In other words, what do we focus on first in order to give the student a solid foundation in Hapkido?
In our system, it is footwork. We tend to start with proper stepping & drill entering techniques allot. Since our system has its focus on the grappling & joint locking aspects of Hapkido, the ability to get to the "deadzone" or at least to achieve a clinch without getting knocked out, cut or killed in the process is where we spend the most amount of time. However, rolling & falling are never overlooked. We spend a good bit of class time on that too. And basic striking & kicking are also drilled, as are basic joint locks. Nevertheless, we spend more time on footwork than any other single aspect of training. At least in the begining.
Our goal is to develope a core group of high percentage moves first. We can get "fancy" from there. But to begin with, it is drilling on entering versus realistic, contemporary attacks. ...Whether they are punches, kicks, armed attacks or a take down attempt. Mostly off realistic punches though.
...And I must say that packing everything into a 2 hour class can be quite a challenge. Even so, I try to include the following 5 elements in a typical session: 1) rolls & falls, 2) a good stretch, 3) entering techniques (we have allot of variety in those) 4) one or more of the following; striking / joint locking / grappling / knife work and 5) some form of meditation.
As stated above, I'm interested in hearing what others do - how it breaks down & perhaps most importantly, why you follow the particular order you do. So thanks in advance for sharing :bow:
- HapKI -
But what constitutes the basics? In other words, what do we focus on first in order to give the student a solid foundation in Hapkido?
In our system, it is footwork. We tend to start with proper stepping & drill entering techniques allot. Since our system has its focus on the grappling & joint locking aspects of Hapkido, the ability to get to the "deadzone" or at least to achieve a clinch without getting knocked out, cut or killed in the process is where we spend the most amount of time. However, rolling & falling are never overlooked. We spend a good bit of class time on that too. And basic striking & kicking are also drilled, as are basic joint locks. Nevertheless, we spend more time on footwork than any other single aspect of training. At least in the begining.
Our goal is to develope a core group of high percentage moves first. We can get "fancy" from there. But to begin with, it is drilling on entering versus realistic, contemporary attacks. ...Whether they are punches, kicks, armed attacks or a take down attempt. Mostly off realistic punches though.
...And I must say that packing everything into a 2 hour class can be quite a challenge. Even so, I try to include the following 5 elements in a typical session: 1) rolls & falls, 2) a good stretch, 3) entering techniques (we have allot of variety in those) 4) one or more of the following; striking / joint locking / grappling / knife work and 5) some form of meditation.
As stated above, I'm interested in hearing what others do - how it breaks down & perhaps most importantly, why you follow the particular order you do. So thanks in advance for sharing :bow:
- HapKI -