Cross training with Hapkido? Any advice?

Robin Boyd wrote: Can learning shooting guns improve your archery? - Yes, it will teach you focus, concentration, and aim. Can learning how to make coffee improve your tea making? - Yes, you will learn precision, and about the importance of water temperature. Can learning French improve your English? - Yes, you will learn about grammar structure. Okay, it is a bit of a circuitous route to learn these things, but having another perspective can also be helpful. Getting back to the topic of cross training, I think it suits some people better than others. Personally, I'm sticking to Aikido, but I'm not going to enforce that personal decision on anyone else.

Mmmm. So you don't learn focus, concentration, aim in archery?

Same for the other two. Thus my point. I would say you can have many perspectives on one thing and many on another but there is a reason they are separate things.

If you want to learn something else then go somewhere else.

If you want to learn more about what you are studying be a better student. Don't blame others, don't blame anyone.

The only qualifier I see is finding the style that suits you and if you have then stick with it until you are very good at it and see all doubts and quandrys as part of the journey.

The grass is never greener on the other side.

Regards.G.

I didn't say that studying one thing is the only way to learn about another, nor did I say it is the most effective way. I was merely showing that it is one way to do it.

I don't see why someone can't train in more than one martial art and appreciate each for it's own sake, while also gaining something from each that will aid that student in the others.

To imply that you are a bad student if you study more than one thing seems a bit silly to me. Was Ueshiba a bad Daito-ryu student because he also studied various schools of swordsmanship etc.? Would we even have modern aikido if he hadn't? The same goes for Tohei. Was he a bad student for studying yoga and healing techniques and incorporating them in his Aikido? There certainly wouldn't be the various modern Shin Shin Toitsu-ryu derivatives if he hadn't.

As a said before, I choose to only study aikido, and there is nothing wrong with your choice to do the same. However, I still feel that it is disrespectful to claim that this is the only correct thing to do.

What about a ground-based art? With everyone and their mother learning MMA/BJJ right now, what are the opinions of learning how to handle oneself if you end up on the ground?

You said you've only been training in aikido for a little over a year? At that level, I think it would be confusing to train two different arts with such a similar set of techniques. I don't mean to disparage hapkido in particular or crosstraining in general, but I think I would get confused adding hapkido so early on in my aikido journey.

hapkido combines karate, emphasizing Korean style of kicking, with elements of aiki-jujutsu.

hapkido, judo, BJJ (jiu-jitsu), karate (Wado, Goju, Enshin, Kyokushin, Seido, non-WTF taekwondo) would all add to your aikido practice, but for the first three years, I recommend 3~4 times a week of one art to build a "base."

My old hapkido dojang sparred MMA style: Very insightful and inspiring and a whole lot less physical delusions than at most places.

Chris Evans wrote: hapkido combines karate, emphasizing Korean style of kicking, with elements of aiki-jujutsu. hapkido, judo, BJJ (jiu-jitsu), karate (Wado, Goju, Enshin, Kyokushin, Seido, non-WTF taekwondo) would all add to your aikido practice, but for the first three years, I recommend 3~4 times a week of one art to build a "base." My old hapkido dojang sparred MMA style: Very insightful and inspiring and a whole lot less physical delusions than at most places.

The founder of Hapkido claimed to have trained with Sokaku Takeda, and supposedly accompanied him on a trip to Hawaii.

FWIW...

Best,

Chris

Christopher Li wrote: The founder of Hapkido claimed to have trained with Sokaku Takeda, and supposedly accompanied him on a trip to Hawaii. FWIW... Best, Chris

Yes, thank you. If i may guess: Much of the source & inspiration of "Korean" hapkido comes from Okinawan Kara-te (with the kanji for China) and from Japanese koryu jujutsu.

Matt Bostock wrote: I have been training in Aikido for over a year now and I am enjoying it very much. Just recently tho I have been tempted to cross train with another martial art. Some may recall me asking about training Kali Escrima, which I tried, but it didnt seem to 'click' with me so I didnt pursue it. However more recently I thought about Wing Chun but was put off it somewhat by people saying the footwork is completely different to Aikido and the two arts would not blend well? So here I am now considering Hapkido. Obviously there are similarities between Aikido and Hapkido BUT do the two arts blend together relatively easily, ie footwork, or am I going to find it more confusing than rewarding? Is there anyone out there that trains in both these arts that could maybe pass on some advice? Many thanks, Matt

I've done both. Hapkido. They are different arts. They look externally similar but how they execute them is different.

I look at Hapkido as a generalist art. There is a bit of everything. Striking, Kicking (a lot), Judo type throws, joint locking, chokes and a limited amount of ground work. Each is good but not as specialized as other arts. If you want to learn ne waza, take judo or BJJ. If you want to lean striking take karate, etc. Although their kicking is the most extensive I've seen, even more than Tae Kwon Do.

It is a very good self defense art. Compare Krav Maga and HKD. (HKD was doing it first ) We also did "MMA lite" style sparing which was very helpful. Judo type throws, kicking, punching and rolling if you ended up on the ground. I could never pull off aikido waza in sparring until I started taking Aikido and changed my thinking about how they were achieved. Where were the appropriate opportunities and what kuzushi was necessary and how to achieve it. I did the same with Judo. Cross trained for a couple of years.

Hapkido is a comprehensive system but basically it is a Jujutsu base with striking added. So it is as different from Aikido as Jujutsu is from Aikido. I think that you will find the two methods to be conflicting. I came from Hapkido (2nd Dan) to Aikido, where it gave me a lot to build from I had to relearn similar techniques. The maai is different and the desired outcome is different, the ukemi is different. I think you'd be better served learning a strictly striking art if you plan to stick with Aikido as your primary art. If you are still "shopping" arts Hapkido is a good art and you should give it a try.

Brian Beach wrote: I've done both. Hapkido. They are different arts. They look externally similar but how they execute them is different. I look at Hapkido as a generalist art. There is a bit of everything. Striking, Kicking (a lot), Judo type throws, joint locking, chokes and a limited amount of ground work. Each is good but not as specialized as other arts. If you want to learn ne waza, take judo or BJJ. If you want to lean striking take karate, etc. Although their kicking is the most extensive I've seen, even more than Tae Kwon Do. It is a very good self defense art. Compare Krav Maga and HKD. (HKD was doing it first ) We also did "MMA lite" style sparing which was very helpful. Judo type throws, kicking, punching and rolling if you ended up on the ground. I could never pull off aikido waza in sparring until I started taking Aikido and changed my thinking about how they were achieved. Where were the appropriate opportunities and what kuzushi was necessary and how to achieve it. I did the same with Judo. Cross trained for a couple of years. Hapkido is a comprehensive system but basically it is a Jujutsu base with striking added. So it is as different from Aikido as Jujutsu is from Aikido. I think that you will find the two methods to be conflicting. I came from Hapkido (2nd Dan) to Aikido, where it gave me a lot to build from I had to relearn similar techniques. The maai is different and the desired outcome is different, the ukemi is different. I think you'd be better served learning a strictly striking art if you plan to stick with Aikido as your primary art. If you are still "shopping" arts Hapkido is a good art and you should give it a try.

Bravo, Brian.

I love Hapkido: So much that I've joined an aikido dojo (that also offers some jujutsu training) and will continue with karate along with occasional drop-ins for judo or BJJ mat work, as time permits. Ahhh so much to do, so little time...must prioritize & balance.