What Is Hapkido and why is it useful?

             ​

Hapkido (which means the Way of Coordinated Power) is a form of Korean Martial Art that focuses on self-defense.  It teaches the practitioner to attack the weakest part of the opponent and using the opponent’s own strength to overthrow him/her. Circular motions are used to deflect attack and weaken the opponent’s energy while water movements allow the practitioner to channelize destructive energy instead of meeting it head on.

Hapkido consists of over 1000 techniques that are variations of three basic groups that are hand versus empty hand, empty hand versus weapon and weapon versus weapon. Empty hand techniques include kicking, punching, choking, throwing and joint locking; while the weapon techniques include the use of knife, rope, cane and staff.