anyone with a hapkido, aikijutsu, or aikido background?

Question

The demos i've seen are amazing to watch with the many wrist locks, but it got me wondering. How applicable is all this to realistic self defense? I never see anyone grab wrist.

Answer 1

Hapkido is the older of the two, and was founded by Choi, Yong Shul. Aikido was founded by Ueshiba Morihei. Both men were students of Takeda Sokaku, who founded a system called Daito-ryu aikijujutsu. Hapkido and aikido were initially very similar; however, the Korean system was quickly invested with striking and weapon techniques indiginous to Korea, while aikido began to focus more on the development of the trait of "aiki". "Aiki" and "hapki" are actually the same word, pronounced in different languages. The literal translation is "energy-meeting", and can be thought of as adding your own kinetic energy to the energy of your opponent's attack in order to throw him off-balance and control him. As for any "which art is better" question, I must explain--you are asking the wrong question. If there were a better art, everyone would use it. The question is, which art is more suited to you. Hapkido will give you techniques that you can use right away--it is much easier to learn a straight punch than to properly execute an aiki throw. It also has a larger overall syllabus of study. Aikido specializes in controlling an attacker without causing harm. It may look like people are falling down for no reason in aikido exhibitions, but Ueshiba sensei was an undefeated fighter, and still threw people around like rag dolls when he was 80 years old and couldn't walk up the stairs by himself. Also, you should realize that there are several different styles with each of these systems, and each emphasizes a different aspect of their art. Train hard!

Answer 2

Most all demonstrations are of fundamental techniques and training. The fundamentals not only function as actual techniques but as a means of learning the way the body moves (or rather, how the body prefers not to move). You also learn how to minimize damage from joint locks as well.



When you watch a demonstration, you're seeing two practitioners performing a move. One is practicing the application of delivery, while the other is practicing the application of avoidance.



Once you graduate from the basics, and now know fully how the body functions and where most of the pain comes from, you can then begin studying for true practical use, which is as simple as putting the collected concepts together which you've been learning separately up until this point.



For a beginner, a resisting opponent is annoying. For a learned practitioner, a resisting opponent, or someone who is simply physically stronger, is an opportunity to deliver one of two ways of incapacitation; one way is to take advantage of pressure points that force the body to do something different, such as relaxing certain muscles, or the other way which is to strike sensitive areas to force a desired effect. Arts like Aikido refrain from violence, so pressure points of influence are preferred, where as Hapkido seems to teach a preference for causing pain (in my experience, anyway).



Jujutsu is a physical science, and the same can be said about all soft arts what I said above. People forget that beginners are beginners, and look to harass their study methods, but these are fools who speak out of line. Jujutsu (be it Aikido, Hapkido, Judo, etc.) is complex, so the fundamentals of the styles are organized in a special way to maximize the learning process. Anyone who skips the important steps in learning is only hurting themselves.

Answer 3

It is very applicable in a real fight or real self defense situation. There is a reason why a variety of military and police for have chose aikido as the form of hand to hand combat. I know a policeman that will tell you that his aikido training has spared his life on many occasions. he works in one of the most dangerous cities in the US according to statistics. I know a college professor that took a knife from a guy and threw him across the room all at the same time. When the guy cam to he asked about his knife. The professor pretended not to know hat he was talking about. He could have caused the guy more harm if he had chosen to, but he didn't believe it was necessary. He was correct. Often the wrist locks and pins are the end of the technique. It is much more to aikido than wrist locks. By the way there are strikes in aikido.

Answer 4

I trained in Aikido for 5 years. Completed all my kyu rankings and started training for my black belt. I went to a "Aikido Schools so Ueshiba" dojo, which is a very good school w/ great instructors. Aikido is a good martial art, but frankly, isn't very realistic for "real world" fighting. Many Aikidoka will disagree; after all, who wants to admit that the MA they are training in isn't practical? But talk to those that left Aikido for Judo, BJJ or another art and you'll hear the same thing. I'd look at other arts if I were you.

Answer 5

As long as your opponent is attacking you in a "traditional" manner (with the strikes and techniques you have been taught to defend against), the techniques will work however, one is seldom if ever attacked in such a manner or style of attack.

In the real world, the over whelming and vast majority of attacks come from surprise, instantly devolve into close quarter combat in a "swarm and harm" manner, punches thrown in bunches and coming at you from all angles or with a submission hold applied at the beginning.

All three of the styles you mention, as well as most "traditional" styles, lack realistic training as the attacker is supposed to throw single strike and then wait as the technique is applied as part of a one step, three step drill, etc. In real life, such never happens.

Even when traditional stylist "spar" in a version of controlled combat, they instantly drop their traditional stances and forms of strikes so as to attain greater mobility, so as to be able to control distance and so as to move with the flow of the combat.

For close quarter combat, jujitsu is effective and applicable.

Once you have broken away from the close quarter combat, the strikes and kicks of Hapkido become more effective and then the take downs of Hapkido or Aikijujitsu/Aikido become more effective.

Reality teaches and proves that the simpler the technique and the style the more effective and useful the same will be. The same also teaches that in any real combat situation, you must have the physical ability to endure or take a punch, to withstand the attack and you must possess the strength and stamina to fight until the fight is over and that is one area that most of the traditional styles do not place a great deal of emphasis on.

Answer 6

Grabbing the wrist is an exercise to teach you not to muscle techniques. If you pull or jerk or go too fast your opponent will lose their grip and it is easy to tell what you did wrong. If you did the grab and applied the technique you are much more likely to hold on through a pull or jerk or going too fast and you will never be able to tell that you actually muscled your way through the technique.

Grabbing the wrist also teaches you to pay attention to your opponent. Aiki is not about you and you are doing a technique. It is about getting your opponent to do the technique to themselves and you are just helping them. If you grab your opponent again it becomes all about you and you wanting to do a technique and not paying attention to what your opponent is actually giving you.

Besides, not all techniques are that your opponent grabs you. During randori there are very few grabs from the opponent at least in our class there are and the techniques still work the same. Find the shape and apply the technique made for that shape.

Answer 7

Unlike jiujitsu and aikido, hapkido uses kicks and hand strikes as well.

In fact, if you go to the right dojo, i think you cant get much better training in terms of self defense. You learn wide varieties including

joint locks

counteractions

reversals

pressure points

kicks

hand strikes

throws

I found it very useful during my career

Answer 8

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