Combat Hapkido

7 Reasons Combat Hapkido Is Perfect For Women’s Self-Defense Training

June 22, 2011 By Editor Leave a Comment

Women’s self-defense training and commercial martial arts training are too often incompatible. Commercial martial arts schools typically emphasize sports training at the expense of self-defense training. Commercial martial arts are about trophies, tournaments, and rank. Women’s self-defense training is about life and death.

What’s a woman in search of self-defense training to do?

Give Combat Hapkido a try. You may learn more about self-defense training than you ever imagined.

Pure self-defense. Combat hapkido is strictly about self-defense. It’s not about aerobic conditioning or meditative yoga or tournaments. It’s not a sport. It is literally a martial art. In other words, it is an art of war that teaches how to defend yourself against physical aggression.
Practical. Combat Hapkido teaches self-defense techniques that work. Hapkido was (and still is) the martial art of choice for the feared Korean Special Forces units. It has been taught to our own Navy SEALs as well as the Army’s Ranger and Special Forces units. When it comes to neutralizing an attacker quickly few other martial arts to my mind do it quicker and more devastatingly.
Fast. You don’t have to spend years practicing it to be a competent practitioner. Beginning with your first week of training, you start taking home self-defense techniques that really work. With a little diligence, you should make rapid progress.
Gender-Neutral. Combat hapkido will work for women just as well as it works for men. And it as welcoming to women students as any school I’ve ever encountered.
Athleticism Not Required. The good news is that Combat Hapkido doesn’t require you to be an Olympian athlete. If you’re in reasonably good shape, you can master its self-defense techniques without having to be quicker than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, or able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
Versatile. If you’re studying another martial art, that’s fine. I haven’t yet met a Combat Hapkido who discourages cross-training. No need to quit the martial art you presently love (if you’ve found one).
Fun. Did I forget to say that I’ve met Combat Hapkido practitioners from many states and from all walks of life? They have simply been some of the nicest people I’ve met at any martial art school. The kind of people you want as neighbors and friends.

Are there other martial arts styles out there that will teach you what you really need to know to defend yourself against rape and sexual assault?

Yes, but they are few and far between.

Dozens of Combat Hapkido schools exist throughout the country and its founder, GM John Pellegrini, travels across the country teaching supplementary seminars.

If you want to learn more, give the International Combat Hapkido Federation a visit and find a school near you.

Train hard, stay safe, live well.

Filed Under: Combat Hapkido, Women's Self Defense Tagged With: combat hapkido, self-defense training, women's self defense

Hapkido Cane Self-Defenses for Adult Martial Artists

March 4, 2011 By Editor Leave a Comment

Hapkido cane self-defense techniques are especially useful for the injured, the handicapped, or the elderly as I pointed out in Walk Softly and Carry a Big Stick.

Apparently, I am not the only one who thinks so.

A recent article in the San Jose Mercury News, Martial Arts Self-Defense An Option For Seniors With Canes In East Contra Costa, reports how senior citizens are taking can self-defense classes to protect themselves.

But, you ask, where does an adult martial artist go to learn how to defend himself or herself with a cane?

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Combat Hapkido, Hapkido, Self-Defense

Combat Hapkido: The Martial Art for the Modern Warrior Part 4

February 6, 2011 By Editor Leave a Comment

Combat Hapkido: The Martial Art for the Modern Warrior by John Pellegrini offers readers much more than a powerful argument for making self-defense training the primary goal of the martial arts. Combat Hapkido: The Martial Art for the Modern Warrior explains its history and why it has become one of the fastest-growing martial arts styles in the world.

Here are just a few points worth mentioning:

First, Grandmaster Pellegrini’s brief history of hapkido and the evolution of Combat Hapkido is one of the best concise introductions to the Korean martial art of hapkido and its development over generations. Too many introductory accounts of a martial art tend to fuse historical fact with legend and myth. Worse, some accounts just descend into the realm of fantasy and wishful thinking.

Instead, Pellegrini keeps his narrative grounded in reality, which makes for a more informative as well as more credible account. His account of the hapkido’s three basic principles—the water principle, the circular-motion principle and the harmony principle—is brief but lucid. He freely admits the similarities of hapkido and its principles with Japanese arts such as jujitsu and aikido.

Second, his explanation of how he developed Combat Hapkido to meet the demands of real-world self-defense training. No hype or braggadocio here. Just a modest recounting of how he saw the need to attune traditional hapkido with it indisputable strengths and time-tested principles to the realities of contemporary self-defense. He even went further and created subsystems within combat hapkido. These are tailored for the self-defense training needs of citizens, law enforcement officials, and professional soldiers.

Third, “I evaluated each technique,” says Pellegrini “in order to ensure that, without losing effectiveness in the real world, they would be as ‘legally friendly’ as possible. It did not make sense to me that Combat Hapkido students would avoid the hospital only to wind up in jail, and in today’s society, that was a major concern.”

Finally, his summary of the fundamental principles and concepts of hapkido in the fourth chapter should be read by every martial artist regardless of his or her style. Every style employs these strategic principles and tactical concepts. The only difference between the styles is the degree of emphasis with which they are applied. His concluding remarks about the warrior mindset are sobering and spot on.

If self-defense training is your main purpose for practicing the martial arts, then Adult Martial Artist highly recommends Combat Hapkido: The Martial Art for the Modern Warrior is definitely worth every penny. (You can even use my affiliate link if you want to buy it.)

Read the rest of this review for Combat Hapkido: The Martial Art for the Modern Warrior by following these links:

Combat Hapkido: The Martial Art for the Modern Warrior

Combat Hapkido: The Martial Art for the Modern Warrior Part 2

Combat Hapkido: The Martial Art for the Modern Warrior Part 3

Filed Under: Books, Combat Hapkido, Hapkido, Reviews Tagged With: book review, combat hapkido, hapkido, self-defense techniques, self-defense training

Why Combat Hapkido? — Some Frequently Asked Questions

December 31, 2010 By Editor Leave a Comment

Why Combat Hapkido?

Combat Hapkido (or CH for short) is a realistic, effective and straightforward method of self-defense for men and women to learn. It doesn’t take forever to learn. You don’t need to be an Olympic athlete. And it works. That’s why many law enforcement officers and top military units such as the U.S. Army’s Tenth Mountain Army Division practice it. If you want to learn how to defend yourself in the streets quickly, Combat Hapkido is for you.

Is Combat Hapkido for women as well as men?

Yes, combat hapkido techniques are perfect for women’s self defense. It does not require superior strength. It can be learned quickly. It teaches situational awareness, how to disorient and disable an attacker regardless of his (or her) size, and get home safe and sound.

At what age can I start?

Unlike many traditional martial arts programs, CH is not for children. The techniques are too dangerous in the hands of the immature and inexperienced. Therefore, instructors typically prefer to teach students 18 years of age or older.

How long will I have to study Combat Hapkido in order to be able to defend myself?

That depends upon how often you practice and the dedication you bring to the art. That said, with regular practice and commitment, you should be able to begin to be able to defend yourself within six months and perhaps as little as three. Indeed, at the Bronx Hapkido Center students begin to learn effective self-defense techniques in the first week of training.

Can anyone benefit from practicing Combat Hapkido?

Yes, CH can be learned by adults regardless of their age or gender. Nor do you need the physical prowess of a professional athlete. I know of one practitioner who is nearly 70 years old and still going strong.

What is the difference between Combat Hapkido and other schools of Hapkido?

CH is more progressive and eclectic than what often passes for traditional hapkido. To paraphrase Bruce Lee, it absorbs what is useful in other martial arts and discards the rest. For example, the traditional stances and postures as well as the acrobatic kicks of traditional hapkido have been replaced with techniques more appropriate for self defense in today’s environment.

Is Combat Hapkido recognized as a legitimate martial arts style?

World renowned hapkido grandmaster In Sun Seo bestowed Combat Hapkido (also known in Korea as Chon-tu Kwon) official status as a kwon or official style in the World Kido Federation. Chartered by the Korean government, the World Kido Federation maintains the integrity and records of all legitimate Korean martial arts. What is particularly noteworthy about recognition of CH’s recognition by the WKF is that is usually awards such status to long-established traditional martial arts schools.

Where can I find a school?

Go to the International Combat Hapkido Federation’s directory of schools to find a school near you.

If you have any further questions you’d like answered, send me an e-mail at ama@adultmartialartist.com

Filed Under: A Martial Arts Education, Combat Hapkido, Getting Started, Hapkido, Martial Arts, Women's Self Defense Tagged With: combat hapkido, Getting Started, martial arts schools, women's self defense

Combat Hapkido: The Martial Art for the Modern Warrior

December 21, 2010 By Editor Leave a Comment

Combat Hapkido: The Martial Art for the Modern Warrior by John Pellegrini, founder and grandmaster of the International Combat Hapkido Federation, offers adult martial artists a clear and concise introduction to one of the world’s fastest-growing martial arts.

Martial arts books too often are nothing more than mere advertisements for their author. Full of bravado and hyperbole, such books are short on substance.

Combat Hapkido, however, is a rare exception. It offers substance and style both in its content and format. It is a model of what a martial arts book worthy of it name ought to be. The writing is informative, thoughtful and ultimately persuasive. The color photography is crisp and intelligible. GM Pellegrini’s sincerity as well as his expertise shines on each page.

Who should read Combat Hapkido?

If you are serious about self-defense training—not the bravado and hype of some Internet wannabe self-defense experts—then you owe it to yourself to consider training in one of the most effective martial arts systems in the world. It has been taught to law enforcement officers and top military units in several continents.

If you’re afraid that you might be too old to learn a martial art, much less learn how to defend yourself and your loved ones against street crime, then welcome. You can learn Combat Hapkido at any age. I know of one capable practitioner who is almost 70 years old and still going strong!

If you feel you need to complement your present martial arts training with something more or if you feel you just want to start over with a reality-based martial art instead of kickboxing or other martial sports styles, Combat Hapkido may prove to be the next step in your quest to be a superior martial artist.

If you are looking to learn more about hapkido and, more specifically, the evolution of combat hapkido, then this book provides a succinct introduction. Of course, if you are a martial arts aficionado and can’t get enough of a good thing, then, well, you’ll love it without my having to explain why at great length.

In a later post, I’ll explain in detail why I think this is one of the best martial arts books in print and worth reading regardless of whether you are a novice or a veteran practitioner of the martial arts.

So while you’re waiting for Amazon to deliver GM John Pellegrini’s Combat Hapkido: The Martial Art for the Modern Warrior to your door, take a look at this video to see Combat Hapkido in action.