HapKi-Do ("the way of harmonious energy" or "the way of coordinated power") is a combat martial art with ancient roots. Hapkido today is a multi-faceted martial art, blending hard and soft techniques. Like traditional styles of Karate-do/ Subak ("the way of the empty hand"), Hapkido employs strong linear ( hard) techniques such as strikes and kicks. Like Aikido or Aiki-JiuJitsu, it also uses circular (soft) techniques, such as off-balancing and throwing. HapKi-Do also has pressure points and ground fighting techniques.  
 

Grandmaster Choi, Young Sool (1904-1986)   

Grandmaster Choi, Young Sool (1904-1986) creator of Hapkido.   

There are many questions surrounding the early life of Master Choi. Following is the account Choi himself gave throughout his later years: Master Choi, was born Chung Buk province of Korea in 1904 and was orphaned at the age of eight or nine. He was then brought to Japan by a candy maker who later abandoned him. Left to wander the streets begging for food, he was adopted by a Japanese man who gave him the name Tatujutu Yoshida.   

 Life in Japan had been difficult for Choi. On the streets, he was regularly beaten by other children, no doubt because he was a foreigner. After his adoption as a houseboy by Takeda, his time in school was equally unhappy. Yoshida (Choi) spoke little Japanese, and thus found his studies frustrating, and was getting into fights with classmates. Reportedly, Takeda offered him a choice: attend school or study martial arts. Yoshida (Choi) opted to learn to fight and started in Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jutsu (pronounced Dae-Dong-Ryu Hap-Ki-Sool in Korean.) with Sokaku Takeda (1860-1943)  Choi started his hard life with Sokaku Takeda as his houseboy and later became his manservant. It is because of this position he was always on hand at training sessions. It is known that Sokaku Takeda sent Choi to defeat challengers.

This was a very shrewd move on Takeda's part.  When the challenger was defeated he was defeated by the manservant of Takeda and on top of that a Korean. Takeda usually overcame objections by his higher ranking students like Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969) founder of Aikido by saying the following "Who has been with me longer than my manservant Yoshida (Choi)?" With the end of World War II  and of Japanese occupation of Korea at hand and the death of Sokaku Takeda Choi left his service and the Takeda Clan after 30 years of training and servent-hood. Yoshida returned to Korea in the winter of 1945 and changed his name back to Choi, Young Sool.

On the way home Chung-Buk province, however, Choi had lost his suitcase containing all of his money and his certificates from Takeda Sensei, leaving him stranded in Tae Gu province. Again Choi was forced to earn a living on the streets, but now he had a family to support. After a year of selling rice cakes, he earned enough money to buy some hogs, which he fed with free leftover grain he acquired each morning from the Suh Brewery Company. On February 21^st, 1948, during one of Choi's early-morning visits to the brewery, a group of men tried to steal his place in line for grain after he had volunteered to help draw water from the brewery's underground spring. A fight ensued, and Choi devistated his attackers with the techniques he had learned in Japan.

Suh, Bok Sup (circa 1924-), the manager of his family-owned brewery witnessed the battle and sent his servant to summon Choi to his office. Suh, a black belt in Judo taught by Choi, Yong Ho (193? -), hoped to learn about the strange martial arts style he had witnessed. Fearing he would lose his alottment of grain, Choi refused, until Suh, Bok Sup assured Choi that he would get it. Suh asked Choi to take him on as his student and invited him into his dojang in the brewery offices:

I said to him that since I had no objection to money, please teach me whatever you know. I was able to judge his financial situation just by looking at him. I stood up and I took him to the room next to my office. I opened up the door and it was a big place with Tabor min mats, Japanese throwing mats. That's where I asked him to please show me the techniques. Since Choi, Yong Sool knew I was a first degree Judo, he told me to throw him. I didn't really feel like throwing him because he was much older than me [GM Choi was about 42 years of age]. I was somewhat hesitant to throw him yet I lightly grabbed him and he immediately used a pain technique on me. It happened all of a sudden, without explaining anything, he just did it. I got angry.

Here I was, very gentle with Choi and I felt he wasn't too nice to me so I got mad. I wanted to take time but Choi, Yong Sool gave me no chance so I decided to fight back. I decided to throw Choi, Yong Sool and grabbed him on the shoulder. I found myself in trouble. In Judo, usually one person has touched the other person's body in order to throw him, but this time there was no touching involved. So, I was deeply impressed. So that's how the two of us got started. (American Hapkido Association Homepage, 1997.)

In return for private lessons, Suh provided Choi with grain, money, and the use of his private dojang to teach other students. Choi called his art Yoo Sool (Korean pronunciation for JiuJitsu), and began modify Takeda Sensei's style with some kicking and weapons techniques.

Suh continued to train with Choi for many years. In 1951 Suh and Choi opened a school outside the brewery called Yu Kwon Sool Hap Ki Dojang. (4-See notes) In 1954, Suh's father, Suh, Dong Jin, ran successfully for the Korean National Assembly. Suh, Bok Sup prevailed in a physical confrontation with Chun, Se Daek, a brother-in-law of one of his father's political opponents:

He is a big man for a Korean. My eyes would be at his chest level. He had a vicious reputation of killing two people, before 1945 and after 1945. One week before the election, Chun, Se Daek and I had a fight.... He had heard much about the reputation I had... He wanted to have some kind of fight with me. So, as I said, one week before the election we finally had a fight at a speech area where he was giving a public speech... That's when I ran into this man named Chun, Se Daek...

That's when Chun, Se Daek grabbed me by the neck... I had thought about bending his wrist, but was afraid I would break it. He was such a strong man. I had considered throwing him using Judo, the man was way too tall for that. That's when I lowered my body and kicked him in the side and knocked him back away... He was a little scared. The crowd came to break up the fight. Chun, Se Daek sent policemen to my home for reconciliation...

He wanted me to come to his office to make peace... That's when a fist flew from Chun, Se Daek's brother. He had tried to trick me and I sprang up, stepped away and reposed getting ready to fight. We both stood up and I'd noticed that this man was taller than me. The man was about to use his boxing.

Instead of fighting back, I just avoided the fists. Not one fist struck me. Now the man tried Judo, so I had decided to use his power. Each time the man grabbed me, I showed him another Hap Ki Do technique. That's when everyone in the office became in awe of my techniques. They knew it was definitely not Judo. That's the incident that made Hap Ki Do famous throughout the city of Daegue.  
 

History on HapKi-Do

3A.d To 1900's

One should understand that martial arts have not been created or invented by a single individual. They were developed as part of the history of a nation.

Hapkido was introduced to Korea along with Buddhism. Hapkido techniques were originally known and handed down through the heir achy of monks, ruling families and royal officials as a means of self-protection and personal safety.

Buddhism and Hapkido became popular throughout the country among the upper class and nobility. During this time Korea was divided into three kingdoms: Koguryu, Paekche and Silla.

Confucianism, which respects scholarly discipline and looks down upon physical force and martial arts, influenced even national policies. Because of this change in national policies, Hapkido disappeared from the general population and barely maintained its continuance among the individual master monks and Korean and Japanese royal families , and even then, only as a form of self-protection.