I ntr oduction to Combat H

ntroduction apkido
Hapkido
The Science of Self-Defense

By
Michael Rowe

Dan Il Press Omaha, Nebraska

1
 Dan Il Press
P.O. Box 540103
Omaha, Nebraska 68154-0103

An original publication of Dan Il Press

DI00-001

© Copyright 2001 by Michael P Rowe

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, except for
the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without permission in writing from the publisher.

ISBN: 0-9703874-0-7
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 00-191394

Book design by Michael Rowe

Cover design by Michael Rowe and Marvin Dickerson
Photography by Susan Rowe and Michael Farmer
Editing by John Pellegrini and Marvin Dickerson
Cover Photograph by Billings Photography

First Edition: January 2002

2
A ckno wledgments
cknowledgments

There is only one Presence and one Power

active in the Universe and in my life; God the good.

I wish to give my loving thanks to my parents Richard and Patricia Rowe. For all your understanding
and love over the years. You raised me well in a slightly mad world. You clothed me, fed me, and
comforted me during my formative years, for that I am eternally grateful. Though I have not said it
enough I love you both dearly.

I would like to thank my brother David for helping me push myself to achieve all that I can and for
being a wonderful if slightly reluctant uke in my early years of combative training.

I would like to thank all of my Instructors. You showed me that there are many paths that lead to the
top of this mountain and though I am far from reaching the top I must say the view has been won-
derful so far.

To Suzy and your children, David, Michael, Alex, Audra, and Sammy. I know my work on this book
took many hours of my time away from you, but I will always appreciate your love and support. I
am proud to have called you family.

A heartfelt “Thank You” goes to all of my students: past, present, and future.

I wish to give a bow of appreciation to the people who spent so many hours in front of the camera
my assistants: Jeremiah Jorgensen, Mike Farmer, Mike Welstead, Blake Harper, Nate Harper and
David Kane – The bruises will heal. Honest!

In many endeavors there are people that come along and make it possible to finally finish a project,
they are called angels. I want to thank my angel Marvin Dickerson. Without your help this book
would never have been finished. Additionally, I want to thank you for your time in appearing on this
book’s cover.

Finally, a special thanks goes to Grandmaster John Pellegrini for inviting me to be a part of this
special family, and accepting me as his student and giving me the opportunity to shine.

3
NO
NOTETE TO READERS
Throughout this book, “he, his, him” is used to refer to people. This is for ease of reading only and
should be taken to mean he/she, his/hers or him/her where applicable.

Additionally when there are a series of photographs they are displayed in a manner as if you were
reading; left to right and then top to bottom:

A B

C D

B efor
eforee You B egin
Begin
Exercises and activities contained in this book are strenuous and may result in injury to the practitio-
ner. As with all exercise programs, consult a physician before beginning. Skills contained in this
book are dangerous and in some cases deadly. They are intended to be used only where lawfully and
morally permissible. The reader assumes all responsibility for the use or misuse of information
contained herein.

This is the first book in a series dealing with the complexities of the art and science known as
Combat Hapkido. It is general in nature and is not meant to be comprehensive. Future books will
feature in depth analysis of specific aspects of the Combat Hapkido system such as: trapping, grap-
pling, self-defense tools, and many more aspects that are of interest to the student of self-defense.

4
 About the Author
Michael Rowe began his martial arts instruction in 1980 at
the age of 12. In the years that followed he has studied many
martial arts including his foundational arts of : Hapkido,
Taekwondo, Judo, and Modern Arnis.
He has practiced the martial arts for various reasons including
self-defense, exercise, spiritual development and competition.
During his competitive years at Iowa State University he was a
member of the Championship Taekwondo Teams in 1987, ‘88,
and ‘89. He earned All-American status in 1988 by winning the
bronze medal at the National Collegiate Taekwondo Champion-
ships.
Master Rowe began his Combat Hapkido education in 1990
when he attended a seminar taught by Grandmaster John
Pellegrini. He was intrigued by the philosophy to self-defense
education and the manner in which it was presented. In 1993 he began working for Grandmaster
Pellegrini as an Instructor at The American Taekwondo & Hapkido Academy in Weston, Florida.
In 1995 he returned to Nebraska and was named the State Director for the International
Combat Hapkido Federation. Since becoming the director he has been instrumental in the successful
spread of the Combat Hapkido System. In 1998 he was named Master Instructor of the Year by
Grandmaster Pellegrini and was inducted into the World Head of Family Sokeship Council Martial
Arts Hall of Fame.
Master Rowe continues to bring practical and effective self-defense instruction to the Mid-
west. He teaches basic self-defense, rape awareness, conflict resolution and children safety through
classes, seminars, and workshops. He also has been active in the training of area law enforcement
officers in addition to training of members of the Military Police and Sentries of the Nebraska
Reserve and Guard.
On June 22, 2001 the Governor of Nebraska recognized Master Rowe’s contributions to the
people of the state by making him an Admiral of The Great Navy of the State of Nebraska, an
organization of outstanding citizens and contributors to the state of Nebraska.
Currently Master Rowe is a 5th Degree Black Belt Taekwondo under the U.S. Chung Do
Kwan Association, a 4th Degree Black Belt under the Kukkiwon, 4th Degree Black Belt in Combat
Hapkido under the International Combat Hapkido Federation and his rank is accredited by the
World Kido Federation/Korean Kido Association. He is an active instructor at United Martial Arts
Academies in Omaha, Nebraska where he continues to study, practice, and research in the area of
self-defense and martial arts.

5
Foreword
The subject matter of this book is Combat Hapkido, a modern system of Self-defense based
on a traditional Korean Martial Art. Since I am the Founder of Combat Hapkido, it is logical that
the author, Michael Rowe, would ask me to write a foreword for his book.
There are hundreds of Martial Arts / Self-defense books on the market: a few excellent ones,
many mediocre, some of them lousy. I think that Michael’s book, because of its thoroughness,
accuracy and easy to follow style, will be a worthy addition to the library of anyone interested in this
fascinating, complex and often misunderstood subject. The instructional format will be comfortably
familiar to those with previous experience and invaluable to those without it. The detailed, organized
presentation of this body of scientific knowledge will certainly be welcome and useful to everyone,
from the serious student to the mildly curious.
I started teaching and promoting “my style” of Hapkido in 1989. I called it “Combat” to
give it a special, unique identity. I wanted the World to know that “my style” of Hapkido was not
about flashy demonstrations at a shopping mall, championship trophies or spiritual enlightenment.
It is scientific, realistic self-defense, pure and simple; nothing more, nothing less. Of course it created
a controversy (to put it mildly) in the Martial Arts community. To some I was a daring pioneer, a
courageous innovator, a dedicated crusader, a committed rebel. To others I became a renegade, a
disloyal, egotistical wanna-be, a fake, a greedy schemer. But, as you know: the proof is in the pud-
ding. The system is effective and scientifically sound, it is relatively easy to learn and it works for
men and women of all sizes and of all ages.
Hundreds of Instructors around the World opened their eyes (and minds), saw the reality
and flocked to Combat Hapkido and its governing organization, the ICHF. Michael Rowe was not
one of them. Michael had the unique privilege of having been one of my original Hapkido Black
Belt students when I owned, operated and actively taught daily classes in my own schools in Florida.
Michael had left Nebraska and had come to work for me as an Instructor at one of my four loca-
tions. He was an excellent Instructor, loyal student and dedicated Martial Artist. After a few years
however, he decided he had enough of Florida and moved back to Nebraska. He remained my
student, my friend and became the Nebraska State Director of the ICHF. Now he is also the author
of the first book on Combat Hapkido.
Many Instructors in our Organization probably expected me to write and publish the first
book on Combat Hapkido, after all I am the Founder of the system, but it was not to be. Travelling
all over the World to conduct seminars, continue research & development, producing videos and
managing an International Organization with hundreds of affiliated schools, has left me no time to
pursue literary glory. Michael had the guts to step in! He has invested time and effort to accomplish
this goal and has succeeded honorably and deservedly.
As you hold this book in your hands, you should appreciate the fact that Combat Hapkido is
the product of decades of study, research and applications. It is the fruit of many sacrifices, struggles
and the overcoming of obstacles and adversities. This book is the labor of love of a man, a true
Martial Artist who had the vision to believe, the loyalty to follow and the strength to act. I owe
Michael Rowe a huge debt of gratitude for his contribution to my legacy in the Martial Arts.

Grandmaster John Pellegrini

Founder of Combat Hapkido

6
Master Michael Rowe & Grandmaster John Pellegrini 7
 Contents
Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... 3
About the Author ............................................................................................................................ 5
Forward ............................................................................................................................................ 6
A Brief History ................................................................................................................................ 9
Foundational Principles ............................................................................................................... 13
Ki ..................................................................................................................................................... 19
Four Basic Principles of Unifying Mind and Body ................................................................... 20
Breathing ........................................................................................................................................ 23
Self-defense .................................................................................................................................... 27
Preliminaries .................................................................................................................................. 35
Foundational Skills ....................................................................................................................... 43
Combat Stances ............................................................................................................................. 43
Deflections ...................................................................................................................................... 46
Strikes ............................................................................................................................................. 49
Kicks ............................................................................................................................................... 55
Impact Principles .......................................................................................................................... 59
Tumbling and Falling.................................................................................................................... 67
Finger Techniques ......................................................................................................................... 75
Wrist Techniques ........................................................................................................................... 81
Elbow Techniques.......................................................................................................................... 99
Shoulder Controls ....................................................................................................................... 109
Controling Principles .................................................................................................................. 117
Common Injuries and Treatment.............................................................................................. 121
The Legal Aspects of Self-defense ............................................................................................. 125
ICHF ............................................................................................................................................. 131
Seminar Information .................................................................................................................. 137
References .................................................................................................................................... 139
Student Notes ............................................................................................................................... 140

8
 Chapter One
AB rief H
Brief istor
istoryy
Histor
Hapkido is a martial art of Korean origin. The name literally means “The way of coordina-
tion and internal power.” Hapkido is a complete martial art in that it consists of: dynamic striking
and kicking techniques, very similar to Taekwondo, both hard and soft style deflection techniques,
throws, takedowns, ground-fighting, and a extensive array of joint locking techniques. Hapkido is
mainly the combination of two Martial Arts - Yul Sul which is derived from the Japanese art known
as Daito-Ryu Aikijutsu and Tae Kyon, which was an ancient Korean kicking contest that was wide-
spread during the Three Kingdoms period on the Korean peninsula.

Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jutsu
Daito-Ryu has a long heritage that goes back several hundred years. The techniques were
basically the combat methods of the Minamoto clan that had been refined and perfected by General
Yoshimitsu. The General is known to have studied cadavers to understand human anatomy. These
techniques were passed down within the clan, eventually they were taught to Soemon Takeda.
Soemon Takeda(1758-1853)taught a system called aiki-in-ho-yo, “the aiki system of yin and
yang,” which was taught to Tanomo Saigo. Tanomo Saigo was an extrodinary pupil who is known to
have fought against imperial forces in the Boshin War.
During the Boshin War word reached Tanomo’s family that he had been killed in a battle
with the Imperial forces. His family was determined to preserve the honor of the family name.
Therefore his mother, wife, 5 daughters, and other members of his family committed ritual suicide.
However, news of Tanomo’s death had been premature. After returning home and finding his family
gone, he served as a Shinto priest in various districts and later adopted Shiro Shida who was
extremely talented and mastered many of the systems techniques, later applying them with great
success during the early years of Jigoro Kano’s newly founded Kodokan school of Judo. However,
Shiro abandoned the practice of both systems, moved to Nagasaki and devoted the rest of his life to
the study of classical archery.
Tanomo had another heir to the system: Sokaku Takeda(1860-1943), Soemon’s grandson.
Sokaku by this time was already adept in the martial arts. At an early age he had obtained teaching
licenses in Ono-ha Itto-Ryu swordsmanship and Hozion spear fighting. Sokaku had also studied
with the swordsman-saint Kenkichi Sakakibara of the Jikishin-kage-ryu.
Sokaku traveled widely, attracting a large number of followers and was reputed to have
around thirty thousand students and nearly every budoka of note in their era had trained with him at
one time or another. One of these was his Korean manservant Choi Yong Sool.
Yul Sul
It is reported that Choi Yong Sool studied Daito-Ryu Aiki Jutsu with Sokaku Takeda. The
exact nature of this training is still debated to this day. What is known is that Choi was given the
Japanese name Tatujutu Yoshida. Yoshida (Choi) became the manservant in the Takeda Household.
Because Daito Ryu records are very complete and they do not mention Choi or Tatujutu in anyway
there has been great debate regarding his training. Upon Sokaku Takeda’s death on April 25, 1943,
Choi Yong Sool returned to Korea. During his trip Choi lost a piece of his luggage, which was said to
9
have contained his money and the certificates that were proof of his training with Takeda Sensei. For
these reasons we may never know the total extent of his training However, it is well known that his
techniques were very practical and effective.
Choi settled in Tae Gu City. After working as a bread salesman, Choi saved enough money to
begin raising pigs. In order to feed his pigs, Choi would get up early and go to the Suh Brewery
Company to obtain free chaff and leftover grain.
Suh Bok-Sup, who held a black belt in Judo, was the president of the Suh Brewery Company.
In 1947 he witnessed a confrontation from his office window where he watched in amazement as
one man defended himself against several attackers, with very little effort. Suh had the man brought
to his office so he could ask about the martial art he had just seen. The man, of course, turned out to
be Choi Yong-Sool. Upon asking what style he practiced Choi answered that it was Yawara (a Japa-
nese term meaning self-defense). Suh asked for Choi to teach him, promising him free chaff, as well
as paying him for lessons. When Choi agreed, Suh built a dojang on the top floor of the brewery
where Choi started to teach what he had studied for so many years in Japan.
During the next few years Choi developed a name for himself as an outstanding and well-
respected martial arts instructor. He called his art Yul Sul, which is the Korean pronunciation of Ju-
Jutsu. Some modifications were made, but for the most part Choi taught the 100 techniques he had
learned from Takeda Sensei. Choi did slowly begin to add other techniques, including Korean
kicking, striking, and weapon techniques.
In 1954 Suh suggested to Choi the name Yul Sul be changed to Yul Kwon Sul, to represent
the fact that besides joint locks and throwing techniques, they were also practicing kicking and
striking.
After the end of the Korean War, 1953, Choi opened his own private school in his home and
began to teach a few other students. Some of the students during this period had already founded, or
subsequently went on to found, their own martial art styles. These included Hwang-Kee (Tang Soo
Do), Suh In-Hyuk and Seo In-Sun (Kuk Sul Won), Dr. Joo-Bang Lee (Hwa Rang Do), and Ji Han-
Jae (Sin Moo Hapkido).
Hapkido
Ji Han Jae opened the first Yul Kwon Sul Dojang in Seoul, Korea. Later he is said to have
developed the name Hapkido for this art. He had originally thought of calling it Hapki-Yul-Kwon-
Sul, but decided that it was too long of a name. The name Hapkido was chosen in 1959 and has
been used ever since.
Ji Han-Jae claims to have given the name Hapkido to his teacher, Choi Yong-Sool, to use out
of respect. However, Choi’s student Suh Bok-Sup claims that Choi was already using the name by
that time. Records in this regard are sketchy and no definite answers are to be found at this time.

Kido Hae
On September 2, 1963 the Korean government granted a Charter to the Korea Kido Associa-
tion. This association was granted the right to regulate and supervise the standards of teaching as well
as the promotion requirements of Black Belts in 31 different Korean martial arts. The first chairman
of this association was Choi Yong-Sool. It was, and still is, a public non-profit foundation registered
with the Korean Government and is recognized and has been give official mandate by the Ministry
of Education and Culture to disseminate Korean martial arts with the establishment of this associa-
tion and its first administrative elections Grandmaster Choi Young Sool was elected to the position
10
of Chairman and Lee Kyu Jin was elected as President.
In 1983 Grandmaster In Sun Seo was elected as President and has continued to serve in that
position since then. Grandmaster Seo’s history is well distinguished. In 1958 after researching and
training around Korea, with his brother Grandmaster In Hyuk Suh, they developed the comprehen-
sive Korean Martial Art of Kuk Sool Won. In 1961 they opened their first Dojang in Pusan and
established the Korean Kuk Sool Association with Grandmaster In Hyuk Suh as President. In 1974
he moved to the United States and formed the World Kuk Sul Federation. Grandmaster Seo then
assumed the responsibility of the Head master of the Korea Kuk Sool Association. In 1990
Grandmaster Seo established the World Kido Federation to provide a traditional governing body for
Korean martial arts throughout the world.

Combat Hapkido
Combat Hapkido is a style of Hapkido that was developed by Grandmaster John Pellegrini.
Grandmaster Pellegrini started his marital arts training at the age of 11 in Italy with Judo. Later he
studied Kung Fu and some jiu-jitsu. After moving to the United States, he received his First Degree
Black Belt in Shotokan Karate in California during 1971. He then moved to New York and switched
to Tae Kwon Do and he has remained in the Korean arts
ever since. Grandmaster Pellegrini considers Grandmaster
In-Sun Seo his teacher.
Over the last 30 plus years, Grandmaster Pellegrini
has studied and researched many aspects of martial arts
training. After many years of development and study,
Grandmaster Pellegrini, while remaining an active and
respected Master of Taekwondo, decided that Hapkido was
his art of choice. He felt that it was the most comprehensive
method of self-defense. Hapkido became the foundation
that Grandmaster Pellegrini modified in several areas to
fomulate and structure his own “style” of Hapkido.
In 1992, after ever-increasing demands from friends
and fellow martial artists, Grandmaster Pellegrini founded
the International Combat Hapkido Federation (ICHF). The
main purpose of the ICHF is to certify and standardize the
curriculum of Combat Hapkido. Since its inception, the
ICHF has experienced explosive growth within the United
States and 15 other countries and now hundreds of schools
are teaching the defensive system of Combat Hapkido.
Combat Hapkido is an eclectic martial art. It is a
system of practical self-defense based on the scientific
principles of Hapkido. Combat Hapkido contains no
Hyungs or Forms; it is 100% practical self-defense. Combat
Hapkido has no traditional fixed stances. There are no high
acrobatic kicks, all kicking is done at the solar plexus and
below. Combat Hapkido does not utilize bamboo sword, or
the fan. Combat Hapkido utilizes cane/umbrella, short
11
sticks, and rope/belt, as practical self-defense weapons. Combat Hapkido teaches the disarming of
weapons such as knives and handguns. Grandmaster Pellegrini has also recognized the fact that other
systems have good theories and techniques. In some instances he has studied these techniques and
theories and adapted them to fit into the Combat Hapkido matrix.
Most of the techniques in Combat Hapkido can be found in the curriculums of traditional
Hapkido, although the Combat Hapkido version may be slightly altered to fit with a modern under-
standing of personal protection. Combat Hapkido has a core curriculum of requirements that must
be learned. If a instructor finds there are techniques that they have used in the past or that they have
found on their own they are welcome to incorporate them into their curriculum. Combat Hapkido
is structured to be flexible and have the ability to grow as all truly effective systems must.
On March 27, 1999, history was made in Boca Raton, Florida. It was at this time that
Grandmaster In Sun Seo presented Combat Hapkido with the distinction of being an officially
recognized style of Hapkido and hence a “Kwan.” This unique honor made Combat Hapkido the
first Non-Korean Kwan of Hapkido to be accredited as an official Kwan of the Korean Kido Hae.

12
 Chapter Two
Foundational P rinciples
Principles
Combat Hapkido is often called the “Science of Self-Defense.” The research and study of its
principles and conceptual movements have helped make the understanding of self-defense more
systematic and thus easier to absorb. Grandmaster John Pellegrini and many of his high ranking
instructors have spent years researching and applying theories of self-defense and body dynamics.
That research has brought to Combat Hapkido its foundational principles.

The Thr ee F
Three oundational Theories of H
Foundational apkido
Hapkido

Many Combat Hapkido techniques are based on three foundational theories: Circle, Water,
and Coordination. These three philosophies and theories of movement are considered to be the root
of any Hapkido curriculum.

Circle
The circle is found in many places in the science of Combat Hapkido. The concept of rank is
based on a circle. A student begins their study knowing that they have much to learn. As they
progress they start feeling confident in their abilities. Eventually, a student reaches the rank of Black
Belt, a rank they once felt was very high. Those students who continue, find out that this rank is
really nothing special and that they still have more to learn. The truly great students realize that the
more they learn the more they have to learn. Ultimately a student realizes that he will always be
learning and that it is a never-ending circle.
Then there is the Circle of Personal Space. Every person has a imaginary zone of personal
space around them. Those they willingly allow enter this space varies from person to person. Any-
time a person enters your zone of personal space in an aggressive mode, you are allowed to defend
yourself; physically or non-physically as the situation calls for.
Additionally each individual has a Circle of Defense. This circle is in reference to the reach of
their defensive tools. In practice a defender must perceive the range of an attacker’s potential attack.
If the attacker is not in range to harm you very little is needed to protect yourself. We do not wish to
waste energy in defense of something that can not harm us. When attacks penetrate our Circle of
Defense we then can redirect the flow of the attack in a circular manner along another arc thus
dissipating the attack’s energy.
Many techniques in Combat Hapkido utilize a circular motion either in a horizontal, verti-
cal, or even a diagonal circle.

Water
Water is soft and adaptable, it never struggles with objects in its path. It instead joins with
obstacles and flows with the path that is presented for it. Water will adapt to its environment but it
never changes its own unique nature. This is an important lesson for mankind.
Hardness may be overcome by soft. Steel will eventually break under enough stress. Water,
on the other hand, may be made to separate, but will eventually be whole again.
In Combat Hapkido we should not meet force with force or anger with more anger. Instead
we should redirect the force and flow with it, thus taking the energy and dissipating it. An angry
13
person does not know how to deal with a person who is calm and friendly with them while they are
yelling and wasting energy in anger; they are confused and that removes some of their accuracy and
organization from their attack.

Coordination
In Combat Hapkido, it is essential that there be coordination of the mind, body, environ-
ment, technique and even the aggressor. After a student understands the movement and mechanics
of a technique, he must coordinate his mind into the movement, practice the technique so that no
thought has to go into the movement. When mind and body move as one during the technique then
an understanding of environmental usage is studied - Can the technique be used in a space the size of
a closet or does there need to be more room for footwork and movement? In self-defense you must
always be aware of your environment, for it is dangerous to do kicks on icy surfaces and ground
grappling is not smart in a gravel parking lot with lots of broken glass lying around. Another aspect
of coordination is working with the energy and movement given. Every movement is not perfect for
every situation. We must coordinate our body movements with those of our opponent.

B alance D isplacement
Displacement
It is always advantageous to break an opponent’s balance. This will put him off guard, and
allows you to throw the opponent or at least take them to a prone position. From here you can
situate yourself into the most optimum position for a control. It is almost impossible for your
attacker to kick or strike effectively if he is off balance and worried about falling.

How does balance work?

In order to break someone’s balance, you must first understand what balance is and how it
works. Balance is the body’s ability to maintain a stable position. For humans, this is typically an
upright position. Compared to most other animals, humans have very precarious balance, thus
making it relatively easy to unbalance us.
Balance is controlled by two parts of the body. The first component is that which senses the
movements of the body. The second is the part that attempts to compensate for any movement to
un-balance the body. These are the inner ear and brain respectively. Both of these things are located
in the head, and thus this is where we should focus.
Inside the inner ear is a set of tubes called the semi-lunar canals. These canals contain tiny
sensitive hairs that detect movements in the fluid that is contained in the canals. Because the canals
are oriented perpendicular to one another, they are able to sense movements of the body in all three
spatial dimensions. Once movement begins, the hairs send nerve impulses to the brain which then
works out where the body is moving adjusting any limbs to maintain balance. It is also worth noting
that most people also use their eyes to aid their balance. By looking at an object, they can attain a
visual horizon, which the brain also uses to aid in the sensing of movement upsetting the body’s
stable position.

Disrupting Balance
Disrupting balance is a matter of upsetting the body’s innate resistance to fall over. We know
that the parts of the body involved with balance (the inner ear, brain and eyes) are all located in the
head, and thus to control someone’s balance totally, you should aim to control their head. Confusing
the senses that give the body it’s ability to perceive the movement is the most obvious and direct
14
route.
Because the eyes are only used as an aid to balance; disrupting sight is not usually an effective
way to break a person’s balance. It is however, an excellent dis-orientation technique. Disrupting
vision is one of the scariest things that can be done to someone who has relied on their eyes for their
entire life. This panic sends the brain into ‘overload’, and can help distract the person from correct-
ing their balance.
The inner ear is located within the head, but the semi-lunar canals detect movement of the
head. Therefore to affect the canals, all that is necessary is to control the head. By twisting the head
so that all of the canals lie off their usual axes (i.e. twist the head in all three directions - back, side-
ways, and twisting), it is possible to disorient the brain by getting the canals to send unusual re-
sponses. Because it is only the head being moved and not the body as well, the brain trying to right
the head does so at the expense of throwing the body to the effective mercy of the Hapkido practitio-
ner.
The brain itself is quite difficult to affect directly, and so unless the heavy-handed method of
a ‘blow to the head with a blunt object’ is used, we must resort to assaulting the body’s senses.
It is also possible to break the balance of an opponent by moving the whole body. This is
rarely easy, as most opponents will resist any attempt to break the balance. In such a case it is neces-
sary to either use some strength to move the opponent, or use less strength and the opponent’s own
movement against his/her-self. This can be a bit tricky, but the movements tend to be simple. Some
examples of balance disruption that utilize the lower body are foot sweeps and leg trapping while to
utilize upper body balance disruption remember the simple phrase “When pulled push, when pushed
pull.” In order to improve your own balance one must have a understanding of the concept of
Tanjon or Center.

The Center
In many martial arts that
utilize Ki (Hapkido, Aikido, and Tai
Chi Chuan just to name a few)
there is a study of the Tanjon. The
Tanjon is located about one inch
below the naval. This is supposed to
be the location in which Ki (more
on this in the next chapter) flows
into the body and holds its greatest
concentration. In my teachings, I
have come to simply refer to it as
the Center. Maintaining your
Center is vital in the art of Combat
Hapkido for your Center is impor-
tant in aspects related to balance,
movement, and power.
In terms of balance, the
Center is all-important. When
moving you should try to maintain an alignment that places your mass over your center of gravity
and is therefore balanced. Notice in the above photo that the weight is well balanced over the sup-
15
port leg while kicking. Combat Hapkido does not encourage kicking above the solar plexus. There
are many reasons for this; one of them is the fact that as you kick higher you have a tendency to
adjust your weight and alignment to achieve the height, particularly if you have poor flexibility.
Because of this adjustment you will find yourself placing more weight off center and destabilizing
your balance thus placing you at risk for a takedown.
With regards to movement, if your weight is too much on your front or your rear leg, you are
limited in what direction you may move without telegraphing your intention. Combat and self-
defense are fluid and dynamic and the only constant is change. Therefore we must not commit
ourselves to a specific subset of movements or be forced to compromise our range of motion because
we failed to maintain alignment with our center. This will enable an attacker to take advantage of
our own movements.
In terms of power, our center is aligned with our hips and comes from utilizing hip move-
ments and bringing our entire body into the motion rather than just a limb. This power is called
whole body movement. In life, we make many judgement calls in regards to the amount of power
needed. For instance we only need to use the power of our fingers to pick up a fork. But try lifting
70 pound box with only your finger. The proper lifting of such an object utilizes the fingers, hand,
arm, and even the legs. In Hapkido we want to utilize the least amount of effort in self-defense. We
do this by complete usage of our bodies.

R elaxation
Relaxation does not mean limpness. It means, not producing unnecessary muscular tension and
thus expending energy without reason. Don’t divert your energy to fighting against yourself.
Rigidity is not strength. If your arm is grabbed and the attacker tries to lock up your arm to
control you and you fight this by flexing your muscles and tensing the arm you are actually hamper-
ing your own efforts and helping your opponent. The stiff muscles of your arm make it harder for
you to move but makes it easier for you opponent to move you. A concept that is important to keep
in mind is that just because and attacker controls a small part of you, i.e. your hand, he does not
control all of you. The focus here must be on relaxation. If you are relaxed, the rest of your body is
free to move. If you contract your muscles in an attempt to fight the aggressor - the hand is tensed
and connected to your tense arm, attached to a ridged body, supported by tight legs and a mind that
is fixated on the fact that your opponent is controlling your hand - then your opponent does indeed
control your whole body. A way to visualize this concept is to take a broom and push it across the
floor using only the end of the broomstick to push. It is not very difficult to sweep the floor this way.
Now replace the broomstick with a 4-foot piece of rope and then try to sweep the floor with the
broom. It is now very difficult to control the broom with the relaxed nature of the rope.
Physical strength relies on, and is limited by, the physical body. Eventually someone bigger
and stronger will come along, maybe today, maybe next year, maybe in 30 years. Hapkido allows you
to use the aggressor’s strength against him in addition to your own strength. This gives you a tremen-
dous advantage against a stronger and heavier opponent, pr proo vided that yyou
ou av oid a muscle con-
avoid
test
test. If you allow the confrontation to degrade into a wrestling match of strength, then you throw
away any advantage you may have.
Relaxation and softness are essential in self-defense. When doing techniques, the more you
feel like you are doing nothing difficult, the more likely you are doing the technique correctly.
Which brings us to the principle of Non-Resistance.

16
Principle of N on-r
Non-r esistance
on-resistance
To use your opponent’s strength and energy, you must blend with it and flow in the direction
that it is going. Blending is the best form of camouflage. The best way not to be noticed is not to go
out of your way to be conspicuous. This holds true in defense. When an attacker grabs and pulls us
the most obvious way of resisting is to pull back and fight him. First of all, this type of defense
violates the principle of relaxation and it turns into a tug of war where the stronger person is ulti-
mately going to win. Another way to resist, one that will often catch the attacker off guard, is to flow
with the attack. Thus, when he pulls you into him you go right towards him, careful of course, to
maintain your balance. This action will not be recognized immediately because it is not an expected
reaction.
An attacker can not push and pull with the same arm at the same time; so when you sud-
denly are pushing into him there will be no resistance to your counter movement. This also follows
the Law of Physics that states “For every action there is and equal and opposite reaction.” This law
allows the Combat Hapkido student to flow into various techniques based on the actions of the
attacker. No technique is performed in a static environment except in basic training in the dojang.
Techniques are performed in the living and fluid environment called “Combat.”

Touch SSensitivity
ensitivity
The greatest and most comprehensive sense of a human being is that of touch. The skin is an
organ that covers the entire body with nerves that detect movement, temperature and pressure. In
Combat Hapkido the sooner you are able to detect the movement of an opponent the better your
counter can be.
In a “Combat” situation (meaning that
complete avoidance of physical conflict is no longer
an option) it is very important, in my opinion, to
come into some form of physical contact as soon as
possible. This helps set up what I call the telegraph
system of the human body. For example, in the
photo on the left you will notice that I have evaded
an attack and have lightly placed a hand along the
opponent’s arm. This touching is not a grab,
therefore the attacker does not feel threatened by
this contact, since I am not attempting to control
him in any way. However, because of this contact if
he decides to continue his attack, I will be able to
detect his movement. Developing this skill takes
time. Train with a partner to develop the skill to
identify the movements. Place your hand in a
deflected position with your hand lightly touching
your partner’s arm. Focus on the feeling as your
partner begins to punch, strike, kick, or grab you in any way. The second level of this training is
done with your eyes closed (NNote: it is important that you trust your partner not to harm you.) As you
progress and are able to identify what the attack is and when it is coming, you may also begin to try
and intercept the attack while your eyes are still closed.

17
Pressure
Pressure is an important concept in self-defense techniques. By
utilizing the correct tool for attacking the body’s weak points (pressure
points) you can potentially increase the level of pain. We strive to place as
much energy into the smallest area possible. Such as when you place all
your weight on one foot and stand on a golf ball. This is uncomfortable
but will not damage the foot like it would if you stood on the pointed end
of a nail. In photo A. (on the right), you see a vertical punch to the stellate
ganglion (a nerve just above the nipple). While this strike is effective it is
even more effective when you utilize a strike that focuses your energy into
even a smaller area, such as a thumb strike as shown in photo B. A.

Potential and Kinetic Energy

There are two basic forms of energy in self-defense: Potential and
Kinetic. Every strike, kick, or joint manipulation begins from a state of
potential energy. The potential energy for any strike is based on the
chambering motion of the attacking vehicle (arm, hand, leg), the state of
relaxation the muscles are in, body position, and the mental state of the
defender.
The chambering motion affects the potential energy of an attack
by increasing the amount of inertia the attack may obtain. A backfist
strike can be accomplished with the hand only pulled back about halfway
to the body. However, it is even more forceful if the chamber pulls it all B.
the way back to the opposite shoulder and you even twist the body a little. This gives the backfist
even more potential energy due to momentum.
Relaxed muscles have a quicker reflex action, thus allowing fast muscle fibers the opportu-
nity to take advantage of chambering. Ridged flexed muscles hamper potential energy by slowing
the arm down.
Body position determines the most efficient movement from point A to point B. A cham-
bered and relaxed backfist will strike much more effectively if you move from the chambered
position straight into the attack without changing angles or moving in awkward positions.
Our mental state effects our potential energy by either aiding or hindering in our reflex
response. A mind that allows fear and anger to overcome it will make movements that are not as
efficient or powerful because the mind is not open to new ideas and movements that may come
available in the moment.
All of these factors come into determining the potential energy of an attack. The actual
power and force comes from Kinetic Energy, the energy in that is in movement.

These basic principles are applied to all body movement and mechanics of techniques.
Whether it is a hand strike, a kick, a deflection, a disengagement, a joint manipulation, throws, or
even pinning techniques. The aforementioned principles should be kept in mind throughout your
training in Combat Hapkido as they will make techniques more effective and efficient.

18
 Chapter Three
Ki
It is time now to take a look at a very controversial subject in the martial arts. A subject still
shrouded in mystery, esoteric philosophy and misunderstanding.
What is Ki?
Ki is a Korean/Japanese word typically defined as mind, spirit or heart. In oriental medicine
and martial arts, the word Ki (Qi or Chi in Chinese) refers to a subtle form of vital energy that
surrounds us, penetrates us, and holds the universe together. Ki
is a life force and a source of internal strength. Recently the
word has become common in Western usage.
The word Ki comes from the Chinese concept of Chi or
Qi. It was introduced to the west with the introduction of
acupuncture and Tai Chi Chuan. However, ancient Chinese
thoughts and philosophies are very alien to our western culture
and may not be the best way of understanding Ki.
Modern researchers have attempted to find tangible
evidence for the existence of Ki. Utilizing such things as infrared
and high-frequency magnetic field photography. These seem to
reveal an existence of a human aura. Patterns found in the skin
resistance to low voltage electricity seems to follow that of the
meridians taught in acupuncture that show Ki flow. However,
none of these tests have made an impact on the scientific
community.
It has always been easier to demonstrate Ki than to try to define it, measure or contain it. Ki
does operate on certain principles and its operation does leave physical traces that can be recognized.
I will offer here a brief explaination of these principles and their operation. But please bear in mind
that entire books have been written on this subject. To begin this discussion we should start with an
operational definition:

Ki is a universal energy, capable of infinite expansion and contraction, which can be directed, but
not contained by the mind.

Ki may not be perceived directly by your senses or measured by machinery. However, Ki is

not just a myth. It is a real force that can be intuitively perceived and mentally directed. Ki is vital to
our health, like water and air. And like water and air we rarely notice or appreciate its existence. Ki
and its free flowing quantity determins a healthy person from a sick person; the living from the dead.
Our Ki becomes weak when we forget our original natures. Science has often shown us that
we are a complete being with the mind and body working together to achieve our health. Despite
this, we often treat them as if they are separate entities. The best way to understand Ki and cultivate
it is in the uniting of the mind and body.
In 1993 I attended an Aikido seminar where I recieved the four basic principles of unifying

19
the mind and body. These principles have a direct application to all Aiki- derivative arts including
Combat Hapkido. Shihan Kôichi Tôhei developed these principles from the practice of Aikido under
the founder O-Sensei Morihei Ueshiba. Each of these general principles has five additional principles
that help bring a perspective to each of them. I am presenting them here in the hope to help the
readers gain a deeper understanding of Ki.

Four Basic Principles of Unifying Mind and Body

Mind and body are not exactly similar; nor are the entirely different. Our attitudes can affect
our health; while at the same time changes in our blood chemistry can affect our consciousness i.e.
blood sugar levels. Our body is a visible apparition of our mind. When we look at an iceberg, we
usually forget that a majority of it is below the water. In the same way many people measure a
person’s power by their physical strength. Once again because they can not see it they forget the
vastly greater power of the mind. Our true power lies in the coordination of mind, body and spirit.
This is the H ap in Hapkido. When we accept “as real” only that which is obvious, problems then
begin.

1. C alm and focus the mind at the center in the lo w er abdomen

low abdomen: The point of focus for the mind
is called the Center (as mentioned in an earlier chapter). The Center is located approximately 2
inches below the navel. However, the Center has no concrete definable point. Its position can
shift lower or even out of the constraints of the body when the upper body bends forwards or
backwards. Consider the Center to be a dynamic point of mental focus.

1.1. Find the place in the lower abdomen that you cannot feel: It is an old cliché that a person with
courage is said to have guts. To tighten the belt around your waist is to prepare oneself for
action. These expressions are misleading. They mistake a mental principle, that of keeping
your center, for a place to put physical strength. In reality, if your posture is correct, the
center is the place in your lower abdomen where you cannot flex a muscle. This calm focus
point is an intersection of the mind and body.
1.2. Don’t put any weight on the legs or feet: It is understood that the weight of the body does fall
on the feet, or whatever part is in contact with the earth. However, if you let this feeling
become conscious, you lose the sense of buoyancy which comes from relaxation. In a correct
posture, the weight of the upper body falls onto the Center. Gravity will keep the body’s
weight underside, while the centrifugal force of the earth’s rotation gives it a slight lift or
buoyancy. When pressed against the earth, most objects will rebound slightly as soon as the
pressure is released. Gravity is the stronger of the two forces, but if it dominates our
awareness then our weight tends to sag. When we have a bright and clear mind then our
body has a natural spring to it. Depression, anger, jealousy, and other so called dark
emotions can cause us to lose our center, producing fatigue and frustration.
1.3. Maintain a posture in which your breathing is calm and subtle: Labored breathing can occur
when you have lost your center. Sickness may produce it; as does losing your temper. Even
after running or exhaustive exercise, a calm centered mind will bring breathing back to
normal after only a few moments. When you have a calm mind your breathing is very
relaxed, so much so that other people will have a difficult task in perceiving one breath from
another.
20
 1.4. Maintain an attitude in which nothing disturbs your composure: Our center is like an ocean,
having the ability to accept all things without changing itself. While others around you
become panicked you will be able to maintain control by keeping yourself centered. Your
mental composure is reflected by a relaxed posture.
1.5. Keep calm so that you can release your full power at any time: Some people expend all their
energy in activity, others fail to even accumulate enough to begin with. Our center is a
conduit of great energy reserves and we may draw upon it without fear of depleting it.
When we are centered, and mind and body work together, we can see clearly and act
without wasted effort. This is the source of great physical strength that people use when
there is a great need in an emergency situation. However, we need not wait for a crisis. We
can coordinate our mind and body in any situation at any time.

2. Completely rrelease
elease all stress fr
stress om the body
from body: Complete relaxation should not result in a flaccid or
collapsed state as mentioned earlier. Incorrect forms of relaxation involve only the larger muscles
and result in a collapsed state where the organs and blood vessels are compressed by the
unsupported weight of the body. Releasing stress from the body makes it light and free from
unneeded tension or restriction.

2.1. Release all stress in the body, so that each part settles in its natural position: Excessive tension will
accumulate subconsciously, particularly in the shoulders. What ever it is we are doing
eventually we become aware of how tense we are. When you make a habit of storing tension,
you can become so stiff that even a massage or rest will not help you. Total relaxation by
making your muscles limp is not even a cure for this condition. A limp body only comes
from a limp mind. This will put undue pressure on the internal organs and restrict your
blood flow. Actual relaxation is only possible when each part of the body settles to its natural
position, not when the muscles are limp.
2.2. Relax positively, without collapsing or losing power: Exertion will naturally bring about fatigue.
Our body operates within its own physical limitations. Our mind is free of such restrictions.
It never needs to give into the fatigue of the body unless it gives up its leading role. A
positive attitude allows the body to rest and recuperate continually without losing any of its
strength or resilience. In the Navy there is a school called BUD/S (Basic Underwater
Demolition/Seal). During the sixth week of training recruits are put through an extremely
intensive training program commonly called Hell Week. During this week the average
amount of sleep is about four hours - for the whole week. The purpose of this week is to
push every person past the body’s point and test the leading power of the mind. The Navy
wants SEALs that can think past the body’s weakness and still function with a team. Anyone
can quit they have but to ring the bell and they can go home. Only by maintaining a the
goal of their training and having a positive outlook will a Seal Candidate make it through
Hell Week.
2.3. Maintain a posture which projects a sense of expansion: Many professional actors or athletes are
of an average build, but the great ones always seem to be bigger on the stage or on the
playing field. A skilled professional is very relaxed at what they do, even when they are
under pressure. Calm in the face of pressure makes people seem bigger than life. They exude
confidence and are often looked upon in clutch situations to perform.
21
 2.4. Be strong enough to be relaxed: The fact that relaxation is better is not argued, that relaxation
is stronger though takes special insight. A body that is tensed to resist is unstable, brittle,
and restricted in its movements. Raw muscular strength may move heavy objects, but it is
no guarantee for a healthy or happy life.
2.5. Maintain an attitude of non-dissension: It takes two to argue. Insecure people are always
looking for a way to position themselves ahead of others or are competing for attention.
Because they lack the ability to be centered in their life they find it difficult to relax and
accept things as they are. However, even though you may hold your tongue to prevent an
argument, when you clash with others in your mind you still build resistance and this will
show up as tension in your body. Compliance and timidity are not always answers either.
Timid people hide from conflict. A courageous person will remain calm and relaxed in the
face of conflict.

3. Let the w eight of ev

weight er
eryy par
ever partt of the body settle naturally at its lo
naturally loww est point
point:: Gravity keeps the
majority of the weight of any object at the objects’ lowest point. And, if an object is moving the
lowest point is not in a fixed location. If you place a golf ball inside a larger rolling ball, it will
roll freely in response to both gravity and centrifugal forces. When we resist our natural
disposition of weight in our own body movements, our weight will come upset on the inside.
When this happens a loss of stability, and in some cases dizziness, will result.

3.1. Maintain the most comfortable posture: Our most natural posture should be the most
comfortable one. However, the most common posture assumed for the sake of comfort or
relaxation is slouched and leaning against some form of support. Often, these comfortable
postures are quickly abandoned for another. Poor posture ultimately leads to health
problems. Any posture in which your mind and body are united in, is possible to be
maintained for prolonged periods of time, with minimal adjustment. The person that can
maintain good posture in the midst of vigorous movements can keep their weight
underneath them, moving with maximum control and grace.
3.2. Let your weight fall naturally so that it does not feel heavy: When you are conscious of your
weight it is most likely sagging, rather than falling naturally. There is no joy in a heavy head
or heart. When we favor an injury by limping, we become aware of the weight of our legs.
When we feel depressed, we often drag our feet.
3.3. Fully Extend your Ki: Extend your intention. This is your Ki. You cannot keep your weight
underneath you exclusively when you perform dynamic movements. It will also fall to the
outside as well. This is true for the smallest gesture and for the most strenuous motion.
Move your mind as you move your body.
3.4. Be quick and flexible in response to all circumstances: Be Prepared! It works for the Boy Scouts
and it can work for you. Completing even the smallest of actions with your fullest intention
is an excellent way to keep your body and mind centered. You need to focus and direct your
intentions in everything you do thus allowing centrifugal force to operate freely in your
body.
3.5. See and hear everything around you clearly: Notice the small things in life. When the breeze
stops blowing across the surface of a lake, the waves and ripples will slowly settle down and

22
 the surface will reflect everything clearly. The only thing you can do to make the water settle
is leave it alone. The weight of our body will do the same if we let it. Whether at rest or in
motion, our body has a natural tendency to settle down. In a calm state our senses are sharp
and quick to pick up subtle changes in our environment.

4. Extend Ki: Ki is free like air. It expands and fills space in every direction. It responds to our
mental direction. However, it is impossible to contain it. Physical objects present no resistance to
it, yet it has the power to move them. Ki seems to accelerate and flow more readily at certain
points in the body: the eyes, fingertips, the center. Because it freely travels, like light, to the end
of the universe, we can only be aware of it as it passes through us.

4.1. Maintain a posture in which you are unconscious of your body: When you are burdened with
mental or physical problems, you are all too conscious of your body. The best way to solve
those problems, whatever their nature, is to extend strong Ki. A hose which emits a strong
jet of water, not only flushes itself clean, but effectively prevents any object from entering
the nozzle.
4.2. Let centrifugal force have full play: Ki extension is under our direct conscious control,
centrifugal force is not. Even the smallest motion has centrifugal force. Yet, we are not even
conscious of the very powerful centrifugal forces operating on us all the time, such as that
produced by the earth’s revolution around the sun.
4.3. Show kindness in your face, eyes, and voice: People with strong Ki do not use it to take
advantage of others but instead use it to help whenever possible. People are naturally drawn
to those with a strong spirit and composed manner.
4.4. Show composure in your posture: Ki should not be mistaken for excitement, or wild energetic
behavior. In many sports, as well as the martial arts, a relaxed body is capable of generating
more power that one which is clenched or tight. Because you are free of anxiety you can be
composed
4.5. Enjoy what you do without anxiety over results: The spirit is only free when it is self-directed;
not when it is a puppet of other people or circumstances. The body can remain calm
because it has no need to prove itself. If the mind can clearly direct itself, it can do what
needs to be done with faith in a positive outcome.

B r eathing
Breathing is the basis of life, as Mr. Miyagi said in the Movie “Karate Kid II” “No breath –
no life.” In ancient times, martial arts masters would have their warrior students work on these
entire deep breathing meditative exercises. It was thought that these mystical exercises allowed these
warriors to run longer, faster, and recover more quickly. There is no mystery to this. It is not some
mystical process but basic science. In the simplest terms: The more oxygen you get into your lungs,
the more oxygen will get into your blood, and hence the effectiveness of your muscles will be
improved. By having a well oxygenated blood supply, the muscles are provided with more nutrients
than a person who has not learned to regulate their breathing. Also, this same system helps remove
the toxins faster allowing for faster recovery times.
Why is it important to discuss breathing? It’s natural right? Everybody breaths? Well, today
23
“CORRECT HEALTHY BREATHING” is rare. Incorrect breathing actually strains the muscles of the
neck and torso. This in turn traps nerves, which produce side effects such as dizziness, headaches,
arm and chest pain, or numb fingers. Breath control is considered to be very important in many
disciplines – singing, yoga, golf, and martial arts – just to name a few. Breathing is the first step in
learning how to control a situation. For how can you expect to control an aggressive situation if you
can not even control your own breathing?
Oxygen is the fuel that drives many of our body’s processes. An abundant supply of oxygen is
essential in retaining vitality, combating disease, and regenerating the body.
Most people in today’s world no longer use their lungs to the fullest potential. The reason is
simple: inadequate and shallow breathing, caused by a lack of mind and body unification. The
average person takes about 16 to 20 breaths per minute, filling the lungs to about 400 cubic
centimeter capacity. Yet when we utilize Ki breathing only one breath per minute is taken and we fill
the lungs to between 5,000 and 8,000 cubic centimeter capacity. We now breath 18 times slower and
12 to 20 times the capacity we now ensure an ample supply of oxygen and subsequent release of
carbon dioxide.
In a square millimeter of subcutaneous tissue there are nearly 2,000 capillaries, all of which
are open and circulating blood during Ki breathing, hard labor, and exercise. Yet in a state of rest,
typically only 5 of these capillaries contain blood. This “state of rest” is really mislabeled, because
most people in this state involves a state of collapsation. The large muscles are flaccid, but the deep
tissues are full of tension because of inadequate support and poor weight distribution. The red blood
cell has a diameter about four times that of a capillary, so it must be squeezed through the thousands
of miles of this micro-blood vessels. This is all accomplished by hydraulic pressure, making one
complete cycle around the body in about 20 seconds. Let us consider Oxygen as an essential
nutrient. In order to fully oxygenate and detoxify the blood, each inhalation should require at least
25 seconds, with the same time for each exhalation, this is about a breath per minute. Proper
breathing allows you to intake more oxygen and expels more carbon dioxide than is possible during
improper breathing. You can practice breathing anywhere and anytime. Whether you are walking,
driving, working, or reading. Whenever you practice breathing it is important to be comfortable.
A perception that I have found that is strong in the martial arts community is that you
breathe out “STRONG” and inhale “weak”. It is one of the reasons for the powerful exhalation of
breath and sound (kihap). I see this to be different and think you should strive for strength
throughout the breathing cycle.
Before we begin some breathing exercises lets take some time to have a baseline for
observation. Take a look at your breathing NOW and notice the following:
- The flow of air into and out of your lungs.
- How the air feels in your nostrils, your, mouth, throat. The sound and feeling it makes in your
head and chest.
- How far down does your breath go in your body?
- Can you pay attention to your breathing and still let it happen automatically?
- Any patterns to partial, incomplete, skipped or forced breathing?
- How long can you extend an inhalation or an exhalation?
- Can you exhale or hold your breath at will? Whether your lungs are full, empty or partially full.

Begin Ki breathing by practicing for 5 minutes at a time, working up to 10 or 20 minutes. Work

towards a goal of a minimum of 30 minutes. This practice should ideally be at the same time each
24
day.
1. Neutral position
position: sit in a comfortable position with your
lower back curved in. Lean slightly forward. Place your mind
on your Center. Take a full breath, then…
2. E xhalation
xhalation: Exhale slowly, through your mouth. Use a soft
Haaaaa sound. This helps control the flow of breath with the
back of the tongue. Try to make the exhalation last 8 seconds
or more. When you can exhale no more, bend slightly forward
from the Center. This compresses the diaphragm and allows
you to exhale any remaining air.
3. Neutral position
position: For 5 seconds focus on your Center. When
out of air, imagine that you are still exhaling, and that breath
and Ki are extending out to the ends of the universe and
beyond, but curving into a return path.
4. I nhalation
nhalation: For a time that equals the exhalation, inhale by
closing your mouth and breathing through your nose. When
you can inhale no more, lean back slightly from your Center.
This expands the diaphragm and allows you to take in a bit
more air.
5. Neutral position
position: For 5 seconds Concentrate on your Center,
imagine that you are still drawing in breath and Ki, that these
are circling around your Center, gradually curving into a path
from which it will travel out.

I recommend that you perform this breathing cycle at least

ten times before beginning martial arts practice. In addition, it
may be performed anytime you feel a need to focus your mind or
relax your body. This practice will help uncover the location of
your Tanjon or Center.
But it is not enough to simply fill our lungs to capacity
through deep Ki Breathing. If the capillaries are largely closed off
due to excess tension, then deep breathing has little meaning. The
very effort to inhale massive amounts of air can cause the whole
body to become tense.
An exercise that helps develop Ki breath and unify it with
body movement is called Ki Nok Ki. This Ki exercise starts from a
balanced position with your legs at shoulder width. Inhale deeply and
focus your energy into the Tanjon. At the same time, spread your legs
out to a double shoulder width position, and lower your weight.
Visualize your energy flowing from your Tanjon up through your
torso down your arms and out your fingertips. When your arms reach
full extension then breath out any excess air and bring your hands
down to your Tanjon. The object is to focus your intent and energy
through your arms while maintaining balance and keeping your arms
relaxed yet forceful. Ki Nok Ki has four directions: front, side, up,
25
and down.

When doing any Ki breathing exercise remember these prinicples:

1. Don’t let the air leak out, but exhale with purpose and control.
2. Exhale with a quiet, but steady “Hah…” sound.
3. Ki continues on forever where the exhalation leaves off.
4. Draw in the breath from beyond the tip of the nose until the whole body is saturated with the breath.
5. Ki disappears into the center where the inhalation leaves off.

Grandmaster In Sun Seo

26
 Chapter Four
S elf-D efense
elf-Defense
In my 20 years of martial arts study I have visited many schools and practiced with many
different instructors. What I have found is that almost all schools claim to teach “self-defense.”
However, what most of these schools are teaching is not self-defense. Often they just teach methods
of winning trophies, some even go as far as trying to produce Olympic Champions. A few schools
teach methods of combat that are so ancient in philosophy that they are not effective in today’s
violent world. I have seen instructors teaching concepts that are supposedly to be used for self-
defense but in all actuality they are unlawful acts. And most disturbing are the instructors who subtly
will get you seriously injured or worse.

According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary self-defense is: “The act of defending oneself, one’s
property, or a close relative.”

That’s it. It does not mention tournaments or retribution. Self-defense is nothing more than
the act of protecting oneself, or one’s family, friends or one’s home and property. Nowhere is it
mentioned that there is a need to cause an attacker serious bodily injuryby repeatedly striking an
attacker as he is attempting to flee, or any other acts of retribution which will land him in the hospi-
tal and you in jail.
Combat Hapkido is often referred to as the “Science of Self-Defense.” As a Science it is based
on proven principles and theories. Grandmaster Pellegrini and other instructors of the International
Combat Hapkido Federation have spent over thirty years researching and testing various teaching
methodologies and modes of practicing self-defense so as to root out myths, legends, and poorly-
designed techniques which can result in more harm to the defender than to the attacker.

The Process of Self-defense is complexingly simple. There are four stages to the self-defense
process: perception, evaluation, decision, and reaction. The first stage, perception, is sensorial in
nature. Before any defense can be attempted an individual must perceive a threat. This can be
through the sense of sight (see a punch coming at you), sound (threats and screams directed at you),
touch (someone grabs you in an inappropriate manner), and even intuition, the so-called sixth sense
(something just doesn’t feel right). The second stage takes the perceived threat and analyzes it. What
is the speed and angle of attack, and what are the variables that may effect the threat, such as the
environment. This moves us into the third stage - Decision. A decision is made as to what the most
appropriate method of diffusing this threat is. The second and third stages are very mental in nature.
The fourth and final stage is the reaction stage. It is here that the decision made is put into use by
using the action or motion of a specific defense or neutralization.
The goal of your training is to produce these four stages in a manner that is so fast as to seem
non-existent. With this criteria in mind, a process of defense can be qualified as effective or ineffec-
tive. An effective process proceeds smoothly and ends in an effective neutralization of a threat. The
ineffective process can exhibit faulty perception, bad decisions, inaccurate evaluation, or an ineffec-
tive reaction and does not end in an effective neutralization.
In the advanced stages of training the process is so relaxed and instantaneous there seems to
27
be no evaluation of the attack. By becoming an extremely adept self-defense practitioner your process
of analysis and defense is so smooth that from the point of view of a bystander it may even seem like
you read the aggressor’s mind.
What about the beginning student? When the beginner is practicing there will be a slight
hesitation between attack and response. What causes this hesitation can be attributed to various
factors. Insecurity or unfamiliarity with the technique being practiced are common factors in prac-
tice. The important aspect for the beginning student is to try to remain calm and relaxed. Thus, the
elimination of panic as the source of hesitation is accomplished in training. By training against
simulated attacks and different scenarios we reduce the level of anxiety that often accompanies an
attack. Since the student is exposed to a specific scenario and becomes familiar with more responses
the student is less likely to subcome to panic. After a student learns to relax and remain calm, a
student must train to reduce the lag time from perception to the evaluation and decision
stages. This is accomplished by practicing various techniques in a cooperative manner with a partner
that understands the autonomics of body responses. Do not let your ego get in the way. Work
cooperative to better understand the intricate nature of an attack, defense, and counter-attack. By
doing this, a beginning student can develop a strong arsenal of self-defense techniques to choose
from. This, of course, is helpful in the evaluation of the attack. Over time, the student becomes more
confident in the ability to quickly perceive the type of attack being used against him. This is accom-
plished with the repetitious use of a specific attack. Continuous practice will lead to a superior
evaluation and decision process.
Combat Hapkido has many techniques that are very effective but as with all fighting systems,
timing, accuracy and proper execution are essential. A scientifically sound technique will not work if
its attempted too late or too early. A perfectly timed response may not be effective if the technique is
executed incorrectly. It is also important to note that even unscientifically sound techniques may
prove to be effective occasionally. This can be due to weaknesses in the attacker’s physical or psycho-
logical development and should not be counted on to every self-defense situation of a similar nature.
The reaction phase is different for beginning students as well. Student must keep in mind
that no technique is going to be perfect the first time. It takes time to train the body to move in
unfamiliar directions, and utilize certain parts of your anatomy as weapons against an aggressor.
Students even have to learn how much force is needed. The most important point is to relax and do
not become tense while developing your Hapkido skills.
As you progress in your studies, you will realize that the interferences that cause delays in the
defense process can be categorized as internal or external. The internal interferences are the ones
coming from your mind. Fear, nervousness, second guessing, loss of focus and concentration. The
external interferences are the ones coming from your attacker, or the surrounding environment, i.e.
sounds, scents, movements. Even the weather can affect the process of self-defense.

28
Self-defense Techniques
The number and variety of techniques and tactics that can be utilized for self-defense is
infinite. Techniques vary in complexity from only one simple movement that causes the attacker no
harm, up to complex techniques that include an assortment of strikes, kicks, joint manipulations, or
chokes that can be lethal. The simple reality is that there are only a limited number of strikes, kicks
and joint locks. But those can be combined into an unlimited defensive array of techniques.

In the course of my training and teaching I have made it a point that all students understand the
following four rules of self-defense training :

1. Keep It Simple and Straightforward. (The K.I.S.S. Principle)

2. Punish your bodies in practice, For the more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in reality.
3. Allow for multiple outcomes, Mr. Murphy (of Murphy’s Law Fame) loves to mess with all people.
Not all defenses will go as planned or practiced. Be flexible in your applications. Better yet train for
failures to occur
4. Remember the most important of all rules of self-defense; There are no rules! Win at all costs!
Losing is not an option!

Many martial arts schools have a very rigid method of teaching self-defense. Each self-defense
technique taught must have its own number. That way, martial artists can say, “ At black belt level in
our school, you have to know such and such number of different techniques.” Great! This is a very
easy method of teaching self-defense and it works really well come evaluation time, but it can lull
you into a false sense of security. Effective self-defense is not about how many different techniques
you know, it is about how well you know the concepts behind them! For what are you going to do if
an attacker doesn’t attack in one of the prescribed methods?
When talking about self-defense, most of us think of a whole series of movements. We see
some form of movement designed to place you in a balanced position; some type of movement
intended to deflect an attack; and some type of counter strike(s). Let’s consider at the moment only
the various individual movements that make up these series and their purposes. Regardless of how
simple or how complex a self-defense technique is, it can always be broken down into different parts.
While it is true that sometimes these parts occur simultaneously or might have more than one
purpose, at their most basic level, there will always be a single basic function they must accomplish if
the technique is to work. Another important point is that of martial arts styles (systems). Although
the movements of Combat Hapkido may look very different from those of Japanese Karate for
instance, they all have share certain foundations of scientific principles. As a matter of fact it has
been my experience that while the methods and techniques taught in different systems may at first
appear drastically different, at the higher levels the arts become more similar than you thought
possible in the beginning.
Another important aspect is that of realism. When practicing self-defense, it is important to
practice safety. There should not be excess contact or uncontrolled twisting of joints. However, to
insure that your training is realistic, you should react as if a strike has landed or pressure has been
applied to a joint. This realistic reaction will help your partner see what the effects of his techniques
will be. It will also allow him to properly judge the effectiveness of the techniques, thus giving him

29
the options of other follow-ups and finishes. This is called body autonomics.
Always keep your physical limitations in mind. We each have strengths and weaknesses that
are unique to ourselves. Although your skills will improve with practice, there are some techniques
that are just not suited for everyone to use. These will become apparent as you are training. If a
technique calls for more physical strength, dexterity, or speed than you have, it is not effective for
you at that time. If it calls for more strength, dexterity, or speed than the majority of people have,
then it is not realistic. When studying methods and techniques if something is not effective for you
at first, do not discard it immediately. Work on it, practice it and train yourself to improve you body
so you will have the skills needed to make the technique effective. However, discard unrealistic
techniques. Techniques requiring extraordinary strength, speed, or dexterity are not realistic for
anybody. Occasionally an instructor may give a student a technique that is not effective for everyone
but is effective for some because of their special strength, speed, or dexterity. As a student, remember
to keep an open mind and trust in your instructor when a technique is not given to you for develop-
ment. Invest in your development and you will be surprised.
Having broken all self-defense series into their individual movements to analyze them. I have
determined that there are basically five separate stages of martial arts techniques as they relate to self-
defense.

1. Evasion
2. Deflection
3. Distraction
4. Counters
5. Final actions (finishing)

FIRST STAGE - EVASION

Evasion is the act of moving yourself out of the range and/or path of an attack. Simply put,
evasion is nothing more than not being there. There are basically eight angles of evasion: forward,
backward, left, right, forward left, forward right, backward left, and backward right. When you
evade an attack you will use one of these eight angles your attacker might come at you with anything
ranging from an empty hand, a foot, a knife, or even a gun. In order to know which angle to evade
to, you will need to know where the attack is coming from and what type of attack is being used.
There is a limited number of ways that he can attack you, and also a limited number of directions he
can attack you from. There are two primary modes of attack: LINEAR and CIRCULAR. Linear
attacks travel in straight lines from point of origin to point of contact. A jab or a downward club
attack, a bullet from a gun, a front kick are all linear attacks. All upward swings, downward swings,
and thrusts are linear attacks. Circular attacks travel in arcs from point of origin to
point of impact. Roundhouse kicks, outward and inward knifehand strikes, horizontal knife and club
swings, crescent kicks, and the famous “Punch from Missouri” are all circular attacks. It is important
to know which type of attack you are dealing with as that knowledge helps you determine what type
of defense you will use.
How do we evade. Very important to this decision is the question of what you will do after
you have evaded. Kick him? Punch him? Run for your life? There are five basic ranges involved in
evasion. Each range has it’s own place in your training and your initial reaction. You can evade in
such a way to place yourself in an optimum distance for one of these actions. Each range has it own
30
advantages and disadvantages.

1. Escape range - out of range of each other without moving closer

By evading away from the attack and giving yourself some room you can try to escape further
attacks by running away.
2. Kicking range - distance from leg locked out to leg coiled
Utilizing evasive movements you can move within range of your leg (kicking) weapons. From
here you can counterattack utilizing the strength inherent to the leg. Also if the attacker has no
kicking skills then he is not in range to hurt you without moving closer first. Provided he has no
weapons.

3. Punching range - arms length away

You can also move into closer range to utilize the arm and hand striking capabilities of Combat
Hapkido.

4. Trapping range - this range bridges and connects ranges 3 and 5.

As you strike and are blocked you may trap and cause your opponent to tie himself up in his own
body motions. While this range is highly versatile it is also very dangerous.

5. Grappling range - body to body contact

Moving in to direct body to body contact, which then allows you to make use of trips, sweeps,
throws, and balance breaking techniques.

Every evasive movement will fall into one of these ranges. Know what range you are in
because some techniques will not work if you are too close or too far away.
Perhaps the most important thing to remember about evasion is timing. Timing is all-
important; if you evade too soon, your attacker can still alter his attack and hit you anyway. If you
evade too late, well you obviously get hit before you can move. The key to successful evasion is to
move at the last moment possible; after the attack has been launched, but before it arrives.

SECOND STAGE - DEFLECTION

Although deflections can be combined with a strike to cause harm to an attacker (for ex-
ample, a split entry with a hook punch to the biceps), the least you need to do to be successful is to
prevent the attacking tool from reaching you. This can be accomplished by jamming the attack
before it can generate sufficient energy or by redirecting the energy before it reaches you.
It is important at this juncture to make clear that the Combat Hapkido system does not
contain, teach or advocate any kind of traditional “Hard Blocks.” It is the opinion of the founder
that at close quarters it is virtually impossible to block (stop) a sudden vicious strike with a hard,
tense reaction movement. For the defender, the only hope to not getting hit is by keeping relaxed,
fluid (like water) and to react with explosive speed by using a combination of evasion/deflection/
check/trap movement. Thus, stepping to the side of a punch and directing it away from you is much
better than standing still and pushing it away from you or just stepping to the side.
Deflections can often be used for more than a single purpose. If you use a hard, fast forearm
strike to the inner part of the attacker’s arm to deflect his punch, you will not only move his arm
31
away from you, but will probably also numb his hand and cause pain in his arm. Sidestepping an
incoming sidekick and performing a scooping deflection to the leg is another dual-purpose deflec-
tion. This will not only direct his leg away from hitting you; it will also probably throw him onto the
ground.

THIRD STAGE - DISTRACTION

Distraction is an aspect in self-defense often ignored by some martial arts schools and stu-
dents. In order to optimize many self-defense techniques, the defender must find a quick, simple way
to slow down the attacker and change the center of his focus. This is the purpose of distraction.
Distractions cause a temporary interruption in the thought process of an attacker. They do not cause
long-term injury but they do cause pain, enough to cause a short-term breakdown of internal com-
munication. Distractions should not use full force. Distractions only last a few seconds at most, cause
bruises and sore muscles at worst, and can be apologized for easily in the event you misinterpreted
the events and found that you were not being attacked.
Sometimes contact is not even necessary for distractions to work. As an example, let your
training partner step forward and punch at you, as he begins his attack, side-step slightly and kick
towards his groin. If he is like most people, he will move his hips back to avoid the kick. Another
example: at the first sign that your partner is going to even begin his attack, yell as loud as you can.
The effects may not be as explosive a strike, but he will be distracted nonetheless.

FOURTH STAGE - COUNTERS

The fourth stage of self-defense, counters, is what most people consider self-defense. This is
not always the case. Occasionally, it will be possible to evade the attack and escape. Counters are best
defined as ”controlling the attacker.” The first three levels - Evasion, Deflection, and Distraction - do
not always stop the attacker from continuing the attack. They also do not enable you to control his
movements until you can decide what to do with him. Counters allow you to wrest control away
from the attacker. Despite the perception, “control” does not always mean a restraining hold. A
strike to the temple that causes disorientation is also a form of control. Spraining a joint or bruising a
muscle so that the attacker can not use a limb is also a form of control. The point of counters is to
stop your attacker’s initial attack and to prevent him from continuing to be a threat. Counters fall
into three broad categories: ballistic, flowing and controlling. Often, one leads to the other. Ballistic
counters are those which require the impact of a weapon (hand, foot, elbow, knee or stick) against a
part of your attacker’s body. Ballistic techniques control through the use of pain, numbness, inability
to move a body-part, restricted breathing or disorientation.
Flowing techniques rely on the use of momentum. Flowing techniques include sweeps,
throws and takedowns. Throws and takedowns are similar in that they both use the attacker’s mo-
mentum and/or a joint manipulation to subdue him. Where as throws simply require you to perform
the technique, secure a grip, and let him land where gravity takes him, takedowns require you to
perform the technique and maintain constant control over his motion throughout the technique.
Controlling techniques often involve the use of a joint manipulation technique, a hold, or a
choke to gain control over your attacker. The goal of a joint manipulation is to turn a joint in such a
manner as to cause pain, numbness, or unconsciousness to subdue your attacker. Struggling against
your manipulation will cause them such pain that they will change and cooperate. Holds place the
32
attacker in such a position that he cannot generate enough leverage and/or strength to get away.
Violent resistance on the part of an attacker can lead to the dislocation or the breaking of the
controlled joint.

FIFTH STAGE - FINAL MEASURES

The fifth and last stage of self-defense is “final measures.” As its name implies, these are the
last elements in a self-defense situation. Once you have successfully evaded or have stopped the
initial attack you must insure that he will not attempt to attack you when you let him go. The
finishing techniques found at this stage are usually a continuation of techniques begun in the earlier
stages. If you have evaded and deflected your attacker’s punch, distracted him and then have applied
a joint manipulation takedown, it is fairly simple to now apply a finishing hold that will pin him to
the ground until you are sure that you are safe. Depending on the circumstances of the attack, you
may choose to use a passive-restraint hold, a joint manipulation, a ground pin, sometimes a restrain-
ing device (such as handcuffs), a bone-break or a choke to subdue your attacker. How severe the
attack, how many attackers are involved, time, place, and if any weapons are used will greatly affect
what your final measures need to be.
As a martial artist, you need to develop the ability to analyze an attack and determine the
least amount of force you can use and still be effective. The moral and legal aim in self-defense is to
try to cause as little bodily harm as possible. Self-defense does not have to involve causing death
or severe bodily injury. It is our responsibility as martial artists to understand the techniques, their
proper applications, the results, and their consequences. A good rule of thumb is: Use only the
amount of force that is necessary to stop an attack. If it is possible for you to evade an attack and
then run, do so. What if you are attacked by three gang members with knives while walking with
your wife down a dark street? Of course the situation is different if you are attacked by a friend who
has misunderstood something you said and is angry.
Always remember that any self-defense situation can become deadly. Your attacker may strike
you with the intent of knocking some sense into you but may use too much force and kill you. In
response to an attack, you might accidentally use too much force in a strike and accidentally kill your
attacker. By studying self-defense according to the five stages of self-defense, you will have a proper
understanding of how techniques work and will be able to properly react to a situation.

33
Grandmaster John Pellegrini, Founder of Combat Hapkido

34
 Chapter Five
Preliminaries
Clothing
Every school makes its own decisions in regards to what uniform is worn by its students.
Many schools that teach Combat Hapkido allow their students to wear comfortable pants and t-
shirts as well as lightweight martial arts shoes. Whatever the uniform students are expected to main-
tain a high degree of hygiene in respect to their clothes and bodies.
Warm Ups and Stretching
Combat Hapkido puts many demands upon the body. To help avoid injury it is very impor-
tant to include a proper warm-up and stretching routine before practice. Entire books have been
written on the topic of stretching and the proper and improper ways of stretching. I will briefly cover
some important aspects of warming up and stretching and show you some basic stretches.

What is warming up?

Warming up is exactly what it sounds like. It is the process of increasing the blood flow and
muscle temperature, respiration, and heart rate. This helps guard against muscle, tendon and liga-
ment strains.
Every practice should begin with 10 to 15 minutes of warm up? Warming up your body
before exercising has many benefits that help you achieve you highest potential.
The following are some warm up exercises that I use in my classes:

1. 50 Jumping Jacks
2. 50 Squat Thrusts
3. 50 Windmills
4. 30 Push-ups
5. 30 Sit-ups
Stretching
The stretching part of the warm up helps reduce soreness and risk of injury, while at the same
time increasing the range of motion around the joints. Do not use old-fashioned bobbing and
bouncing movements (known as ballistic stretching) to stretch.
Some important guidelines to follow:
Warm-up before stretching
Stretch to the point of discomfort (NOT PAIN)
Hold each stretch for 15 to 30 seconds
Avoid bouncing movements

On the following pages you will find a sample of the stretching exercises that I teach to my students
to prepare their bodies for the rigors of practice.

35
 Triceps Stretch Shoulder Stretch Neck Stretch

Side Stretch Quad Stretch

Modified Hurdler Stretch Cobra Stretch Mad Cat Stretch

36
Gooseneck Stretch Upward Wrist Stretch Z-Lock Wrist Stretch

L Stretch Thumb Stretch Finger Stretch

37
Developmental Training

Combat Hapkido is
very complete. It involves
many aspects of Combat:
Kicking, Striking, Deflection,
Controlling, Grappling,
Throwing and even Basic
Weapons. Because of its
overall complete nature it is
important to develop the
whole body.
As a reminder note
that all photographs are read
right to left, top to bottom

A B

C D

Breaking Balance Drill

Several of the techniques in
Combat Hapkido involve this
motion. With practice, you
will develop the footwork
needed to improve the speed
in which you execute these
techniques.

Begin with one of your legs

back, step forward while at the
same time raise your arms up
and above your head. Con-
tinue your motion by stepping
your other leg behind and
around the first one while
bringing your arms down and
around to their original
position.

38
Crouched Walk
The crouched walk (duck walk) will help develop leg muscles which will improve kicking strength.
It will also help develop balance in a crouched position. Remember to keep your back straight and
your hand behind your back, do not lean forward and try not to use your hand to keep balance.

39
Rabbit Hop
The rabbit hop helps strengthen and condition the ankle. By developing a strong ankle the chances
of spraining it are reduced. From a couched position, the student moves forward by means of the
flexion of the ankle. Try to avoid the common mistake of using the leg muscles to assist in the hop
motion.

40
Slide Step
The Slide Step will increase flexibility and strengthen the legs. Start from a squat position. Extend
one leg out to the side, while maintaining a squat position. Shift your weight from one leg to the
other while maintaining the same level. Finally, bring your feet together.

Finger Closing
Finger closing is easy to practice, and can be done practically everywhere. To practice, hold out your
hand with your fingers pointing up and simply close your fingers as if you were grasping at some-
thing, until your fingers touch the center of your palm, then open your hand immediately. When
your first start doing this exercise try for about 100 repetitions in 30 seconds. Over time increase the
repetitions. The record for our school at the time of publishing is 450 in 30 seconds.

Finger Waving
The practice of finger waving trains the base of the fingers. In finger waving Training you bend your
fingers forward one after another, except for your thumb, and then straighten them one after the
other immediately. Make sure to practice starting with the index finger and the little finger so you
can do it in either direction.

41
Picking up Coins
Having quick fingers alone will not help your grabbing techniques effective. You must develop
coordination between your arm and fingers. An excellent method of developing this coordination is
to lay several (about fifty) coins out on a table. Each of these coins must be within reach of your
hand when it is fully extended. Reach out and pick up a coin and place it in your other hand. Repeat
until all coins are gathered. The object is to pick them up as fast as you can. This not only develops
you fingers and arms, but also your focus.

Spring Grabbing
In ancient times many martial artists develop grasping power by
grabbing the upper part of a Y-shaped branch. Today you can
buy a spring in a sporting goods store, which serves the same
purpose.

Finger Push-ups
Push-ups on your fingers are an excellent method of developing finger strength. There are two basic
methods of push-ups, one develops muscle strength and the other develops muscular endurance.

Type one starts with 20 repetitions and increasing the number of repetitions daily. When you get to
50 try doing them without using the little finger. Repeat the process until you can do 50 repetitions
then remove the ring finger from the equation, then the middle finger and finally the index finger
and you are only using the thumb.

To improve endurance, bend your arms to bring yourself in the down push-ups position and hold.
Try to hold for upwards of a minute.

Wrist Coil Weight Lifting

An excellent method of developing wrist strength is to take a wooden stick about 1-½ inches in
diameter and drill a hole in the middle. Tie a rope through the hole to the stick and the other end to
a weight (start with 10 lbs.) Start turning the stick to lift the weight up towards the stick. It is impor-
tant to have your arms extended so you only use your wrists. When the weight is at its upward limit,
reverse the process so the weight goes back down. Try for 20 repetitions before increasing the weight.

42
 Chapter SSix
ix
Foundational SSkills
kills
Foundational SSkills
kills
All self-defense relies on basic foundational skills not mystical and miraculous knowledge.
These skills are stances, blocks, strikes, kicks, vital point anatomy, and the knowledge of falling and
rolling.

Combat SStances
tances
Every technique relies on a strong foundational stance. Stances create the firm grounding
from which strong attacks are launched. Stances are also very important to the execution of fast agile
movement. However stances should not be fixed.
In actual fighting, the stance of the fighters is in a constant state of flux. While there may be
specific stances in the craziness of the action it is almost impossible to identify them in the flurry.
There are endless combinations of transitional movements as the fighters move for the most advanta-
geous positions.
For this reason Combat Hapkido does not utilize formal fixed/static traditional stances in
practice. Combat is about flow and movement. It is never static. Therefore our method utilizes what
is commonly known as the small-bent knee-phasic stance as its main combat stance. Combat Hap-
kido does reference its transitional stances however. We use these
stances as a reference point so we can describe movement during
a technique.
Combat P
Prreparator
atoryy SStance
eparator tance
The combat preparatory stance is used to prepare for
self-defense when you know that there is a definite possibility of
an confrontation with someone that is acting aggressive towards
you. The hands are held up in a non-threatening manner (hand
open not in fists) and are near the face. One leg is in front of the
other with the knee slightly bent. This stance should be short,
yet feel well balanced. This way the student is mobile yet stable.
It is important to note that the elbows are in close to the body,
not out away from the body.
Cr ossed A
Arr m P
Prrepar ator
atoryy SStance
eparator tance
The crossed arm preparatory stance is sometimes called the
interview stance and is commonly taught to law enforcement
personnel. With one leg slightly forward of the other have the same arm as the front leg crossed over
the back arm. We can use this arm while talking for gestures or in the event of an attack we can use it
to deflect or attack.

43
 For war
orwar
wardd SStance
tance
The forward stance utilizes the rear leg to push
off the ground to gain energy for the attack. The
front leg is still bent to stabilize the knee. Ideally
the hips and toes are focused towards the front.
This stance is accomplished by moving from the
combat preparatory stance with your front leg
while pushing off the back foot.

B ack SStance
tance
The back stance is a defensive stance that moves
the body away from an attack. About 70% of the
weight is on the back leg. To accomplish the
back stance move your back leg to the rear from
the combat preparatory stance while pushing
back with your front foot.

44
C at SStance
tance
The cat stance is a defensive stance that drastically
moves the body away from an attack. It is com-
monly used to move the lower body away from an
attack. About 90% of the body’s weight is on the
back leg.

Horse SStance
tance
The horse stance is a very stable stance. It lowers
your center of gravity by bending your knees.
Weight is evenly distributed. A good use for this
stance is when we need to lower our weight
during a throw.

45
D eflections
Deflections are at the heart of self-defense, for without them we would get hit. While we may
utilize both arms and legs for deflections, the arms are the most widely used. The arm basically has 2
positions opened and closed. The movements of the arm are all that is needed to protect oneself
from an attack. What must be developed is an understanding of how these basic movements may be
used to deflect an attack away from our body.

O pening M
Moo v ements
Opening movements involve moving the arm away from your centerline to deflect an attack and are
practical when the attack comes outside the centerline.

Opening High*
When an attack comes towards the high section
of the body (tip of head to about chin), just
open your arm in an upward motion, intercept-
ing the attack between the elbow and the wrist,
although deflections with the flat of the hand
(palm) are possible.

Opening Middle
When an attacks comes towards the midsection
(anywhere from the chin down to approximately
the solar plexus level), an opening of the arms in
a direct to the side motion is appropriate. Once
again, strive to intercept the attack along the
forearm between the wrist and elbow, although
deflections with the hand are still possible.

46
Opening Low
When an attack comes towards the low section
(anywhere from the solar plexus to groin level),
an opening of the arms in a downward and to the
side motion is appropriate. Once again, strive to
intercept the attack along the forearm between
the wrist and elbow, although deflections with the
hand are still possible.

Closing Movements
Closing movements are practical when the attack comes on the inside of an arm, thus making an
closing movement practical as well as effective.

Close High/Middle
When an attack comes towards the high or mid-
section of the body (tip of head to about solar
plexus), just close your arm across your center
line, intercepting the attack between the elbow
and the wrist, although deflections with the flat
of the hand (palm) are possible.

47
 Close Downward
When an attack comes towards the low section
of the body (solar plexus to groin), just close
your arm in across you centerline with you palm
towards your centerline, intercepting the attack
between the elbow and the wrist, although
deflections with the flat of the hand (palm) is
possible.

Close Downward Variant

When an attack comes towards the low section
of the body (solar plexus to groin), just close
your arm in across you centerline with you palm
facing away from your centerline, intercepting
the attack between the elbow and the wrist along
the soft muscle tissues of the forearm.

48
Strikes
Our arms and hands are versatile tools that we utilize every day. They also make very effective
defensive weapons. The following is a visual representation of the various strikes that are practiced in
Combat Hapkido.

Ver tical P
ertical unch
Punch
The vertical punch is very similar to a traditional
martial arts punch, however the vertical punch
does not twist over. Due to the structure of the
hand the vertical punch is actually a much more
stable strike than the traditional martial arts
punch.

M ain Targets: solar plexus, ribs, face

Palmheel SStrike
trike
The palmheel is a much safer strike than a fist.
The palmheel utilizes the soft muscular tissue
that is located at the base of the hand near the
wrist.

M ain Targets: chin, nose, solar plexus, forehead,

ribs, most any hard surfaced target of the body.

49
Knifehand SStrike
trike
The knifehand strike uses the snapping force used
by the shoulder and the elbow when it twists over
at the last possible second. There are three varia-
tions: Inside, outside and downward

M ain Target: neck, temple, ribs, biceps, elbow,

and rear of knee.

B ackfist
The backfist utilizes the back of the first two
knuckles of the fist. It has 3 variants: straight,
circular and spinning.

M ain Targets: jaw, nose, temple, ear, neck, and

deltoids.

Tiger mouth
igermouth
The tigermouth is very useful to strike an area then
immediately grasp it after the impact to pinch.

M ain Targets: throat, biceps, and pectorals.

50
Hammer fist
ammerfist
The hammerfist utilizes the soft muscle tissues on
the small finger side of the hand as an attack
surface. It has three main variations: Inside, outside
and downward much the same way as a knifehand.

M ain Targets: jaw, ribs, face, kidneys, groin, thigh,

and spine.

Tiger Claw (Face R

(Face ake)
Rake)
The tiger claw may be used to strike or scratching.
It utilizes the finger tips, thus requiring developing
the strength of the fingertips.

M ain Targets
argets: front of the face (mainly the eyes
and nose), neck, pectorals.

S pear hand
pearhand
The spearhand is an excellent attacking tool. Like
the tiger claw it too requires much time strengthen-
ing the finger tips.

M ain Targets: eyes, throat, neck, solar plexus, groin

51
E lbo
lboww SStrikes
trikes
The elbow is an effective weapon in close range fighting. It can strike from different angles and
delivers a powerful strike since it relies on the motion of the hips.

M ain Targets: jaw, ribs, thigh, face, chin, solar plexus, spine, and collar bone

52
Index Knuckle Punch
Punch
The index knuckle punch is very useful but at the
same time difficult to use. It helps deliver a forceful
strike into a small area. However much condition-
ing must be done to the hand to develop finger
strength.

M ain Targets: nipple, between ribs, temple, neck,

almost all soft tissue targets.

M iddle Knuckle Punch

Punch
Same effectiveness as index punch, however some
people find the middle knuckle punch more stable.

M ain Targets: same as index knuckle punch

O x JJaw
aw SStrike
trike
The ox jaw strike uses the back and top of the wrist
to inflict damage. Bending the wrist forward exposes
the area.

M ain Targets: groin, neck, nose, and ribs

53
Ki SStrike
trike
With your hand “alive” striking is done with the
entire hand. A conscious effort is made to send
your energy through your hand.

M ain Targets: jaw, chin, nose, chest, ribs, and

kidneys.

Thumb Knuckle SStrike

trike
The thumb knuckle is formed by making a fist
then bringing the thumb along side the index
finger and reinforcing the bend of the thumb.

M ain Targets: temple, neck, between ribs

Thumb SStrike
trike
The thumb strike utilizes the tip of the thumb as a
striking instrument.

M ain Targets: solar plexus, ribs, brachial plexus,

neck, hip flexors, groin, and most soft body tissues.

54
Kicks
One of the most devastating and offensive skills of a Hapkido practitioner is that of kicking.
By utilizing the longer reach and stronger muscles of the leg, we can help level the playing field
against a stronger aggressor. Combat Hapkido has a devastating arsenal of kicking techniques. These
kicking techniques are very similar in nature to those of Taekwondo. However, Combat Hapkido
kicks are all performed at the Solar Plexus level or below.

Fr ont SSnap
nap Kick
The front snap kick is executed by bringing the
knee up, directing the knee at the target location.
Then, extend the leg until the ball of the foot
makes contact with the target and drives trough
it. It is then important to pull the leg back
immediately.

M ain Targets
argets: solar plexus, groin, common
peroneal, hip flexors, knee, and shin.

Scoop Kick
The scoop kick is executed like you are kicking a
soccer ball. Bring you foot along the ground and
bring the insole of the foot to the target.

M ain Targets
argets: shin, knee.

55
B ack Kick
The back kick is used to attack targets behind you.
This kick uses the heel of the foot.

M ain Targets
argets: groin, solar plexus, ribs, knees, shin
and hip flexors.

R oundhouse Kick
The roundhouse kick is a circular kick. The leg is
brought up with the knee bent and pointed to-
wards the target. Unlike the front snap kick, the
hips are turned over instead of facing directly
forward. Snap the leg around and strike the target
with the ball of your foot.

M ain Targets
argets: solar plexus, sciatic nerve, peroneal
nerve, femoral nerve, groin, and knee

S ide Kick
The side utilizes the outer blade of the heel of the
foot. It is similar to the roundhouse kick except
that it moves in a linear
M ain Targets
argets: shin, knee, peroneal nerve, and ribs.

56
Ax
Axee Kick
The axe kick utilizes the heel of the foot. It is
performed in a downward motion, like using and
axe to chop wood. In the photo, the axe kick is
used after bending the opponent over with a
combination of a joint lock and front kick to the
stomach.

M ain Targets
argets: head, back, sternum, elbow, knee,
etc.

Slap Kick
The slap kick is performed by lifting the kicking leg with the foot towards the centerline and the
knee pointing toward the target. The leg is then snapped outward towards the target. Utilize the
ball of the foot or the instep.

M ain Targets: solar plexus, groin, femoral nerve.

57
Hook Kick
The hook kick uses the heel to its target. The line of motion makes it look like a roundhouse in
reverse. Bring your leg out and pull your heel back towards your hips.

M ain Targets
argets: solar plexus, knee, spine and kidneys

Knee Kicks
Knee kicks use the stable knee joint to inflict damage to an aggressive opponent. This enables the
defender to utilize the strength in the legs at close range. There are two varieties, front and side. The
front knee kick brings the leg straight up, while the roundhouse knee kick utilizes a pivot of the
body, as if using a roundhouse kick.

58
Impact Principles
In this chapter we have shown you the various striking and kicking techniques of Combat
Hapkido. These techniques rely on a strong knowledge of human anatomy to be truly effective. To
that end, I would like to present the most commonly used pressure/vital points and some basic
principles of their usage.
Human Target Points
Familiarize yourself with the most commonly used pressure points used as targets in all
martial arts. Be able to identify and locate them. Also you should learn how and why they are used in
self-defense or first aid.
Knowledge of the vital points and their location is of vital importance. Most techniques that
fail do so because the application of the technique or the pressure point was missed. Every point has
a specific purpose and causes a specific reaction, but only when applied correctly.
It is essential to strike the opponent’s vital points effectively in a hand-to-hand struggle. It is
important to be able to employ effective striking principles if you are to emerge alive from a poten-
tially deadly situation.

A ttitude
ttitude: Proper mental attitude is of vital importance in the ability defend yourself. In close com-
bat, you must have the attitude that you will defeat the attacker and no matter what “Survive.” You
must survive above all else; the prospect of losing can not even be considered. You must commit
yourself to hitting the opponent continuously with whatever it takes to drive them to the ground or
end their resistance. “Thump and Dump him!”

F luid SStrike
trike
trike: A strike should be delivered so that the target is hit and the weapon used to hit remains
in contact for at least a tenth of a second. This imparts all of the kinetic energy of the strike. All
strikes to vital points and nerves should be delivered with this principle in mind. “Hit and Stick!”

Target SSelection
election
election: Strikes should be targeted at vital areas and nerve points. The results of effective
strikes cause temporary mental stunning and
motor dysfunction. Mental stunning results when
the brain is momentarily disoriented by over
stimulation from too much input. Sometimes a
successful strike causes unconsciousness. A
successful strike also renders affected body parts
immovable by causing muscle spasms or dysfunc-
tion due to nerve overload.
Major Pressure Points
The body is basically divided into 3 basic sec-
tions: High, Middle, and Low. Each of these
sections contains vital targets with various effects.

High Section Strikes

Strikes to this area are the most dangerous.

59
1. Coronal Suture (Top of Head) - The skull is fragile where the frontal Bones meet. A forceful
strike causes trauma to the cranium cavity, this results in unconsciousness and hemorrhage
(bleeding). A severe strike can be fatal.
2. Trigeminal Nerve & Frontal Bone – A strong blow here can cause whiplash; a severe blow can
cause cerebral hemorrhage and death.
3. Temple & Fossa Temporalis – The bones of the skull are very fragile at the temple, and there is
an artery and large nerve lying close to the skin. Strong strikes can cause unconsciousness and
concussions. If the artery is ruptured, the resulting hemorrhage can cause coma or death.
4. Eyes – Slight jabs in the eyes cause watering of the eyes and blurred vision. A strong poke can
cause blindness temporarily, or the eys may be gouged out. If the fingers penetrate far enough,
through the thin bones behind the eyes and into the brain, death may result.
5. Ears – Strikes to the ears with cupped hands may rupture the eardrum and cause a concussion.
6. Septal Cartilege – Any blow to the nose may cause extreme pain and eye watering.
7. Anterior Nasal Spine (Under the nose) – A blow to this nerve center, which is close to the sur-
face, may cause great pain and tearing of the eyes.
8. Temporomandibular Joint (Jaw) – A blow here can break or dislocate the jaw. If the facial nerve
is pinched against the lower jaw, one side of the face will be paralyzed.
9. Tip of the mandible (chin) – Blows here can cause paralysis, mild concussion, and unconscious-
ness. The jawbone itself acts as a lever that transmits the force of the blow to the back of brain
where cardiac and respiratory functions are controlled.
10. Mastoid (Back of ears & base of skull) – Moderate blows can cause unconsciousness because of
the jarring effect on the back of the brain. Powerful blows may cause concussion, brain hemor-
rhage and death.
11. Anterior Neck Region (Throat) – Powerful strikes may cause death by crushing the windpipe.
Strong blows cause extreme pain, gagging or vomiting.
12. Sternocleidomastoid Region (Side of Neck) – A sharp blow to the side of the neck causes uncon-
sciousness by shocking the carotid artery, jugular vein, and vagus nerve. The best effect comes
from focusing the strike below and slightly in front of the ear. Weaker blows cause involuntary
muscle spasms and pain. The side of the neck is
one of the best targets to use to stop an oppo-
nent fast.
13. Cervical Vertebrae (back of neck) – Powerful
blows here may cause whiplash, concussion, or
even a broken neck and death.
M iddle SSection
ection
From shoulders to the area just above the hips.
Most blows in this section are not fatal but have
serious complications ranging from internal organ
trauma to spinal cord injury.

1. Suprastranal Notch – Locate at the base of the

neck just above the sternum; pressure to this
notch may distract and take away balance.
60
 Pressure from the fingers being jabbed into the notch inflicts pain that causes an opponent to
move away from the pressure involuntarily.
2. Suprascapular nerve – This is located where the trapezius muscle meets the side of the neck.
Strikes to this point inflict pain, temporary dysfunction of the effected arm and hand, and
mental stunning for three to seven seconds.
3. Brachial Plexus Tie-In (Front of shoulder muscle) – A large bundle of nerves passes in front of
the shoulder joint. Forceful blows cause extreme pain and may make the whole arm ineffective, if
the nerves are struck just right.
4. Clavical (Collerbone) – Blows to the clavical may fracture it causing pain and making the arm on
the side of the fracture useless. This fracture may also sever the brachial nerve or subclavian
artery.
5. Armpit – A large nerve lies close to the skin in each armpit. Blows to this nerve cause sever pain
and partial paralysis. A blade inserted into the armpit is deadly because it severs a major artery
that leads from the heart.
6. Thoracic vertebrae (spine) – Blows to the spinal column may severe the spinal cord, which may
result in paralysis or death.
7. Stellate Ganglion (nipple) – A large network of nerves passes near the skin at the nipples. A blow
here may cause pain and hemorrhage to the many blood vessels beneath. Just above the nipple is
the stellate Ganglion. A severe strike to this ganglion can cause high level stunning, breathing
dysfunction, and possible unconsciousness.
8. Sternum (heart) – A blow to the heart area can stun an opponent and allow time for a follow up
attack or finishing technique.
9. Solar Plexus – This is a center for nerves that control the cardio-respiratory system. Blows here
are painful, and may take the breath away. Forceful blows can cause unconsciousness by shocking
the nerve center. Penetrating blows may also damage internal organs.
10. Diaphragm – Blows to the lower front of the ribs can cause the diaphragm and other muscles
that cause breathing to relax. This will cause a loss of breath and may result in unconsciousness
because of respiratory failure.
11. Floating Ribs – Floating ribs may be easily broken because they are not attached to the ribcage.
Fractured ribs on the right side may cause injury to the liver while fractures on either side may
puncture or collapse a lung.
12. Kidney – Strong blows to the kidneys can bring about shock and may cause internal injury to
these organs. A stab to the kidney induces instant shock and may cause death from severe inter-
nal bleeding.
13. Sciatic Nerve – There is a sciatic nerve just above each buttock but below the belt line. Strong
strikes here can disable both legs and possibly cause respiratory failure. The sciatic nerve is the
largest nerve in the body, besides the spinal cord. Striking it can effect the whole body – espe-
cially if an impact weapon is used, such as a baton.
14. Lower abdomen - a powerful blow to the area below the navel and above the groin may cause
shock, unconsciousness, and internal bleeding.
15. Biceps – Strikes to the biceps are very painful and renders the arm ineffective. The biceps is a
good target when an opponent holds a weapon.
16. Radial Nerve (forearm muscle) – The Radial Nerve, which controls much of the movement in
the hand, passes over the forearm bone (radius) just below the elbow. Strikes to the radial nerve
can render the hand and arm ineffective.
61
17. Back of hand – The backs of the hands are very sensitive. Nerves pass over the bones in the hand.
Because of this strikes here are very painful. The small bones of the hand are also easily broken.
Lo
Loww SSection
ection
Includes everything from the Groin to the feet. Strikes to this area are seldom fatal, but they can
incapacitate.

1. Groin – Moderate blows to the groin can incapacitate an opponent and cause tremendous pain.
Powerful blows can cause unconsciousness and shock.
2. Outside of thigh (Common Peroneal) – The peroneal nerve is on the outside of the thigh about
4 fingers above the knee. Severe strikes can collapse the leg and induce intense pain. This will
also have a mental stunning effect for about seven seconds. This point is an excellent method of
dropping an opponent quickly.
3. Inside of thigh (Femoral nerve) – This nerve is in the center of the inside of the thigh. Striking
the femoral nerve may cause temporary dysfunction of the leg, intense pain, and mental stun-
ning for three to seven seconds.
4. Hamstring – Severe strikes to the hamstring can cause muscle spasms and reduce mobility.
5. Knee – The knee is a major supporting structure in the body. Damage to the knee is very detri-
mental. The knee is easily dislocated when struck at an opposing angle to the joint’s normal
range of motion (especially when it is bearing weight).
6. Calf – Strong blows to the calf causes muscle spasms and reduces mobility.
7. Shin – Medium blows to the shin produce pain, especially blows with hard objects. Forceful
blows may fracture the bone that supports much of the body weight
8. Achilles tendon – Forceful strikes to the Achilles tendon on the back of the heel may cause ankle
sprain and dislocation of the foot. If the tendon is torn the opponent will be incapacitated.
9. Ankle – Blows to the ankle cause pain, if forceful enough the ankle may be sprained or broken.
10. Instep – The small bones of the foot are easily
broken. Strikes here will reduce the
mobility of an op- ponent.

62
Lead versus Cross
In all kicks and strikes, you have available the use of the lead arm/leg and the cross arm/leg. Regard-
less of which you use, it is vital to remember to utilize your hips and body in generating power.
To improve you chances of actually striking an opponent with your attacks, students must become
familiar with basic footwork. This will allow you to move closer or further away from an attacker
while at the same time setting up your own attacks.

Footwork Examples
1. Step
The simplest of the footwork is just plain stepping; just like when you are walking. It works
whether you step forwards or backwards. In the example below, a simple step forward brings the
opponent into range of a low hook punch.

63
2. Lunge
A little more complex than simple stepping is the lunge. It is often seen in the art of fencing.
Simply take your lead leg and step deeply in a forward direction while allowing the rear leg to
catch up to the body. In the following example the defender lunges forward and to the inside
while executing an low vertical punch to the solar plexus.

3. Crossover
The crossover is a method of closing distance or evasion. Simply take your back leg and cross it
over your front leg as you either move forward or to the side.

64
4. Side
The side step is utilized by simply moving from you initial position by taking a step with the leg
that represents the direction you are going, i.e. use your left leg to side step left. To help insure
that you evade an attack you can utilize a deflection along with the footwork.

5. Pivots
The pivot step is utilized by rotating on the foot of one leg while the other leg steps around, i.e.
to pivot left move the right foot behind the left and pivot around the left foot.

65
Choi Yong Sool, Founder of Hapkido

66
 Chapter Seven
Tumbling and Falling
Falling
If you begin Combat Hapkido training for self-defense, you probably see falling as a waste of
time or think of it as only a way of warming up the body. I think falling is the most important and
most applicable self-defense technique that I teach my students. Not many of my students get into
fights or conflicts, but every one of them has had to deal with ice, wet grass, stairs, curbs, and wet
floors and other obstacles that are slippery. Regardless of the reasons, they all fall and falling is very
dangerous. People die every day from falling, Consider the following statistics on accidental deaths
as compiled by the National Safety Council in 1996.
No. of
Deaths Due To: Deaths
Motor vehicles 43,300
Falls 14,100
Poisoning (solids, liquids) 9,800
Drowning 3,900
Fires & Burns 3,200
Firearms 1,400
Poison gases 800

As you can see more people in the United States die each year from falling than from drown-
ing, carbon monoxide poisoning, fire, and firearms combined. Although these are the more popular
media favorites and hence hear or read about them on a much more regular basis.
Every year people are sent to drivers education, gun safety classes and swimming lessons.
There are smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in most buildings. We have life, health, home and
car insurance. Yet many people do not take the time to learn to fall and roll safely.
In “real life on the street action”, the most common falling injury that occurs is from people
trying to stop their falls and breaking the wrist or elbow instead. Many of these falls happen at home
(a nightmare place to be statistically speaking) on wet floors, in the bathtub, on ladders or stairs.
With many different circumstances. The ability to fall with safety is the most important self-defense
technique in any ones arsenal, in my humble opinion. How and why does proper falling work? Dr.
Wendy Gunther explains in this excerpt from “Aikido: Exercises for Teaching and Training” by C.M.
Shifflett.
The Physics of Falling
- By Dr. Wendy Gunther

“Falling down” is equivalent to being hit, slugged, punched, or shot at by the ground moving at the
acceleration of gravity. Whether you are hit by the ground or by a bullet, the wounding energy is
proportional to:

mass (m) multiplied by velocity (v) squared

divided by the time (t) it takes for the wounding surface to contact you ,
and also divided by the area (a) of the wounding surface.

67
In symbols, this is expressed as:
Wounding energy = mv2 / ta

Hence wounding energy decreases if we can increase time and area.

I ncr easing Time

ncreasing
If I take a bullet and touch it slowly to your skin, you aren’t wounded because the marked
reduction in velocity means a marked increase in t. During falls, you slow down the contact by
rolling into it or slapping the mat with your arm like a spring. Even a fraction of second of increase
in t significantly reduces wounding energy.

I ncr easing Ar
ncreasing ea
Area
Suppose I take the same bullet and hammer it into a huge flat sheet of lead and fire it at you
(in a vacuum where there’s no air friction) with the same velocity (v) as a bullet leaving the muzzle of
a gun.
The bullet will wrap itself as a flattened surface over your skin (with an area of say 720 square
inches). You are extremely unlikely to be wounded simply because of the increase in area (a). Wound-
ing energy is extremely low. In contract, if this area through which the kinetic energy is being trans-
ferred is reduced to the size of your chin, say 2 square inches, wounding energy is high.
To recap, the larger the mass and the higher the velocity of the oncoming object, the more
dangerous the situation. The larger the area and time of contact, the safer the situation. We usually
can’t change our mass or velocity, but we can increase time and the surface area of contact with the
oncoming mass, mat, sidewalk, or planet. The means of doing so are the skills of falling (Nakbub)

The curriculum of Falling

I have talked to many of our affiliated Combat Hapkido Instructors and students and have
found that the one area that is most linked to student dropout is rolling and falling. Many instruc-
tors know that falling is of vital importance to safety, both in and out of the training hall. However,
because it is the pain involved in learning to fall that causes students to leave, compromises are made.
Falling practice has often become a quick warm-up or not even practiced at all. Many instructors
that do teach falling basically show a beautiful roll while giving some basic instructions on hand and
foot placement and tucking the head for protection. Then they tell you to practice. The fact that
students get injured shoulders and headaches and an increased attrition rate just goes to show how
effective this method is. I myself had this problem with teaching falls. I could do them so well
myself, but I could only give general advice and then just tell them to practice. Students loved
everything about my classes, except falling.
I then went to a Aikido seminar in my area, and lo’ and behold was this 80 year old woman
doing beautiful falls and rolls. I had found out that she had only begun taking Aikido only 4 months
ago and she developed no injuries during her learning process. She attributed this to her study on a
slow progression that was taught by her instructor.
After this seminar, I began to implement this progression with my Taekwondo classes (they
rarely fall at all). Students were actually beginning to learn to fall without fear or injury. Students
were in charge of their own progress, moving on only when they felt they were ready. There is far too
much to learn in Combat Hapkido and there is no need to force students to learn all the falls right in
68
the first day. Granted, sometimes a student that may have already experience rolling and falling in
some other discipline such as gymnastics or wrestling. These students should not be held back and
you should challenge them.
Falling should be learned in a careful and methodical manner, not by the “school of hard
falls” method. In my classes I teach falling in the following manner:

1. Lullaby Roll
This is the easiest of the falls. Begin by sitting in a cross legged position and rock back.
Make sure to relax the back and make it curved. Do not let it flatten or else you will
pancake your rocking motion. Keep you head tucked and look at your stomach. Then
rock forward, returning to your original sitting position.

2. Lullaby Roll coming up to knee

This is similar to the previous roll. However, this time instead of just sitting in our
original position when we come back we come up with one leg tucked and the other leg
comes forward at an angle that does not exceed 90 degrees. We do this by pushing off
with the tucked leg. Do not use your hands.

69
3. Small Back Roll
Small Back Rolls allow the student to practice the full back roll without having to worry
about the height of the fall. Start from a kneeling position. (In this case right knee up).
Have your other leg at a oblique angle to your body. If your back is straight back, it will
prevent you from completing the roll. Look at your opposite armpit, rock back and sit
down just past your mat leg, while at the same time take your up knee and throw it over
the same side shoulder (in this case your right). When your hips go over your body
continue your momentum by pushing the ground with your right arm. As you near the
end of the roll, bring your right leg forward to your original starting position.

4. Roll Back into Standing

This is the same as the small back roll except keep your left leg as close to your hip girdle
as possible. Push up, keeping your leg tucked.

5. Ball Roll
Judoka Mike Swain begins by teaching his children and adult students how to fall using a
PhysioBall (2’ Diameter for children / 3’ diameter for adults) with a partner as spotter.
Lie on the ball with the falling arm out in front. Make sure your head is turned and
looking at your opposite armpit; tucked against the ball as much as possible. The Spotter
holds the legs from the side – keep support on the back and the head. Begin to slowly
70
 roll forward by pushing on the legs until partner has rolled over. Donon’’t let yyour partner
our par tner
dump onto their back!
6. Small Forward Rolls
Using the above falls as preparation, the student is ready for small forward rolls. If you
want, have a spotter note any problems in your fall, such as your back not being round
but flat.

7. Standing Rolls
Standing rolls come as the student progresses from the small rolls. Basically standing rolls
are exactly the same as small rolls, just lightly drop your body first, try not to avoid a
traumatic landing by making contact lightly with the ground, thus reducing the chance
for injury.

71
Breakfalls
When you have enough momentum and space, you want to utilize rolls because they help you get
back onto your feet. However, sometime situations require that you decrease the wounding energy
by simply increasing the area of impact. That is the purpose of breakfalls. Our goal is to spread the
energy out in a way as not to harm the body. We do this by bringing as much of the body into
contact with the earth at the same time. We do not wish to have any one point absorb the fall – such
as elbows, hands, heel, shoulder, chin or the small of the back.

1. Prone Back Fall

The basic back breakfall begins by learning how to spread out the energy. Lay down on
your back, tuck your head to look at your stomach. Cross your arms in front of your
face. Now slap your hands down onto the ground at about a 45 degree angle to your
body. Make sure you use your palm to slap. Hitting the back of your hand to the ground
tends to break the small bones in your hand.

2. Squatting Back Fall

The squatting fall is the same, except we start in a squat, sit down on our butt and roll
back – slapping the ground as we hit the ground.

3. Standing Back Fall

Very similar from squatting . We just drop our body down (sit down) first while we roll back
– slapping the ground.

72
4. Rolling Side Falls*
This is a beginning exercise used heavily in Judo. This will allow you to feel a breakfall
and learn correct positioning of the arms, legs and head.
a. Lie on your back and keep your chin in a tucked position.
b. Roll to one side, slap the mat strongly with the flat of that arm and palm.
c. Roll to the other side, slap the mat strongly with the flat of that arm and palm.

5. Assisted Side Falls

This is an excellent step up to learning your breakfalls. This allows you to learn at your
own pace while allowing you to experience the feeling of an actual breakfall, but with
more control over the height.
a. Get on your hands and knees.
b. Your partner reaches under you and grabs your opposite arm.
c. Partner pulls are toward themselves thus flipping you into a breakfall.

73
6. Forward Roll Outs
Start with a standard forward roll, but end with a breakfall instead of coming up into a
standing position.

7. One Arm forward dive fall

Sometimes you will be falling forward and have one of your arms held (as in Saw Arm)
This means that you have to break your fall with one arm only while spreading your
impact out with the other arm. Remember to turn your head to the side else, you may be
setting a broken nose later.

74
 Chapter Eight
Finger Techniques

The fingers are the most important

weapons for both you and your opponent. For
without your fingers you can not grasp. When
the use of the fingers is lost, the ability to fight is
greatly lost. For this reason, finger breaking and
locking techniques have been developed.
There are both advantages and disadvan-
tages to using finger techniques:

A dv antages
dvantages
1. It is effective. No matter how big or
strong a person is, once the fingers are
locked correctly, only slight force is
needed to control someone.
2. It is fast. You can often control the
aggressor before he even senses what
has happened.

D isadv antages
isadvantages
1. Opportunities for the techniques are
rare. Finger techniques are more easily
applied when the hand is open. However, most people have closed fists in
confrontations.
2. If the intention is sensed before control is gained, escape is not difficult.
3. Techniques are harder to learn. Our opponent is not going to stand still while you open
his hand and use a finger lock on him. Unfortunately, you will have no idea what your
opponent is going to do. Because of this, you must select an effective technique, execute
it quickly, smoothly and skilfully.

Finger techniques are most often used when someone is trying to grab you. This is because
the hands must be open before they can grasp you or your clothing.

Finger Techniques
I will now discuss various finger techniques, breaking it down into categories. Each category
will have similar techniques involved. This way once you learn the first technique the others will be
easier to understand. I would like to point out that the key to comprehending Combat Hapkido is to
understand its principles and the keys to the techniques, not the techniques themselves. I do not
encourage a step by step formal approach to learning techniques. If you understand the principle
behind a technique then you will find that many other similar techniques become understood. I
75
encourage students to experiment with principles and find their own methods of approaching
techniques. For example I may only present one method of a control, but there may be at least 4 if
not more ways of approaching it. Also an approach I show for one technique, you might find useful
for another technique.
In an earlier chapter I discussed principles in displacing bones and in dividing the muscle/
tendon. Before continuing you should first understand the structure of the fingers, especially the
joints. Finger joints consist of bones, ligaments, cartilage, tendons, and muscles. As can be seen in
the diagram on the previous page there are not a lot of muscles or tendons in the fingers. When
pressure is applied to the fingers it is the tearing of the ligaments and cartilage that causes pain.
Remember this is a characteristic of the displacement of bone theory. Most finger controls fall into
this category, while a few do fall into the divide muscle/tendon category.
In finger techniques, there are only two angles that are effective for controls: backward, and
sideward. I have found that if you are trying to displace the bones of the hand, then the backwards
motion is more effective. The sideward motion is more effective when applying the division of
muscles and tendons. However, the sideward motion is easier to escape from. I would also like to
mention that separating techniques into these two categories is difficult, since most techniques
involve them both in some way or another.
On the following pages you will find finger-locking techniques. As a reminder all photo-
graphs are presented right to left, top to bottom such as follows:

A B

C D

76
F inger P
Prress

The finger press technique is executed mainly when an opponent tries to grab you, since their hand
will usually be open. Grasp one or more fingers, then press forward with your hand pointing your Ki
finger towards the earth. To help ensure that your opponent is less able to continue an attack, bring
them down until their elbow touches the ground.

77
F inger R aise
Raise

The finger raise technique is similar to the finger press. When your opponent reaches to grab you,
grab one or more fingers with the mirror hand, then rotate the hand towards the outside until the
opponent’s fingers are pointed downward. Press the fingers forward and raise them up. To decrease
the chances of a counter attack, make sure to rise up until the opponent is on his toes.

78
Thumb Knuckle P
Prress

The thumb press technique is best used from a hostile handshake. When you notice that a hand-
shake is becoming hostile, encircle their thumb with your thumb and fingers. Then, as in a finger
press, point downward and bring their elbow in contact with the ground.

79
F inger Divide

The finger divide technique utilizes both hands. As an opponent grabs for you, insert your own
fingers between his fingers and grasp one or more fingers in each hand. You then divide the tendons
by displacing the fingers into two separate directions.

80
 Chapter N ine
Nine
Wrist Techniques
Wrist control techniques require more strength than finger control techniques, simply
because the wrist is stronger than the fingers. However, no more than one-half the strength of your
opponent should be needed to control the wrist. If more strength than this is needed you are prob-
ably doing the technique incorrectly. Combat Hapkido utilizes many wrist techniques. The reason
for this is the easy reachability of the wrist. Also, once a wrist control is in place, it is very difficult to
escape. Often a finger control is also applied at the same time to increase the control of the tech-
nique.
Before learning wrist controls, I recommend that you study the structure of the wrist, thus
enabling you to better understand why these controls work. The wrist is made up of eight carpal
bones, which are held together and covered by ligaments. Over the bones and ligaments are tendons,
which connect the muscles of the arm and the hand. There is also a retinaculum that surrounds and
covers the ligaments and tendons of the wrist to improve strength of the joint. Because of this
structure, it is very difficult to utilize a displacement of bone principal against the wrist. However,
dividing the muscle/tendon works incredibly well. Because the wrist is covered with many tendons,
ligaments, and the retinaculum, any time you bend and twist the wrist into an unusual position you
can easily tear the fibers and cause pain. Additionally you will notice that the Ulnar and Median
nerves run along over the carpal bones. Most bending and twisting of the wrist structure will over
stimulate these nerves causing increased discomfort and pain.
During my training, I have found that there are three words used most often to help me
understand wrist controls: wrap, press and twist. Understanding these concepts and proper place-
ment, you will need very little strength to use wrist controls. However, if you miss the proper place-
ment and the proper method of control, you will need to use more power and strength than neces-
sary, and also be in danger of your opponent escaping and counterattacking you.

81
Z-Lock
The shape that the arm makes when it is locked up characterizes the Z-Lock; it resembles the letter
Z. The keys to this category of locks are that the hand must be bent to a 90° angle to the wrist/
forearm. Also, to increase the effectiveness of the lock the elbow should also be bent and the wrist
should be higher than the elbow.

82
S ame SSide
ide Wrist G
Grrab

From a same side wrist grab, give a distraction to take their mind off of the wrist. While bringing
the grabbed wrist upward towards our centerline, grab the opponents hand with our opposite hand
(thumb in between their thumb and index finger and fingers grab the small finger side of the hand).
At the same time the grabbed hand encircles the wrist of the opponent. When initially grabbing the
wrist and hand do not use the index finger and make sure they are pointed in opposite directions.
Rotate the hands to align the index fingers, then move in while pressing your fingers towards the
attacker. Your opponent’s elbow should be bent and be lower than his wrist, otherwise he will be able
to turn his body and escape from the lock.

83
C r oss Wrist G
Grrab

From a cross wrist grab, distract and trap the hand in position with your free hand. Bring the
grabbed hand up and over the wrist that you have trapped into position. Grasp this wrist and extend
your Ki finger, press downward while moving into your attacker. As in the previous technique make
sure that the elbow is bent and that it is lower than the wrist.

84
Lapel G
Grrab

From a lapel grab, the Z-Lock is accomplished by grasping the knife edge of the hand that is
grabbing your lapel with your opposite hand (make sure your thumb is between his thumb and
index finger). Grab his wrist with the same side hand and rotate it towards your centerline, make
sure that your Ki fingers are extended and pointing towards your opponent. Press downward and
step into your opponent.

85
Punch

When the attack is made, step to the outside of the attack and deflect inward with the same side
hand. Continue inward and downward eventually directing the attack to the outside. At this point
the attacker’s hand should be between your index finger and thumb. Complete the circle by bringing
the hand up and around to the starting position. Trap his hand with the opposite hand (make sure to
grasp with you thumb between his index and thumb). At the same time grasp his wrist with your
deflecting hand. Press forward and step into your opponent.

86
Gooseneck Come-A long
Come-Along
A Gooseneck is called such because when the lock is formed it resembles the long neck and head of a
goose. Some very important keys to this technique include the reinforcement of the arm against the
chest and how you put pressure on the wrist.

It is very important that when you apply this technique you place the opponent’s elbow against your
centerline for support. If you place it short of centerline it is possible for the opponent to slip their
elbow and arm through your defense and come around and counter lock you.

87
Many also make the mistake of just simply applying direct pressure to the back of the hand near the
wrist and flexing it. It is much more effective to grasp either side (or both sides) of the hand with the
thumb inserted at the juncture of hand and wrist. Then pull the hand away from the joint and flex
the wrist at the same time.

88
S ame SSide
ide Wrist G
Grrab

As your opponent grasps your wrist, extend your Ki to your hand by making it “alive”. At the
same time distract him with a kick or strike. While you distract him, your grasped hand should
rotate so that your thumb goes to the outside of his wrist and your fingers may grasp the thumb.
Bring his hand into you while at the same time attacking the pressure point located and the elbow,
thus allowing you to collapse the arm bringing his elbow to your centerline. Re-enforce your grip on
his hands and pull into yourself causing stress on the wrist. Make sure your elbows remain close to
you and that you do not bring yourself to far in front of your opponent.

89
C r oss Wrist G
Grrab

As the attacker grasps your wrist, make your hand “alive”. Distract them and bring your grasped
hand up and around in a circular motion on the outside of his wrist. With your grasped hand hold
onto the small finger edge of his hand while attacking the pressure point in his elbow. This allows
you to bring his elbow to your centerline to re-enforce and brace it on your chest. Re-enforce your
grip on his hand with your other hand and pull in towards yourself causing hyperflexion of the wrist.

90
Two H ands G
Hands Grrab one Wrist

Occasionally an attacker will grasp with both

of their hands. An important first step in defend-
ing against a two handed grab is to remember
that most of the defenses against a same side or a
cross hand will work, just choose one of the
persons wrists to deal with.

In this case I have decided to treat the attack the same as a cross wrist grab. While making the
hand alive and distracting the attacker we bring the grabbed hand up and around to the outside of
the attackers arm. We then attack the elbow to loosen it and allow us to bring it to our centerline.
And we finish as before by re-enforcing our grip on the hand and hyper-flexing the wrist. .

91
Punch

As the punch approaches you, clear the line of attack (to the outside) and deflect the punch away
from you. While the hand that deflected the punch traps the wrist, bring the other hand into the
elbow area to and attack the nerve plexus that is located at the elbow juncture. Bring the elbow to
rest on the solid base of your own chest. Bring the hand that collapsed the elbow to reinforce the
grab on the wrist and bring pressure to bear inward towards yourself.

92
O utside Lead
The flexing and rotation of the wrist characterizes the outside lead. It is called an Outside Lead
because you are leading your opponent to the outside of his centerline and body.

Do not just twist the wrist. This can allow the

opponent to twist or spin around the technique.

The remedy to this is to flex the wrist while

rotating it. This prevents the opponent from
simply spinning underneath the technique.

93
S ame SSide
ide Wrist G
Grrab

As your wrist is grasped by your opponent, perform the primary response (lower your center,
make your hand “alive”, bring your guard hand up and distract). Bring your hand up (palm facing
up). Reach under his hand and grasp the muscle section of his thumb. Breakaway and place your
knifehand along his knifehand edge. Press forward and downward as you step into him.

94
Cr oss Wrist G
Grrab

When your opponent grasps your cross wrist, execute the primary response. Bring you grabbed
hand outward and upward and then inward. As you bring his hand inward grasp the muscled area of
his thumb with your free hand. This will allow you to break-away. Place the forearm of your freed
arm along the back of his hand. Continue your movement in a circular motion towards the outside
of his wrist, twisting his hand with your forearm and his grasped thumb. Continue until he is on the
ground. Extend his arm while placing your weight onto his elbow for a submission.

95
Lapel G
Grrab

When you opponent grasps your lapel, execute the primary response. At the same time bring the
same side hand up and grasp the thumb side of his hand. Turn in towards the grabbing arm. As you
do so, grab the knifehand edge of the grasping hand. Continue turning into him while bending the
wrist forward. At the same time, bring him to the ground . Lock his arm up by extending the wrist
out away from him while placing your weight on his elbow with your knee.

96
Punch

When the opponent initiates a punching attack towards you, clear the line of attack by moving
to the outside and deflecting it away from you, redirect the punch into your other hand. Grasp the
small finger side of the hand with this hand and re-enforce the grip by grasping the thumb side of
the fist with your other hand. Flex the wrist with both of your hands, hence loosening the tightness
of his fist. At the same time, rotate the wrist and hand away from his centerline. Change your direc-
tion of motion by stepping backward with your other foot and rotate the hand to the outside direc-
tion of his centerline.

97
Master Michael Rowe performing as uke for Grandmaster John Pellegrini at
one of the many seminars that Grandmaster teaches.

98
 Chapter Ten
E lbo
lboww Techniques
Elbow controls are harder to use by themselves than finger or wrist controls. This is mainly
because the elbow is much stronger than the wrist or finger. Three ligaments connect the bones of
the elbow joint, and strong muscles cover the joint. The structure of the elbow makes the muscles
and tendons more moveable and flexible. However, the ligaments are not very flexible and are easily
torn from the bone when enough pressure is applied at the certain angles. However, when the
muscles and tendons are tense, they easily protect the ligaments from damage. Because of this, the
major principle used in elbow controls is that of displacing bone. Dividing muscle/tendon is a minor
side effect of elbow controls.
Since the elbow is stronger than the wrist or finger, you need more strength to apply these
controls. If your opponent senses what you are doing and tenses his elbow, it then becomes very
difficult to apply the control. Just before he senses what you are doing you should have control. You
may also distract him with a strike or kick, and while he is recovering, take control of him.
It is also important to note that elbow controls require you to get closer to your opponent.
Finger and wrist controls can be done at long and middle range, hence making it more difficult to
punch or kick you. This is
not an option if you wish
to utilize elbow controls.
You must step to his side or
rear to prevent him from
attacking you.
Most elbow con-
trols require some type of
wrist control first. If you do

Anatomy of the Elbow

99
not have a good control on the wrist, the elbow control will be ineffective and even dangerous to
you. Wrist and elbow controls supplement each other, making them more effective. Because of this,
it is sometimes difficult to tell what category this control is in. Some times the wrist controls and the
elbow locks and vice versa. Sometimes you will see controls that utilize the wrist, elbow, and even
shoulder, all at the same time.
Downward Elbow Arm Bar

The downward elbow arm bar is a common technique in many martial systems. Its characteristics are
that of using your Ulna bone (of your forearm) on the soft tissue directly behind the elbow joint
(Golgi Tendon).

It is important to have the opponent’s wrist at a secure focal point in order to maintain a mechanical
leverage advantage.

100
S ame SSide
ide Wrist G
Grrab

When your attacker grabs your wrist, perform the primary reaction. Bring you hands up-
wards toward your centerline, grasping his hand with your free hand. Your thumb should be between
his thumb and index finger. Breakaway from his grasp by driving your hand straight-ahead into him
stopping you arm at his elbow. From here, lift up on the wrist while pressing your forearm into his
elbow downward while stepping forward.

101
D ouble Lapel G
Grrab

When your opponent grabs your lapels, bring one arm over and down between the
opponent’s arms while executing your distraction. Draw that arm in a circular motion back into his
arm to trap his wrist while at the same time bringing the other arm to his elbow. Pull in on the wrist
while pressing inward and downward on the elbow. Once they are on the ground you can attempt to
pin them by placing you weight on their neck with your knee. At the same time lock the elbow and
fingers.

102
Punch

Your opponent launches a punch towards

you. Clear the path of the attack by moving to
the outside of the punch while executing a
outside deflection with your cross hand. At the
same time bring your other arm to his elbow.
Continue moving to the outside in a circular
motion while pulling the wrist into you and
pushing his elbow.

103
Figure 4 Arm Bar

The shape of the arm when the arms are entwined resembles the number 4. Important points
to remember during this technique include placing your forearm on the golgi tendon of the triceps
muscle. When you go too far above or below this area, control is ineffective. It is also important to
maintain downward pressure on the wrist while imparting upward pressure to the elbow. To obtain
leverage you must either grasp your lapel or your own wrist.

104
Same Side Wrist Grab

When your opponent grabs your wrist perform the primary reaction, bring your arm up and
towards you center while reaching under your arm to grasp your opponent’s wrist. Once you have
grabbed the wrist, continue your motion to breakaway. Reverse the direction of your arm and elbow
your opponent in the face. Reach down and around his elbow grasping your lapel or wrist. Apply
leverage downward and upward simultaneously.

105
C r oss Wrist G
Grrab

When your opponent grabs your wrist counter grab with your hand into a variation of a Roman
Handshake. Distract your opponent by striking their chin with your free hand. Reach down and
around the elbow grasping your lapel. Press down on the wrist while maintaining pressure upward on
the elbow.

106
Punch

As you opponent launches a punch towards you,

clear the line of the attack by moving to the
outside of the punch, perform a cross hand
outside deflection. Trap the wrist and pull it into
you while striking the face with a palm heel
strike with your other hand. Wrap you arm
down and around the elbow and apply pressure
downward with your wrist.

107
Master Michael Rowe, Nebraska State Director of the ICHF

108
 Chapter Eleven
S houlder Contr ols
Controls

The Shoulder Joint is connected by two major ligaments: the capsular ligament and the
coracoacromial ligament and there are various tendons and muscles on top of the ligaments. Because
of the similarity to the elbow, shoulder controls follow the same principles as the elbow controls,
mainly that of misplacing the bone.
In general, it is more difficult and dangerous to utilize shoulder controls than utilizing finger,
wrist or elbow controls. There are various reasons for this. One, to control the shoulder you have to
be closer to your opponent, which gives him a better chance of punching or kicking you. Two, the
shoulder joint is much stronger than the finger, wrist, or elbow. In order to utilize these controls
safely you must use stepping to keep away from the opponent’s attacks or cause them to lose their
balance. This takes extra time and unfortunately gives your opponent a chance to perceive your
intention and defend against it.
It is important to note that shoulder controls are difficult to classify. Many elbow controls
utilize the shoulder and many shoulder controls utilize the elbow.

109
Chicken wing

The chicken wing techniques are characterized by shape the arm makes as you bring the arm
over and around the shoulder. It resembles a chicken’s wing. These techniques rely on the breaking of
the opponents balance towards the rear.

110
S ame side Wrist G
Grrab

When your opponent grabs your hand, execute the primary response while grasping his wrist
with your cross hand. Breakaway and re-grab at the elbow. Backspin and bring his arm up and over
your head and behind his shoulder. Continue your momentum in the same direction breaking his
balance and bringing him to the ground.

111
C r oss Wrist G
Grrab

When your opponent grabs your wrist perform the primary reaction while counter grabbing
with a roman-style handshake. While executing the distraction make sure to grasp the elbow to
ensure total control of the arm. Backspin and bring the arm up and over your head and behind his
shoulder. Continue your momentum in the same direction breaking your opponent’s balance.

112
Punch

When your opponent punches towards you, execute and outward deflection and trap the wrist.
Continue your momentum in the direction of the punch while rotating the punching hand palm up.
Continue in a circular motion bringing the arm up and over your head and behind his shoulder.
Continue in the same direction unbalancing your opponent and bringing him to the ground.

113
Hammerlock
The hammerlock is characterized by bringing your opponent’s arm behind his back while placing
your forearm into his shoulder joint and bringing him down with pressure on the shoulder.

114
S ame SSide
ide Wrist G
Grrab

When your opponent grabs your wrist, execute the primary response. Bring your grasped hand
upward and towards the rear of your opponent. At the same time, grasp his elbow and rotate it
towards you. Breakaway by driving your forearm into your opponents shoulder. Bring him down in a
downward spiral turn almost 360 degrees.

115
Punch

When your opponent punches toward you, clear the line of attack to the outside while
performing and outward deflection. As you bring his punching hand downward, insert your other
hand in between his arm and body, continue by bringing your forearm into his shoulder. Maintain
your momentum and bring your opponent around and downward with pressure into the shoulder.

116
 Chapter Twelve
Contr olling P
Controlling rinciples
Principles
In the previous four chapters various controlling techniques were presented. These tech-
niques are governed by the following general principles in addition to the basic foundational prin-
ciples discussed in chapter two.

During my research of martial controlling techniques, I found that you could classify most of
them into five basic categories. My research also clearly reveled that there is no technique that is
perfect for all situations. Combat is fluid and constantly changing. What you do will depend on
what your opponent does. Because nobody will just stand still and let you control them. Your tech-
niques must be adaptable to the situation. Also controlling techniques must utilize surprise. You have
to grasp your opponent’s body and if he is aware of your intentions it will be extremely difficult to be
successful in applying the technique. In these cases you may have to use an impact attack (strike or
kick) instead or in addition to a controlling technique.
It must also be understood that controlling techniques are difficult, they are possible one
moment and unlikely the next. It is often times easier to strike or kick an opponent than to control
them. Using a control technique shows mercy to someone that you do not want to injure. It is also
often morally and legally superior to striking.

As I mentioned there are five basic categories of controlling techniques:

1. Separate the muscle/tendon

2. Grasping the muscle/tendon
3. Displacing the bone
4. Sealing the breath
5. Blood vessel press

Let’s discuss these categories in detail.

1. Separate the muscle/tendon
This category refers to techniques which tear apart the opponent’s muscles or tendons, even detach-
ing the tendons from the bone. There are two main ways to separate the muscle/tendon. One is to
twist the joint and then bend. The twisting action not only twists the joint but also the muscles/
tendons. If you bend the joint at the same time, you can tear the tendons off the bones. Another
method is to split and tear the muscle/tendon apart without twisting. This is usually accomplished
on the fingers.

117
2. Grasping the muscle/tendon
Grabbing the muscle/tendon relies on the strength of your
fingers to grab, press, and pull the opponent’s large muscle
groups or tendons. By doing this you can cause pain by the
hyperextension of the muscles and tendons. A common target
for this type of attack is the shoulder muscles and tendons.

3. Displacing the bone.

These techniques displace the bone from their correct
position. This category of techniques is usually applied to the
joints. Upon examination, a joint connects bones by ligaments
and cartilage. Tendons connect the muscles around and over the joint. If the joint is bent backwards
or twisted and bent into the wrong position, it can cause pain. The ligaments can be torn off the
bone and the bones can be pulled apart. This category and the first one are generally applied simulta-
neously. It is very difficult to perform them separately.

4. Sealing the breath

These techniques prevent the opponent from inhaling, thus causing unconsciousness. There
are three approaches to these techniques. The first approach is the direct sealing of the windpipe. You
can grab the throat with your fingers or compress the throat with your arm, preventing inhalation.
You may also use your fingers to press or strike the suprasternal notch at the base of the throat.
Attacking this area causes the muscles around the throat to contract and close the windpipe, and
hence cause a gagging reflex.
The next approach is striking the muscles, which surround the lungs. Because of the rib cage,
it is very difficult to strike the muscles around the lungs directly. However, some of these muscles
extend beyond the ribs. When they are attacked, the constrict in pain and compress the lungs, thus
preventing inhalation. Two of the muscles groups in the abdominals are used for this type of sealing.
The third approach is that of a cavity press or nerve strike. Cavity strikes are similar to
muscle strikes except that cavities are struck instead. The lungs are well protected by the ribs. How-
ever, if you look at the structure closely you will notice that the ribs are not a single piece of bone
wrapped around the body. Instead, they are two pieces of bone connected by strong ligaments and
cartilage. This helps the structure act like a spring when outer forces attack it. So, compression is very
118
difficult. Also, the muscles surrounding the ribs do not compress the lungs when they contract, so
strikes to those muscles are ineffective. You can strike the nerve endings of the muscles, which
emerge from the ribcage. This causes pain to penetrate the ribs and shock the internal muscles
surrounding the lungs into contraction, thus sealing the breath.

5. Blood Vessel Press

In principle, either striking or pressing the blood vessels
performs these techniques. A strike to the temple can rupture
the blood vessel and stop the blood circulation to the brain,
which usually causes death. Another example is the two carotid
arteries that run down either side of the neck. When either or
both of these targets are struck or pressed, blood flow to the
brain can be stopped. Great care must be taken with these
techniques since death is always a possibility. You should know
how to revive and resuscitate before ever attempting these
techniques.

119
120
 Chapter Thirteen
Common IInjuries
njuries and Tr eatment
The treatment of injury was, at one point in time, a requirement of studying martial art
systems. Injuries can occur both in practice and in real life situations. Injuries even occur during
everyday activities. As a martial artist it is important to understand how to heal yourself and your
training partner in class, also it is becoming more and more important to understand how to revive a
fallen enemy, not just injure them.
Because of the availability of public medical service, many do not know how to treat the
common injuries in the martial arts school. Most of the common injuries caused by Combat Hap-
kido practice occur in the joints. These injuries can be deep, in the ligaments and cartilage, or
shallow, surface bruise. They can also be serious as in broken bones or small as in a overstimulated
nerve.
Before continuing, understand that I advocate a combination of both Chinese Medicine and
Modern Western Medicine. Also, I am not a MD or a Qualified Chinese Medicine Practitioner and
these are just basic first aid procedures.

Diagnosis
The first step in the treatment of any injury is diagnosis. Diagnosis if the most important
stage, if your diagnosis is incorrect then the treatment given may make the injury worse. For example
if you think the arm is just bruised and it is actually cracked and you use massage, you can make the
crack worse. If the arm is broke but you think it is dislocated and try to put it back you can make the
break worse and increase the pain. A correct diagnosis is half of the healing process. Also important is
that if you do not know what is injured go to a healer (doctor) immediately.
Diagnosis Methodologies
1. Observation
a. Skin Color: Skin color can tell you something about the injury. For example if the skin is
blue the injury may be a bruise. The skin color will also tell how wide the bruise has spread.
b. Appearance: From appearance you can roughly tell if the bone is broken or dislocated, or if
swelling is a result of damage to the tendons or ligaments.
2. Questioning
a. How: Ask the injured person how the injury occurred and how and where the pain is felt.
This gives you an idea as to the type and seriousness of the injury. For example, if the person
has been struck by a side kick to the chest, the ribs may be broken and there may be internal
bruising.
b. When: Ask when then injury happened. Some injuries can have occurred a long time ago
and have not bothered the person until now. Or the injury could have happened just a
moment ago. This information is required in order to treat the injury properly.
c. Where: It is very important to know exactly where the pain is. Deep or old injuries are very
hard for doctors to know where the pain is unless the person tells them.
3. Touching
a. Feel: If an area is painful, swollen, etc. then feeling the area to determine the nature of the

121
 problem is needed.
b. Press: By pressing an injured area you will be able to get the reaction of the injured person
and test the sensitivity. Deep pain can be an indicator of cracked or broken bones, while
shallow pain usually indicates bruising.
c. Move: Moving the injured area is very important (except in neck injuries) especially with
injuries to the bone or joint. Moving the limb in various directions can help indicate how a
joint is misplaced. Deep pain in a joint without a displaced bone indicates damage to the
cartilage or ligaments in the joint.

Treatments for common injuries

In Combat Hapkido the most common injuries involve the joints. Injuries can involve
ligaments and cartilage or just bruises. Some serious injuries are possible such as broken bones or
overstimulations of tendons.

Joint Injury
When joints become injured because of twisting and bending pain will result. This pain will
cause muscles to contract and tense up. This in turn will allow an accumulation of tension in the
injured area often indicated by tenderness. A recommendation for joint injuries that do not involve
fractures is as follows. Immediately extend and stretch the muscles and prevent them from contract-
ing. Then massage the affected area using a circular motion, this help reduce the swelling and stiff-
ness in the joint.

Muscles and Tendon Injuries

Muscle and Tendon injuries are the most common injuries in Combat Hapkido. Most often
the muscle is stretched too far or twisted are an incorrect angle, this causes muscles fibers to tear.
When muscles and tendons are injured there is usually immediate pain, which causes the muscles to
contract. This contraction causes swelling and bruising. As mentioned above the first reaction when
you have a joint injury, provided of course that it is not broken or displaced, should be to pull and
stretch the injured muscles, followed by a light massage to the injured area. Immediately after place
ice on the injured area to help reduce the swelling.
After about 30 minutes check the injury. If there is serious damage first be sure there are no
broken or displaced bones then massage and apply herbal ointments (or western ointments). When
massaging the injured area insure that you use only enough pressure to produce a slight discomfort,
but no serious pain. After the massage, dress it with ointment, wrap it and leave it overnight. IF
THE SKIN IS BR OKEN IN THE INJURED AREA, DO NO
BROKEN NOT T PL
PLAACE O intment ON IT
Ointment IT.. If
the swelling is still serious the next morning repeat the process.

Ligament and Cartilage Damage

Cartilage and ligament injuries are caused when the joint is twisted at a wrong angle, or
when it is twisted and bent. This causes the tissues to tear or the ligament to become disconnected
from the bone, thus causing extreme pain, bruising, and restricted blood flow. If the bruise is not
removed, blood will be trapped in the joint, causing swelling of the membrane around the bone.
122
Common cures are acupuncture and herbal treatments as well as ice pack treatment. This type of
damage is usually accompanied by tendon damage. When the tendon has failed to protect the joint,
the ligaments absorb some of the attack, even though it is weak and poorly designed for this func-
tion. Treatment of this injury is should involve massage, herbal applications, and ice packs. After the
swelling is down you will then be able to see if the ligament is also damaged.
Most often injuries to the joint will heal by itself over a length of time. But understand that
deep bruises in the joint can remain for long periods of time, causing inflammation of the ligament
and periosteum. Because of this later in life arthritis may develop. Do not ignore deep pain, seek
treatment and continue to heal.

Displaced Bones
If you continue to bend a joint past the tendon’s range, and then the limit of the ligament,
then the ligament will detach from the bone it links to and the bone will become displaced. This
may be a separation or a complete dislocation (bone is completely out of socket). Once a joint is
displaced in this manner the damage becomes permanent, and the joint can be easily displaced from
that time on. When a joint is dislocated it is important to place it back before the bruise gets any
worse. Waiting too long can increase the pain causing the muscles to contract. After the bone is
relocated in the correct position ice the area for approximately 30 minutes to reduce swelling, appli-
cation of herbal and non-herbal ointments will help it heal, also a gentle massage is helpful as well.
There are many methods of relocating the bone back after displacement. I will give some
examples, the main trick is to pull and bend. When pulling, pull the bones only slightly apart and
then push them back into the connection position. Afterwards, bend the joint and place it in the
proper position. Make sure you do not over-pull the joint, it will cause more damage. However, if
you do not pull enough, the joint will not set correctly. Because of this if you do not feel qualified to
relocate the bone, seek medical attention.
Displaced finger joint – pull it out gently and bind it to move the bone back into the correct posi-
tion.
Displaced wrist – the wrist is made up of 8 bones. if one of these bones is displaced, it causes a big
bump on the surface of the wrist. Simply pull the fingers out steadily to expand the wrist, as you
push the displaced bone back.
Displace E lbo
Elbo
lboww – pull the forearm with one hand while holding the upper arm still with the other
hand. Line up the elbow and upper arm then bend.
Displaced SShoulde
houlde
houlder – This injury requires a second person to help keep the injured person steady.
Have the other person hold the injured person’s chest tightly while you pull the arm. Then bend the
arm towards the center of the body and back in place.
Broken/Chipped Bone at Joint
Broken bones at joints are very serious. Most often the broken bone is only a chip and will
not be detected by a doctor. Often there is more than one chip of bone. It is important for the
injured person to be taken to a hospital and have the joint x-rayed. It is important that the connec-
tion is made properly and then immobilized. If the skin is not broken over the injury then applica-
tion of ointments is useful.

123
Bruises
Bruises can be caused when a hard object hits any part of the body. Initially apply ice to
reduce swelling. After 30 minutes begin massaging the area to spread out the bruise, hence allowing
the body a better opportunity to heal by itself.

Broken Bones
Broken bones are usually identified rather easily, unless it is a small bone or it is only
chipped. With a broken bone the first choice is to take the injured person to the hospital. If no
professional care is available then splint the limb and take to a hospital as soon as possible.

Cracked Bones
If when you press on the injured area there is deep pain, do not massage it. Have the injury
checked first with a x-ray. It may be a cracked bone and massage will only make it worse.

Groin Attack
Kicks to the groin are painful, and even on rare occasions fatal. When somebody is hit in the
groin, immediately lift the injured person on your back (face upwards) and shake up and down. This
stretches the contracted muscles in the groin and reduces the pain. On occasion you may find that
one or both testicles have been pushed up into the abdomen. To treat this, have the patient squat
down and use both hands to press down (gently) on the front of the abdomen. If this is unsuccessful
immediately consult a physician.

124
 Chapter Fourteen
The Legal Aspects of SSelf-defense
elf-defense
In the next 25 seconds a violent crime will occur in the United States; in the next 3 seconds a
property crime will also be committed. In the time it has take to read the previous short sentences,
somebody has been murdered, another has been bodily injured, and unmeasurable amounts of
property have been stolen from its rightful owners.
Crime reports are becoming ridiculous. Over 1 million violent crimes and over
10,000 property crimes were committed last year and reported. It is estimated that approximately
50% of all crimes or attempted crimes are not reported to the police agencies. Every day our news
media reports murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, it competes with other news events. In light of this
it is no surprise that our criminal system is unable to cope with and process the violators and crimi-
nal reports. It takes upwards of 1 year or more to accurately compile a year’s statistics of crime. Who
is next? You? Your neighbor? Your Family or Friends?
Police and other civic organizations sponsor crime prevention programs that help reduce the
risk of violent crime or loss of property. Security Devices are being made that can be added to
homes. Purchase of firearms and courses of self-defense is always available. However, these prepara-
tions will not give complete protection.
All over the nation there is information about protecting yourself and your property. Infor-
mation on the Internet itself runs into the Thousands. However there is very little information out
there about the legal aspects of self-defense. How much force can you apply legally? Unfortunately
there is no exact science, because each situation is different. What is legal in one situation could be
illegal in another with only a slight change of elements or facts.
On the bright side we are not helpless victims. There are written statutes that allow legal
defense of person or property and legal recourse in a court of law. We can prepare ourselves by
learning the legal force allowed by the statutes when faced with a situation requiring some act of
defense.
Statutes vary from state to state. You should carefully study the statutes in your state or
locality to avoid violation of your state’s law. For the purpose of discussion I will be using the Ne-
braska Statutes as a general guide. Once again you are advised to study and act within your states
statutes.

A general rule for the amount of legal force which a criminal act may be resisted is judged
with a sliding scale of force. This may consist of instant and severe retaliation at the higher end of the
scale to a mild and hesitant response at the low end. Before continuing let us define some of the
terms that will be used here. From Document 28-109 of the Nebraska Statutes:
ACT shall mean a bodily movement, and includes words and possession of property;
BODILY INJURY shall mean physical pain, illness, or any impairment of physical condi-
tion.
CONDUCT shall mean an action or omission and its accompanying state of mind, or,
where relevant, a series of acts and omissions.
DEADLY PHYSICAL FORCE shall mean force, the intended, natural, and probable conse-
quence of which is to produce death, or which does, in fact, produce death..
DEADLY WEAPON shall mean any firearm, knife, bludgeon, or other device, instrument,
125
 material, or substance, whether animate or inanimate, which in the manner it is used or
intended to be used is capable of producing death or serious bodily injury.
PERSON shall mean any natural person and where relevant a corporation or an unincorpo-
rated association.
SERIOUS BODILY INJURY shall mean bodily injury which involves a substantial risk of
death, or which involves substantial risk of serious permanent disfigurement, or protracted
loss or impairment of the function of any part or organ of the body.

With an understanding of these terms the statutes are more readily understood. Take care as
not to make personal interpretation of the written statutes. Only COURTS OF LAW are and should
be the source of interpretation. Second guessing the courts could lead to harsh results, for example:
criminal prosecution.
The following is presented for your study.

Section 23-1409 Use of force in self-protection

1) Subject to the provisions of this section and of section 28-1414, the use of force upon or towards
another person is justifiable when the actor believes that such force is immediately necessary for
the purpose of protecting himself against the use of unlawful force by such other person on the
present occasion.
2) The use of such force is not justifiable under this section to resist an arrest which the actor knows
is being made by a peace officer, although the arrest is unlawful.
3) The use of such force is not justifiable under this section to resist force used by the occupier or
possessor of property or by another person on his behalf, where the actor knows that the person
using the force is doing so under a claim of right to protect the property, except that this limita-
tion shall not apply if:
a) The actor is a public officer acting in the performance of his duties or a person lawfully
assisting him therein or a person making or assisting in a lawful arrest;
b) The actor has been unlawfully dispossessed of the property and is making a reentry or recap-
ture justified by section 28-1411; or
c) The actor believes that such force is necessary to protect himself against death or serious
bodily harm.
4) The use of deadly force shall not be justifiable under this section unless the actor believes that
such force is necessary to protect himself against death, serious bodily harm, kidnapping or
sexual intercourse compelled by force or threat, nor is it justifiable if:
a) The actor, with the purpose of causing death or serious bodily harm, provoked the use of
force against himself in the same encounter; or
b) The actor knows that he can avoid the necessity of using such force with complete safety by
retreating or by surrendering possession of a thing to a person asserting a claim of right
thereto or by complying with a demand that he abstain from any action which he has no
duty to take, except that;
i) The actor shall not be obliged to retreat from his dwelling or place of work by
another person unless he was the initial aggressor or is assailed in his place of work by
another person whose place of work the actor knows it to be; and
ii) A public officer justified in using force in the performance of his duties or a person
126
 justified in using force in his assistance or a person justified in using force in making
an arrest or preventing an escape shall not be obliged to desist from efforts to per-
form such duty, effect such arrest or prevent such escape because of resistance or
threatened resistance by or on behalf of the person against whom such action is
directed.
5) Except as required by subsection 3) and 4) of this section, a person employing protective force
may estimate the necessity thereof under the circumstances as he believes them to be when the
force is used, without retreating, surrendering possession, doing any other act which he has no
legal duty to do, or abstaining from any lawful action.
6) The justification afforded by the section extends to the use of confinement as protective force
only if the actor takes all reasonable measures to terminate the confinement as soon as he knows
that he safely can do so, unless the person confined has been arrested on a charge of crime.

The above section is more easily understood with the use of the key phrases and their definitions.
These words help prove or disprove legal questions about the act of self-defense. Often the excuse
for violence is the mere use of verbal provocation. However, words are not a legal cause for the use of
force, the legal recourse for abusive or damaging words is in the court of law. Once again the sliding
scale of force should be used to determine behavior if one is to comply with the statutes. Note that in
subsection 4) the use of deadly force is on the high end of the sliding scale of force and extreme care
must be exercised in its use. Here are a few examples of how the courts have interpreted this section:
a) Verbal insults to a female relative do not justify the killing of another.
b) One has the right to defend the life of another as his own.
c) A person who acts in defense of another is authorized to act in the same manner as that person
would be justified in doing.

Section 28-1410 Use of force for protection of other persons

1) Subject to the provisions of this section and of section 28-1414, the use of force upon or toward
the person of another is justifiable to protect a third person when:
a) The actor would be justified under section 28-1409 in using such force to protect himself
against the injury he believes to be threatened to the person who he seeks to protect;
b) Under the circumstances as the actor believes them to be, the person whom he seeks to
protect would be justified in using such protective force; and
c) The actor believes that his intervention is necessary for the protection of such other person.
2) Notwithstanding subsection 1) of this section:
a) When the actor would be obliged under section 28-1409 to retreat, to surrender the posses-
sion of a thing or to comply with a demand before using force in self-protection, he shall not
be obliged to do so before using force for the protection of another person, unless he knows
that he can thereby secure the complete safety of such other person;
b) When the person whom the actor seeks to protect would be obliged under section 28-1409
to retreat, to surrender the possession of a thing or to comply with a demand if he knew that
he could obtain complete safety by so doing, the actor is obliged to try to cause him to do so
before using force in his protection if the actor knows that he can obtain complete safety in
that way; and
c) Neither the actor nor the person whom he seeks to protect is obliged to retreat when in the
127
 other’s dwelling or place of work to any greater extent than in his own.

In general the same amount of force may be used to defend another person as would be used to
protect oneself.

Section 28-1411 Use of force for protection of property

1) Subject to the provisions of this section and of section 28-1414, the use of force upon or toward
the person of another is justifiable when the actor believes that such force is immediately neces-
sary:
a) To prevent or terminate an unlawful entry or other trespass upon land or a trespass against or
the unlawful carrying away of tangible, movable property; PROVIDED, that such land or
movable property is, or is believed by the actor to be, in his possession or in the possession of
another person for whose protection he acts; or
b) To effect an entry or reentry upon land or to retake tangible movable property; PROVIDED,
that the actor believes that he or the person by whose authority he acts or a person from
whom he or such other person derives title was unlawfully dispossessed of such land or
movable property and is entitled to possession; AND PROVIDED FURTHER, that:
i) The force is used immediately or on fresh pursuit after such dispossession; or
ii) The actor believes that the person against whom he uses force has no claim of right
to the possession of the property and, in the case of land, the circumstances, as the
actor believes them to be, are of such urgency that it would be an exceptional hard-
ship to postpone the entry or reentry until a court order is obtained
2) For the purposes of subsection 1) of this section:
a) A person who has parted with the custody of property to another who refuses to restore it to
him is no longer in possession, unless such property is movable and was and still is located on
land in his possession.
b) A person who has been dispossessed of land does not regain possession thereof merely by
setting foot thereon; and
c) A person who has a license to use or occupy real property is deemed to be in possession
thereof except against the licenser acting under claim of right.
3) The use of force is justifiable under this section only if the actor first requests the person against
whom such force is used to desist from his interference with the property, unless the actor be-
lieves that:
a) Such request would be useless;
b) It would be dangerous to himself of another person to make the request; or
c) Substantial harm will be done to the physical condition of the property which is sought to be
protected before the request can effectively be made.
4) The use of force to prevent or terminate a trespass is not justifiable under this section if the actor
knows that the exclusion of the trespasser will expose him to substantial danger of serious bodily
harm.
5) The use of force to prevent an entry or reentry upon land or the recapture of movable property is
not justifiable under this section, although the actor believes that such reentry or recapture is
unlawful if:
a) The reentry or recapture is made by or on behalf of a person who was actually dispossessed of
128
 the property; and
b) It is otherwise justifiable under subdivision 1)b) of this section.
6) The use of deadly force is not justifiable under this section unless the actor believes that:
a) The person against whom the force is used is attempting to dispossess him of his dwelling
otherwise than under a claim of right to its possession; or
b) The person against whom the force is used is attempting to commit or consummate arson,
burglary, robbery or other felonious theft or property destruction and either:
i) Has employed or threatened deadly force against or in the presence of the actor; or
ii) The use of force other than deadly force to prevent the commission or consumma-
tion of the crime would expose the actor or another in his presence to substantial
danger of serious bodily harm.
7) The justification afforded by this section extends to the use of confinement as protective force
only if the actor takes all reasonable measures to terminate the confinement as soon as he knows
that he can do so with safety to the property, unless the person confined has been arrested on a
charge of crime.
8) The justification afforded by this section extends to the use of a device for the purpose of pro-
tecting property only if:
a) Such device is not designed to cause or known to create substantial risk of causing death or
serious bodily harm;
b) Such use of the particular device to protect such property from entry or trespass is reasonable
under the circumstances, as the actor believes them to be; and
c) Such device is one customarily used for such a purpose or reasonable care is take to make
known to probable intruders the fact that it is used.
9) The use of force to pass a person whom the actor believes to purposely or knowingly and unjusti-
fiably obstructing the actor from going to a place to which he may lawfully go is justifiable if:
a) The actor believes that the person against whom he uses force has no claim of right to
obstruct the actor;
b) The actor is not being obstructed from entry or movement on land which he knows to be in
the possession or custody of the person obstructing him, or in the possession or custody of
another person by whose authority the obstructor acts, unless the circumstances, as the actor
believes them to be, are of such urgency that it would not be reasonable to postpone the
entry or movement on such land until a court order is obtained; and
c) The force used is not greater than would be justifiable if the person obstructing the actor
were using force against him to prevent his passage.

In general it has been found that:

1) Everyone has the right to protect his property from unlawful violence.
2) One has the same right to defend against an illegal entry of home which he has to protect himself
3) One does not have the right to use force against a representative of a bank trying to repossess an
automobile.
4) Deadly force is justifiable to prevent the unlawful taking of possession’s or destruction of per-
sonal property.

129
130
 Chapter Fourteen
ICHF

The ICHF was established in response to the growing need and demand for a “different” kind
of martial arts organization. While most of the existing associations provide only financial gain, ego
gratification to their founders and are rife with politics, the ICHF is strongly committed to the profes-
sional enhancement of its members and to absolute service excellence.
The ICHF was founded in 1992 by Grandmaster John Pellegrini who is the President of the
Organization. Unlike many associations that are nothing more than a P.O. Box or mail order diploma
mill, the ICHF has a full time administrative staff, a Review Board to approve promotions and an
Advisory Board composed of distinguished high ranking Masters. Regional Directors are automatically
appointed to the ICHF Board of Directors.
In 1995 the ICHF was nominated “Martial Arts Organization of the Year” by the Independent
Funding Company, one of the largest Martial Arts tuition billing and consulting company in the USA.

In 1998 the ICHF was inducted as “Most Outstanding Martial Arts Organization of the Year”
by the World Karate Union Hall of Fame.
In 1998 the ICHF received the Leadership Award as “Martial Arts Organization of the Year” by
the World Heads of Family/Sokeship Council’s International Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
Our goals are:
· To promote the most exciting, realistic and effective Self-defense system.
· To help sincere Martial Arts Instructors grow professionally and receive deserved recognition.
· To provide our members with valuable products and services at reasonable fees without
oppressive mandates and unreasonable financial demands.
· To provide access to exciting events, programs and state-of-the-art technology of the Martial
Arts industry.
Here is how the ICHF can benefit you:
· Improve your skills and advance your knowledge with an effective, modern and comprehensive
system of scientific Self-defense.
· Enhance your teaching curriculum to attract and retain more adult students.
· Receive (and provide to your students) prestigious, World recognized Certifications.
· Membership is a strong, progressive, internationally respected organization you’ll be proud to
represent.
· Gain the opportunity to network with professional Self-defense Instructors around the
World.

The ICHF exists to service and benefit its members. It is far better than other similar associa-
tions because it is responsive to the needs of the Martial Arts community. With the ICHF you can
always count on:
· Pr ompt ser vice
service
vice. No waiting several months for Certificates or any other items.
· R easonable feesfees. We want you to be prosperous and successful. The ICHF does not impose

131
 heavy financial burdens on Schools and Instructors.
· R ecognition! The ICHF wants you to be a professional with excellent credentials. We do not
hold back rank. The ICHF will give you the rank you have earned and promotions you
deserve.
· Q uality pr oducts and ser
products vices
services
vices. ICHF Videos, Certificates, seminars and everything that
bears our name is of the highest quality.
· No politics, no favoritism, no power games, no egos, no cult-like atmosphere and no op-
pressive mandates.
Cer tifications
Certifications
The ICHF offers a full Certification program in the Self-defense System of Combat Hapkido: color
belts, Black Belt and all levels of Instructor. The ICHF also offers separate Instructor Certification in
Combat Hapkido Cane and Combat Hapkido Ground Grappling. Specialized Certification in De-
fense-Ability, Self-defense System for the disabled can be obtained through the IDSA. Certification in
TaeKwonDo can be obtained through the Independent TaeKwonDo Association (ITA). Additional
special programs such as Progressive Self-defense System (PSDS), Combat Hapkido Law Enforcement
Defensive Tactics Program (LADTP) and World Martial Arts Alliance (WMA) Registry, are under the
umbrella of the ICHF. For more information on these programs, review our web-site or contact ICHF
HQ.
Membership IInformation
nformation
Char ter School M
Charter embership:
Membership:
This membership is open to Instructors/Masters/Schools Owners of any legitimate Art/Style/System
who are currently teaching (full or part time) a program of Self-defense. This includes programs con-
ducted at colleges, churches, gyms, military bases, YMCA or any other location. This membership
allows the facility to be an authorized training center for the Combat Hapkido system and recognizes
the Instructor as the officially certified ICHF Teacher for the center.
B enefits:
· ICHF Instructor’s Manual
· Federation Flag
· Charter Certificate & I.D. Card
· Federation Patch & Lapel Pin
· Newsletter
· Black Belt Certificate (mustmust qualify
qualify)
must qualify
· Instructor Certificate (must qualify)
· Authorizes Certified Instructor to test and promote students in Combat Hapkido.
· Special wholesale price on Combat Hapkido videos
· Authorizes the use of the ICHF logo in advertising, literature, business cards, school signs,
etc… (N Note
ote: ICHF Certificates CANNO
CANNOT T be reproduced)
· Opportunity to be appointed Regional Director or Representative (Certificate of Appoint-
ment)
· Opportunity to host Combat Hapkido Seminars
R equir ements:
equirements:
· Return completed Charter membership application
· Submit copy of current Black Belt Certificate
132
 · First time Charter dues: (Contact HQ for information)
· Submit required minimum Individual Memberships
· Schools with multiple branches (same ownership) need only pay for one Charter for the
Headquarters school. Additional Certificates for branches, if desired, can be purchased for a
nominal fee
I ndividual M embership:
Membership:
This membership class is open to students of all styles and rank. It allows you to become part of a
prestigious, international family of fellow Martial Artists and to participate in ICHF events. It offers
you the opportunity to learn our unique system of Combat Hapkido and to receive Certification.
B enefits:
· Membership Certificate, I.D. Card and Newsletter
· Federation Patch & Lapel Pin
· Access to Training and Certification in Combat Hapkido
R equir ements:
equirements:
· Martial Arts students over 12 years old *
· Any adult individual interested in Self-defense
· Return completed individual membership application
· Membership dues: Contact HQ for information
· Yearly renewal: Contact HQ for information
* Junior membership class is open to students under 12 years old.

Contacting the ICHF:

On the World Wide Web: www.ichf.com

By E-Mail: staff@ichf.com
By Phone: (828) 683-4240

133
V ideo L ibr
Librar
aryy
ibrar
The ICHF is proud to offer you the opportunity to learn and teach Combat Hapkido, the
fastest growing, most realistic and effective Self-defense System in the World today.
Combat Hapkido is the result of over 3 decades of study, research and development. This
comprehensive system is now taught in hundreds of schools in the US and a dozen foreign Countries.
Combat Hapkido can stand alone and be taught as a complete system or it can be added as a separate
program to any traditional Martial Arts curriculum.
The ICHF has produced a broadcast-quality; comprehensive library of instructional videotapes
containing hundreds of carefully selected, proven techniques dealing with most types of attacks and
situations. All of our video releases have received overwhelming positive response by the Martial Arts
community and have been rated “Among the best instructional Self-defense videos on the market
today!”
The ICHF video library features Grandmaster John Pellegrini, the Founder of Combat Hap-
kido, who demonstrates and explains each technique, at regular speed and slow motion, in detail with
extensive use of close-up views. It is like having Grandmaster Pellegrini give you a private lesson in your
home.
Our videos are an invaluable training aid that will greatly benefit both Instructors and students.
They will also be indispensable to those individuals who can only participate in a home study program.
The ICHF videos are required for Instructors to obtain and advance in rank.

B lack B elt P
Belt Prr ogram Volume 1 - 10
The Black Belt program takes students through the basic foundational
skills of Combat Hapkido. Each video contains the required ICHF
standards for each rank.

M aster
aster’’s P
Prr ogram Volumes 11 - 15

The Master Program takes students through the requirements of 2nd

Degree Black Belt to 6th Degree Black Belt.

134
 Combat Cane Volume 1 - 2
The Cane is one of the oldest and most gentlemanly of weapons. This two
volume set brings you the foundational requirements for Combat Cane.

Combat H apkido G
Hapkido Grr ound G rappling Volume 1 - 4
Grappling

In this broadcast-quality series, Master Pedro Rodriguez personally dem-

onstrates and explains proven principles, techniques and strategies for suc-
cessful ground fighting. After several years of research and study of some of
the most popular ground grappling styles such as Brazilian JuJutsu, Sambo,
Vale Tudo and Shootfighting, Master Rodriguez has developed this practi-
cal and effective program intended not as a sport but as an integral compo-
nent of the Combat Hapkido Self-defense System. This program will en-
hance any school’s curriculum and take students and Instructors to a new
level of excellence.

Combat H apkido Trapping Volume 1 - 2

Hapkido

In this broadcast-quality series of videotapes, Grandmaster John Pelle-

grini, Founder of COMBAT HAPKIDO, and Master Pedro Rodriguez
personally demonstrate and explain hand trapping techniques. Combat
Hapkido Trapping is designed to complement and enhance your close
quarter self-defense skills. This program includes a series of practical
drills to improve your speed and coordination, attacking traps and
countertrapping tactics. Combat Hapkido Trapping is an integral part
of the Combat Hapkido self-defense system.

135
Combat H apkido - Combat Thr
Hapkido Throo ws
This exciting, special video covers an important but often neglected
component of Self-defense in the Grappling range. Master Joe Robaina
personally demonstrates and explains in detail the scientific concepts and
technical principles for successful Throwing. Combat Throws are not for
sport or flash, they are designed for realistic Self-defense. Master Robaina
makes it easy for everyone to learn how to employ these devastating
throws and how to connect them to other components of Combat
Hapkido such as Trapping, Joint Locking and Ground Grappling.

Combat H apkido -D
Hapkido efensiv
efensivee Knife and SStick
-Defensiv tick
In this series, Master Pedro Rodriguez personally demonstrates and
explains in detail the use of the Stick as a practical and simple Self-
defense Weapon and the use of the Knife against an armed attacker.
Although some concepts, principles and techniques are derived from the
Filipino Arts, which he has studied and researched extensively, Master
Rodriguez has developed and structured this program to be an integral
part of the Combat Hapkido System

Combat H apkido -Knife and G

Hapkido un D
Gun isarming
Disarming
Considered to be one of the foremost leading experts in the World today,
Grandmaster John Pellegrini personally demonstrates and explains in
detail many of his street proven and devastatingly effective techniques of
Knife disarming and his lightening fast, no nonsense techniques of
Handgun disarming. His work has been praised and adopted by Police,
Security and Military Personnel around the World. Because of the risks
involved in confronting and armed attacker with empty hands, the
material in these videos is considered advanced and should not be taught
to beginners.

136
 Combat H apkido SSeminars
Hapkido eminars
One of the strong underpinnings of the Combat
Hapkido system is the seminar program and how
it helps Instructors and students learn, advance
and enjoy what Combat Hapkido has to offer.
The ICHF provides a unique variety of seminar
formats encompassing all facets of intensive, in-
depth, realistic self-defense training. Combat
Hapkido seminars are an excellent return on
investment in terms of quality and value for both
students and Instructors.

Combat Hapkido seminars offer the unique

opportunity to receive HANDS-ON-TRAIN-
ING with the Founder of the system. This is
important if you are serious about expanding
your knowledge and becoming a better Instruc-
tor. Who better than Grandmaster P ellegrini can explain in detail and demonstrate dynamically the
Pellegrini
concepts, principles and unique nuances of Combat Hapkido? Attending and/or hosting an ICHF
seminar also provide special opportunities for meeting and networking with other Instructors and
Charter members. New friendships, cooperation, idea exchanges and even business possibilities
become available.

Choices: No other Martial Arts organization in the World offers a better variety of self-defense
training, more seminar formats, higher quality instruction and more HQ support than the ICHF.

FORMATS A
FORMAT VAIL
AV ABLE
AILABLE
· Grandmaster P ellegrini “Combat H
Pellegrini apkido
apkido”” (one or two days)
Hapkido
· Grandmaster P ellegrini ““W
Pellegrini Weapon D isarming Techniques
Disarming echniques”” (one day)
· Grandmaster P ellegrini “Combat H
Pellegrini apkido Cane
Hapkido Cane”” (one day)
· Grandmaster P ellegrini & M
Pellegrini aster P
Master edr
Pedr
edrooR odrigue
odriguezz “D
Rodrigue ouble IImpact
“Double mpact
mpact”” (one or two days) -
covering Combat Hapkido and Ground Grappling
· M aster R odrigue
odriguezz “Combat H
Rodrigue apkido G
Hapkido Grr ound G rappling
rappling”” (one or two days)
Grappling
· M aster R odrigue
odriguezz “G
Rodrigue rappling for Kids (1-2 hour clinic)
“Grappling

Specialized seminars such as: Instructors/Black Belts Only; Women’s Self-defense/Rape Prevention;
Self-defense for Senior Citizens; Self-defense for the Disabled; Defensive Tactics for Law Enforce-
ment and Hand to Hand Combat for Military Personnel can be structured and tailored to the
requirements of a specific group.

Contact ICHF Headquarters at (828) 683-4240 for more information or to schedule a seminar.

137
 BOOK SIGNING TOURS AND
SEMINARS AVAIL
AV ABLE
AILABLE
An exciting opportunity to bring the author of
“Introduction to Combat Hapkido : The Science of
Self-Defense” is now available to groups and organiza-
tions interested in developing an understanding of
effective self-defense and the scientific principles that
underlay it.

Master Michael Rowe is now available within the

United States to discuss and instruct groups in the
foundational work of personal protection. By
utilizing natural body movements and postures
you will learn skills and techniques that will give
you more confidence and a higher chance of
surviving a violent encounter.
In addition to foundational seminar education,
Master Rowe is also available to enhance martial
arts seminars and tournaments with a personal
appearance and book signing.

For further information or to make arrangements for a book signing appearance contact,
Michael Rowe at:

E-Mail: mp_rowe@prodigy.net
Phone: (402)289-0388
Mail: Michael Rowe
C/O Dan Il Press
P.O. Box 540103
Omaha, NE 68154

138
References

Han, Bong Soo, “Hapkido: Korean Art of Self Defense”, Los Angeles,
California: Ohara Publications, Inc.

Kimm, Dr. He-Young, “Hapkido II”, Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Han Do Group

Seo, In Sun, “Martial Arts Textbook: Korean Traditional Martial Arts”, Seoul, Korea: Kido Hae

Pak, Yong Chin, “Hapkido”, Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University

Lee, Bruce, “Tao of Jeet Kune Do”, Santa Clarita, California: Ohara Publications, Inc.

139
Student Notes

140
Student Notes

141
Student Notes

142
Student Notes

143
Student Notes

144