Hapkido: Korean Art of Self-Defense: Amazon.ca: Bong Soo Han: Books

Product Description

Here is the first complete book in English on hapkido, the kick-oriented Korean martial art. Included are warm-up exercises, basic fighting position, punching and striking, blocks and kicks, and hapkido defences, with more than 500 dynamic photographs.

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

2.7 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What this book really is, Feb 8 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Hapkido: Korean Art of Self-Defense (Paperback)

I read most of the reviews here and thought I should share my own perspective.

This book is an excellent introduction to Hapkido written by the best authority on the subject. You are not going to get your black belt by reading this book. If you are already a black belt, you may find this book or any other book on another martial arts philosophy somewhat simplistic.

This book on the other hand introduces you to the philosophy of Hapkido and some of the key components of it. It would help you understand Hapkido better and will in fact show you the eclectic nature of it. I found it very helpful and recommend it to those who are not in love with any one style and have an open mind and yearn for learning.

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3.0 out of 5 stars The first significant book on hapkido available in English, Sep 25 2004

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Toronto_Matt (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hapkido: Korean Art of Self-Defense (Paperback)

I think the buyer of this book should take into consideration that this was the first significant book published on the subject of Korean Hapkido in English. Joon M Lee also published in the 1970s but few people saw his 2 books as they never became really popular.

There now exist more extensive books of worth by Myung Kwang-Sik and Kimm He-Young but this book by Master Han provided those wishing to learn more about the art with a good overview of hapkido's general tactics and range of techniques performed by a true master.

I think it is worthwhile because it features a truly great teacher performing the basics of the art.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Too simplistic, but OK for basics, Feb 4 2004

By

Joseph M Burtner (Kennesaw, Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Hapkido: Korean Art of Self-Defense (Paperback)

Some folks have accused this book of being too close to Tae Kwon Do; that's ok, because most Hapkido books I've seen look too much like aikijutsu, with limited attention to strikes. For the record, this book has a format similar to any Ohara Publications martial art book put out at the time. It starts with a history-philosophy section that isn't given hardly enough attention, then goes into some basic excersises, including deep breathing excersises and several stretch, push-up and sit-up variations. The most basic of strikes are then covered, and include the standard punch, backfist, knife-hand strikes, and elbows. The too-short blocking chapter is next, followed by kicks, both beginning and advanced. Then there are defenses shown against the punch and different types of kicks, which is OK in and of itself, followed by a self-defense chapter, where the only real locking techniques are shown. The last page shows where different pressure points are on the body, but it's just a grey silouette with black dots on it. The only person I'd recomend this book to is someone with little or no martial arts training, but then follow it with the warning to remember that these are only basic techniques, and not really the "art" of Hapkido.

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Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars The beginning of Hapkido
The book shows very basic moves and a different history than what I've been taught. Some explanations are good but this is not a book that I would say shows everything someone... Read more

Published on Dec 22 2002 by Tim 9th degree

2.0 out of 5 stars dissapointed
this book doesnt even touch the basic elements of Hapkido a first reader would get the wrong idea that Hapkido is mainly a kicking art which it is not this art is very well... Read more

Published on Feb 12 2002 by eric hefley