Customer Reviews

Hap Ki Do: A Guide to Black Belt Studies

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The title of this book, in my opinion, is misleading. I was under the impression that it would lead a Hapkido student from white belt through black belt, but no. As you can tell from the table of contents, this book is not organized according to belt progressions. In fact, there is no mention which technique belongs to which belt/ranking category.

I purchased this book, mainly because I was overwhelmed by the number of techniques that I had to learn from my Hapkido school, and I thought a book that showed details and sequences of those techniques would greatly aid my learning. (At my dojang, which belongs to Korea Hapkido Federation, most techniques do not have proper names but are simply numbered. e.g., Technique #1, #2, etc. It can test the limits of your memory when dozens and dozens of these techniques pile up on you.)

For my own purposes, this book is of little use. Most of the techniques I have been learning are not even covered in this book. The author of this book, Master Choe, heads the World Hapkido Federation, different from Korea Hapkido Federation. Hapkido schools are divided into many federations, and apparently each federation adopts different teaching methods and techniques. If I had the chance to look over this book prior to purchasing it, I would have passed.

While the book includes some nifty throws and grappling moves that are missing in other hapkido books, the bulk of the material is based on joint locks that can be applied in response to a wrist grab. There is no section on any kicking or punching.

The techniques illustrated here can definitely help a hapkido practitioner. But a guide to black belt studies? I think not.

This book is an extended version of Master Choe's other book, Hap Ki Do The Korean Art of Self Defense. The new book is arranged a little better and includes more text on philosophy, training and teaching techniques. This book is a great reference and is worth getting, even if you already have the other book.

has a few good "one liners" in it, some basic concepts on his personal training experiences. title is deceiving, A Guide to Black Belt Studies is simply misleading. I have been doing HKD for more than 20 years, so it has little to offer me or other instructors. NOT for advanced or especially Black Belts; it's designed for a new student to Hapkido.