Customer Reviews

Ultimate Hapkido Series 1 - "Beginners" Instructional Video [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

No matter how good, spending a lot for a 20 minute video is way overpriced. I'll grant that they skip the usual warm up exercises in beginner's videos and get right to the techniques. They cover many techniques (maybe 20) but that shows how briefly each technique is covered. You see it once in slow motion, then at full speed and that's it. There's almost no explanation of what to be careful of when doing each technique, and no basic introduction to hip rotation or throwing. The video seems to assume you already know the basics.

Beginners video #1
Chapter 1 - Wrist Grabs - covers cross hand single grab 1-4 and same side single grabs 1-4
Chapter 2 - Body Grab Defenses - covers low sleeve grab1, mid sleeve grab 1, front shoulder grab 1, front single lapel 1-2, Front lapel pull 1-2, and belt grab. Also covers Back of Body defenses including rear collar grab 1, Rear shoulder grab 1, Back of elbows 1, 2 Hands grabbing 2 hands from rear 1, Bearhugs (pinned and unpinned from rear), Side headlock 1-2
Kicks - Front kick, Roundhouse kick, Shin kick, Crescent kick, Outside crescent kick
Total Time - about 30 minutes

My Opinions - This whole volume covers a lot of the "typical" Hapkido locks and escapes and is pretty good. The interlude videos show a whole lot of stuff not covered anywhere in the set and shows that this system seems to do some Taekwondo-ish sparring and some Brazilian Jiujutsu style grappling but that material is not covered in any of the volumes. Overall, probably the best video in the set.

In general (this applies to all three) - Each video is set up along the same format - show some techniques, have a minute long video interlude, some more techniques, interlude, and so on until the last 3 or 4 minutes. During the last few minutes some kicks are demonstrated in the air and against some paddles.

I liked the ideas of the minute long interlude videos but really disliked how they had an "artsy effect" added to them that made them a bit less clear (fuzzy effect). Also, al three videos use the exact same interlude videos so if you've watched volume 1, you've already seen all of the interlude videos (making the repetition a bit boring).

The content of the interlude videos was a bit odd. Some of them show people sparring using kicks and punches. The techniques shown look very much like tournament Taekwondo sparring, with high kicks, jumping/spinning kicks, hands held low, and so on.

Some of the interlude videos show people using some Hapkido techniques that end up "not working" and leading to some ground grappling. The ground grappling looks quite a bit like Brazilian Jiujutsu type of grappling and there are some nice reversals and techniques shown. However, none of these techniques are shown in an instructional manner in the video series. Even in the "ground defenses" chapter there is no material presented on reversing or escaping the guard or any sort of takedown defense.

As a three volume set, I found it quite lacking in many areas. There is no material on Hapkido breathing, Breakfalling, Hand strikes, Footwork, and so on. The material presented ranges from good to impractical and is presented in a fairly quick way. It's clear that the instructor (Master Tae Jung) is very skilled and very smooth, but the video package looks more like an advertisement for Hapkido than it does an instructional set.

Even though there are not a lot of Hapkido videos out there, those that are tend to be a lot better than these. Some of the material is good but between the shortness of each volume, the glaring omissions of material, and the lack of practicality in the later volumes, I'd give this set a miss.

Although possessing a truly irritating narrative track and, as has been pointed out by another reviewer, being too short, this video represents a solid attempt at providing a basic overview of a complex art with a great breadth of techniques.

It is filmed well, shot clearly from a variety of angles with close-ups of important action and is shot in a good uncluttered dojang.There are slow motion replays of each technique. This films strives and succeeds at being truly instructional.

I would highly recommend it to practitioners of the art with the proviso that they are aware of the running time of the video for the price they are paying. Personally I think it is probably worth the price.

As a beginning student of Hapkido, I have found this video set to be an exceptional aid to my training. Each 30 minute session has different techniques being shown in slow motion while being narrated, so that the student is able to clearly see each step as it is explained. This is followed by the technique being performed in real-time, so the student can see how it looks when properly performed. I look forward to future videos!

I thoroughly enjoyed this video series. The three tape set is the way to go. The production quality, format and material is exceptional. The creator spared no effort in producing this video. These tapes are a great way to practice at home.

The three video tape series is an excellent value and a great resource. The video quality and editing are first rate and the techniques are easy to follow and thorough.