Striking Standards

Below you will find comparative listings from the World Hapkido Federation, He-Young Kimm book, "HAPKIDO", HWARANGDO, KUK SUL WON and YONG SUL KWAN Hapkiyusool. Please note that the substitution of the material by Dr. Kimm is not to identify him as a separate tradition of Hapkido. It is also not to represent his tradition, HAN MU DO as the equivalent of Hapkido. I am availing myself of Dr. Kimm's considerable knowledge of the Hapkido arts as a way of providing an additional catalogue of techniques in the absence of sufficient SIN MU Hapkido material.

As before, the 1st group of strikes are those shared by 5 out of five of the groups researched. These are coded Red.
The 2nd group are strikes shared by 4 out of the five groups and these are coded Blue.
The 3rd group are strikes shared by 3 out of five and these are coded Green.
The 4th group are strikes shared by 2 out of 5-- Violet.
The 5th group are for strikes that are unique to only one out of the five and are coded Auburn.  Let me also say again that the selection of these techniques as foundational to the practice of the Hapkido arts is not considered to be exhaustive or exclusive in any way. Inclusion in the list of 17 techniques does not speak to any special combat efficacy or preference. In my own curriculum there are strikes that I include which have wound up at the bottom of this particular list, but the intention was not to represent my personal practices as somehow particularly commendable. If, for instance, you have a warm-spot in your heart for a Rearward or Lateral Elbow strike as do I, there is no reason not to use it in your basics, right? All I am doing here is demonstrating that we all have a lot more in common across the Hapkido arts than we have differences. Results are posted at the bottom of the page. 

Results:  Across this range of Hapkido arts the following list of strikes would form a solid representational foundation for modern Hapkido.

1. Knifehand Strike

2. Palm-heel Strike

3. Tiger Mouth Strike

4. Spearhand Strike 

5. Hammerfist Strike

6. Center Knuckle Strike

7. Backfist Strike

8. Ridgehand Strike

9. Fist Punch 

10. 5-Finger Strike 

11. Forward Elbow Strike

12.Wrist Bend Punch 

13. Index Finger Knuckle

14. Thumb Knuckle  Strike

15. Backhand Strike

16, Two Finger Strike 

17. Rising Elbow Strike