Wing Chun vs. Hapkido.. comparison of styles?

[ben785]

Hi
Currently I'm seeking out a martial art style to commit to for a long term. I've been doing Wing Chun for a short while but my attention has also been bought to Hapkido. My understanding is that Wing Chun seems to be based more on personal styles and forms, whereas Hapkido, while still having its set of forms and techniques, is not as confined to forms as Hapkido.

Is there any comparison that anybody could give me? I assume some of you would have practiced a few styles before, can you give me any information / background on your experience please?

[Chinatown Kid]

Hapkido is a Korean Martial Art with kicks similar to TKD but also includes a lot of joint locks and throws taken from Jiujitsu and includes alot of circular movements. If you have studied Wing Chun then you already know it is a Chinese style that stresses close in-fighting with simultanious block/strike methods with economical movements. The kicks are usually low( to knee or groin) and the hand strikes linear(straight vertical punches/palms) but do have non-linear strikes(knife hand type strikes/hooking punches) as well.

[shukocarl]

I can't see how one would combine Wing Chun and Hapkido if one or the other was not modified in some way. Hapkido uses much larger techniques than compact Wing Chun. I suppose the trapping/sticky hands could lead on to Hapkido throws of some sort. Hmm, definately an intresting project.

[Yi Long]

You can use the Wing Chun for the grabbing and trapping etc. You will catch everypunch and you can trap it... after which you can turn that into a Hapkido 'lock' and break some joints I guess.

Personally, I'm not really interested in all that stuff. (the locking and breaking stuff). I'd like to learn it, but I think if someone traps and grabs my hand (and you usually need 2 hand to grab and lock a hand), I'll just smash my other hand into his face, cause if he's busy locking my one arm with his TWO hands, it just means that if he's not paying attention I can just knock a good one in ;)
Plus a swift low kick also usually breaks any grabs and locks someone might make.

Maybe the Israeli martial art Krav Maga would offer anice mix of those 2 styles, while still making sure it will be effective. i dont know, I have never practiced it.

[BKarza]

WC and hapkido have different footwork. It's hard to combine things that don't have similar footwork as a base.
You would end up using techniques of one as an opening presented itself, but you would primarily end up using more of one.
Locks happen/are done instantly and fast. They are not done in slow motion where one can see it coming, or feel that it is happening. There is no, hey he's going for a blank, I'll just punch him and...

[stormybman]

Hapkido just HURTS. period. All the joint locking flipping and those finishing kicks, and one's had it. I don't want to be on the receiving end, however, i'd love to learn it to inflict serious damage to my opponent! 8)

"Do we fight alone..? Or, all together?!"

[kungfusamurai]

Perhaps Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do is the best thing to have combined the two styles? Bruce's background was in Wing Chun, and I think he kept a lot of the techniques for JKD, but then he added those large kicks you see him use in the films. I don't know if he imported those from TKD or Karate. Probably the latter.

KFS

[Daisho2004]

I liked Wing Chun for its close quarter combat style, it really isn't a hard style to pick up quickly, and get the moves down. I studied it a long time ago with my friend and he was really good, the way he would trap and grab then counter your hand moves was wild! Wing Chun really doesn't use to many kicks in its style its more hand to hand combat. Now Hapkido is a more versatile style that uses kicks, grappling, etc. But it really comes down to what your looking to learn.

[saberdjedi]

Hapkido is a Korean Martial Art with kicks similar to TKD but also includes a lot of joint locks and throws taken from Jiujitsu and includes alot of circular movements. Actually hapkido also really warrants a comparison to aikido especially. The creator of hapkido and aikido both studied the same martial art, daito ryu aiki jujitsu, which at a glance appears to be aikido. In fact, hapkido uses the same chinese characters as aikido.

To simply put it, hapkido is loosely taekwondo and aikido (I've studied both) combined. If you are familiar with either of these, that should give you an idea of what hapkido is like.

My understanding is that Wing Chun seems to be based more on personal styles and forms, whereas Hapkido, while still having its set of forms and techniques, is not as confined to forms as Hapkido. Well in wing chun you get to do sticky hands, but in hapkido you get to do free sparring while wearing padding.

So I'd say if you really would like to develop your kicks and learn some grappling, then take hapkido. Also, if you like to showboat, hapkido is also much better for that.

[ben785]

i just wanted to thank you guys for the information you gave me. I've been with Hapkido and i think ive learnt alot more than i did in the one or two months i was doing Wing Chun. I definitely need to work on leg reflexes and kicking so this is a challenge, but a good one at that.

While i'd love to hear further comments from anyone, especially who has trained in either and / or both, at the same time i wanted to thank you again for the information