Elite Freestyle Hapkido Association | Yarbrough Martial Arts Academy

the meaning of Hapkido

Hapkido is three words written in Korean . The three symbols mean Hap Ki Do .

Hap - Combine

Ki - Energy / Harmony

Do - System / Path / method

The three principles of HapKiDo

Yu - Water principle

won - The circlular principle

Hwa - Nonresistance / Harmony principle

Elite FreeStyle Hapkido Association

Self - Defense with instructor Ryan Yarbrough

Belt ranks in Hapkido and we try to promote belt test progess every three months and upper ranks every six months to black belt levels .
Black belt levels promote every few years .

White belt under belts in Korean are Gups and count down

Yellow belt

Orange belt level

Green belt level

Purple belt level

Blue belt level

Brown belt level

Red belt level

Black belt ranks called Yu Dan Cha & count upward.

Black belt level 1,2,3 & title Sabum

Fourth degree black belt level of master rank thru Six degree black belt & title Sabum Nim

Ko Dan Cha level Grand Master rank

7th degree black belt & title Kwan Jang Nim

History of Hapkido

Hapkido is an electric modern day self defense martial arts founded by Grand Master Choi Yung Sool whom study in Japan under JuJitsu Grand Master Takeda for 30 years in Japan . During WW2 Japanese JuJitsu Grand Master Takeda saw Choi yung Sul practicing martial arts and took him home to Japan to live with him . On Takeda death bad he said let the art die with him but agreeing they should teach martial arts in there on way . GM Choi knew he didn’t want to teach a Japanese heritage in Japan has a Korean so he moved back to Korea teaching Yu Sul which means the same thing in Korean has JuJitsu in Japanese .
Black belt student # 14 GM Ji Han Jae later changed the name to Hapkido .
In Japan they cleaned up the brutal art of Daito Ryu Aikia Ju Jitsu and founded Aikido a more harmonious way .
In Korea GM Choi was standing in line to get a job at the Bowery company. While a fight broke out in the line it's said Choi won a fight against multiple attackers of five people . The owners son InSeo saw this and has a black belt in Judo loved it .
He got a job protecting an Government official and teaching self defense too the public .
while adding Judo and than later Taekwondo. Hapkido became the first MMA Art of Korea .

Water is the focus of Hapkido. HapKiDo practioners never meet force with force but use harmony in circular foot work by mirroring or going in , out , over , under , and thru the target .

Our style of Korean MooSul Kwan Hapkido & TaeKwonDo and is blended to insure the best standup striking / sparring , and Hapkido grappling self defense. This art is influenced by Ryan Yarbrough whom also thinks it's important to teach the core value of Boxing and Kickboxing into the Hapkido sparring . Elite Freestyle Hapkido Association is also different in the ways of grappling Mr.Ryan also adds in his favorite Japanese JuJitsu technique's with grappling & joint locks and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for ground submission fighting .

This art includes the foundation of the following.

kicks

sparring

punches

Elbows/ open hand strikes

self defense

kickboxing

Joint Locks

Throws

Take downs

chokes

full body grabs