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Hapkido...

is a Korean martial art which emerged in the mid-twentieth century and quickly grew to become an international style. Hapkido possesses on the the most complex, unique, and varied arsenals of self-defense techniques to be found in any martial art. These skills include: strikes, kicks, blocks, avoiding movements, holds, joint locks, chokes, throws, breakfalls, tumbling, ground fighting, weapons, meditation, and healing.

Like many other Asian martial arts, Hapkido, emphasizes the unification of body, mind, and spirit; the perfection of human character; social responsibility; and appropriate use of force. Unlike most martial arts, Hapkido utilizes more than 1100 core techniques, which are intuitively modified or combined to create thousands of variations.

Hapkido techniques are not only for self-defense. Meditation and healing techniques are used to develop emotional stability, peace of mind, and confidence, while providing the same health benefits in other arts, such as Tai Chi Chuan and Qi-Gong. Thus, Hapkido is a highly practical self-defense art with strong spiritual underpinnings. In contemporary society, Hapkido, is mostly practice for self-defense, health, and spiritual growth. Although it is often compared to Aikido, Taekwondo, Jujutsu, Judo, and Tai Chi Chuan, it has a much broader range of techniques, suitable in a wider range of situations. Hapkido is currently practiced by a diverse range of men, women, and children of all ages; working professionals; gifted athletes; the physically impaired; military and law enforcement professionals; practiced in over 100 countries and continues to expand rapidly worldwide!

Etiquette

Bowing...is a sign of gratitude and respect found throughout the martial arts world. It signifies not only respect for you instructors or superiors, but respect for yourself, the art, and the "life" in general. It is a symbol of your profound reguard and caring for the rights and lives of others.

Standing bow in Korean is called Kyŏng-nye.

Rank System
The ten black black-ranks are referred to as degrees or dans. Fourth degree black belt or higher usually refers to master-level practitioner. The ranks from the lowest to highest are: white, yellow, green, blue, red, black.
Ranks are awarded based on skills and the amount of time spent in training at one's current rank. Promotion from one rank to another usually occurs through formal testing, which assesses a candidate's skills according to specific rank requirements.

Uniform
The jacket, belt, and pants worn during martial arts training is called a tobok (Korean). The jacket and pants are white, and the belt is color-coded according to the students rank. The uniform worn in Hapkido is commonly referred to as a "grappling-style" uniform or "Judo-style" uniform.