Reviews for Hap Ki Do, The Korean Martial Art of Self Defense: Practical Hap Ki Do Textbook

The average rating for Hap Ki Do, The Korean Martial Art of Self Defense: Practical Hap Ki Do Textbook based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-02-03 00:00:00 Carrie Funston These are good exercises, but the presentation leaves something to be desired. I've never studied Filipino martial arts with a master (just occasional elements here and there), but these exercises give a good sense of the flow of two weapons and the rhythm of these patterns. The pictures are small, black-and-white, and with two practitioners both wearing black, lose some of the technique. Similarly, the descriptions of footwork don't always match the practitioner's feet clearly, and more discussion of when one might choose to employ one technique v. another (since many start with similar parries) would let it live up to the "complete" moniker better. At the same time, it's quite digestible and portable, and pushes the reader to get working on it.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-03-23 00:00:00 Weston Jill Overall, like Galang's other books, this is a commendable work, and is a great documentation of Filipino Martial Arts techniques and expression of their philosophy. I don't think that one could conceivably learn Sinawali from this book alone, but it nonetheless is an impressive work that Eskrimadors will value. The historical information on Sinawali and the Pampagan region is very interesting. While I have read criticism from certain circles on Sinawali, in my experience, Sinawali can help to develop both ambidexterity and a simultaneity of attack, defense, etc. in open-handed fighting that can be of great benefit to the martial artist. I had years of open-hand training before Eskrima, but Eskrima enhanced my open-hand skills tremendously, and some of this came from numerous Sinawali drills I had done over the years with partners, on the bag or dummy, etc. The repeated claim that Sinawali is the precursor to mastery of Espada y Daga (Sword and Dagger, though usually it is more properly Olisi, single stick, and Baraw, a specific type of dagger) is a sensible one, for the ambidexterity required of Sinawali is required for Espada y Daga. The majority of the book is sequences of pictures of Sinawali techniques, and one should weigh the efficacy of this type of presentation relative to one's needs before purchasing it, I think.