become other thoughts. In combat application, the interception and man-
agement of an attack is open to a greater number of options along the
track of an arc rather than a straight line. An appreciation of the cyclical
nature of events also allows for anticipation according to a variety of op-
tions and an execution of a particular option in a tangential rather than
confrontational manner.
The Economy of Energy Principle encourages the practitioner to iden-
tify the most efficient way of accomplishing goals and admonishes the stu-
dent to avoid “working harder than one’s opponent.” In this way, whatever
one learns, one is under constant pressure to perform it more accurately, ef-
ficiently, and effectively. In this way a practitioner learns to “work smarter,
not harder” in dealing with conflicts.
A final significant overlap among Daitô-ryû, Hapkidô, and aikidô is
their reliance on a subtle hierarchy of sophistication that guides the practi-
tioner to identify ever increasing levels of efficiency and effectiveness in the
arts. For the Japanese arts, the first level of expertise is identified as jû jitsu
(gentle technique), which is expressed as yu soolin the Korean tradition.
Essentially an art based on strength, leverage, and speed, this level of ex-
pertise often includes a degree of forcing compliance by means of causing
pain for the successful execution of the technique. Though the least so-
phisticated of the three levels, this skill level is perhaps the most widely ex-
hibited among Hapkidô practitioners and contributes to its reputation as a
no-nonsense form of self-defense.
The second level of sophistication is identified in the Daitô-ryû tradi-
tion as aiki-jujitsu (coordinated mind/spirit technique); this is hapki yu sool
(coordination of power in soft technique) in the Korean tradition. Aikidô,
for its part, speaks of “blending” with one’s partner. All three phrases in-
dicate the ability to use the nature of attackers’ own physical structures
against them. Disrupting an attacker’s foundation, balance, direction, tim-
ing, or focus allows defenders to optimize their assets in confrontations
with individuals of greater size or ability. Well known among aikidô and
Daitô-ryû practitioners, this level is less well-known in the Hapkidô com-
munity, with the exception perhaps of practitioners in Korea itself.
The highest level of expertise is designated aiki-jitsu(spirit techniques)
and is the subject of much debate within both the aikidô and Daitô-ryû Aiki-
jujitsu community. This level of training allows the practitioner to exploit the
biomechanical responses of the attacker’s own body, such as conditioned re-
sponses and reflexes. In such cases the defender, then, is able not only to en-
gage enemies, unbalance them, and use their strength against them, but to in-
corporate the intent behind their actions in defeating the attack as well.
The organization of a typical Hapkidô school reflects many of the ac-
cepted organizational practices common to most martial arts in both Ko-
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