Hapkido

This ground-breaking work is the first to comprehensively document the traditions, philosophy, and techniques of one of the world's most varied, exciting, and practical martial arts—Hapkido. More than 9,000 photographs introduce over 2,000 martial techniques, including strikes, kicks, blocks, avoiding movements, holds, joint locks, chokes, throws, falls, tumbling, ground fighting, and weapons. Numerous closeups show precise grips, leverage methods, pressure points, hitting surfaces, and direction of force.

In addition to self-defense techniques, chapters are included on East Asian philosophy, martial arts history, anatomy, meditation, healing, and pressure point fighting, as well as in-depth, previously unpublished interviews with the world's preeminent Hapkido Grandmasters and renowned Grandmasters of related martial arts. Because of similarities between Hapkido and many other martial arts, including Taekwondo, Jujutsu, Aikido, Judo, and Tai Chi Chuan, this book is a useful reference for practitioners of all martial arts styles, from novices to masters. This unique work of exceptional quality is the definitive text on Hapkido, and destined to become a classic of martial arts literature."This book is in my experience the most comprehensive ever written on a single martial art. It is superbly organized, highly informative, and contains thousands of outstanding photographs. An authoritative presentation of basic principles and techniques, integrated with modern innovations, makes this work indispensable to martial artists of virtually any style."—Professor Wally Jay, founder and grandmaster of Jujitsu America

"Hapkido is an overwhelming achievement. Its comprehensiveness and the quality of the writing and design are unmatched in martial arts literature. The author's integration of history, philosophy, and technique into the larger framework of martial arts as a whole makes this book invaluable to any martial artist. Tedeschi's treatment of weapons techniques is honest, practical, and well worth studying."—Nicklaus Suino, author of The Art of Japanese Swordsmanship Marc Tedeschi (born 1956) is an American martial arts master, designer, photographer, writer, and educator. He is the author and designer of more than twenty books on the martial arts and Eastern medicine, many of which have been translated into French, Italian, Spanish, and Russian. His works include the acclaimed 1136-page Hapkido, the 896-page Taekwondo, Essential Anatomy for Healing and Martial Arts, and a unique series of general martial arts books that provide an in-depth look at the core concepts and techniques shared by a broad range of martial arts.

Mr. Tedeschi was a 7th degree black belt in Hapkido before founding his own style of Hapkido in 2007. He has studied Eastern philosophy, healing arts, and combatives for more than 50 years, training extensively in Hapkido, Taekwondo, Jujutsu, Judo, and Karate. He holds arts degrees from the Rochester Institute of Technology and the Kansas City Art Institute, formerly taught design at the Academy of Art University and the University of San Francisco, and has been a strategic design consultant to major corporations and institutions worldwide. He currently devotes most of his time to writing, teaching, and training, and is working on a broad range of projects related to Asian culture. He also serves as president of Hapkido West, a California-based nonprofit organization dedicated to the martial ways.