COMBATIVES

Hand-to-hand combat is an engagement between two or more persons in an empty-handed struggle or with hand-held weapons such as knives, sticks, or projectile weapons that cannot be fired. Proficiency in hand-to-hand combat is a fundamental building block to personal survival: either in the streets as a civilian or on the battle field as one of today's modern soldiers.

Purposes of Combatives Training: Individuals must be prepared to use different levels of force in an environment where conflict may change from low intensity to high intensity over a short period of time. Many situations may restrict the use of deadly weapons. Hand-to-hand combatives training will save lives when an unexpected confrontation occurs.

Combatives training helps to instill courage, self-confidence and self-discipline. With competence comes the understanding of controlled aggression and the ability to remain focused while under duress. Training in combatives includes hard and arduous physical training that is, at the same time, mentally demanding and carries over to other pursuits in life. The overall effect of combatives training is a successful physical fitness program that enhances individual strength, flexibility, balance, and fitness.

HAPKIDO - "The way of coordinated power."
(Definition: Hap - coordinated, Ki - power, Do - way.)

Our core Defensive Tactics curiculum is centered in the Korean art of Hapkido. Hapkido is a blended martial art that incorporates the kicks of Taekwondo and Taekyon with hand strikes, joint locks, throws and pressure point compliance techniques. Hapkido was not widely taught outside of Korea until approximately 1964, when the legendary Bong Soo Han led a delegation of Taekwondo and Hapkido masters to the Republic of South Vietnam.

It is commonly known that Taekwondo was taught to American and South Vietnamese soldiers. However, Hapkido was taught only to officers and Special Forces personnel. It can be argued that Hapkido was the original empty hand fighting system of the U.S. Army's elite Green Berets.