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Step 1
Learn to fall. This is the first thing Hapkido students are taught. It is essential to be able to hit the ground and bounce back up unharmed. Hapkido teaches specific ways to break your fall from any direction. All other techniques are useless if you don't know how to fall first.
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Step 2
Roll like a ball. Rolling is another essential technique of Hapkido. It allows you to escape dangerous situations and spring to your feet in a ready position with a minimum of effort. Rolling correctly is just as important as falling correctly in Hapkido. It allows you to escape injury and move without fear when impacting a hard surface.
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Step 3
Strike with conviction. Hapkido kicks and punches are similar to those of Tae Kwon Do. Both are Korean martial arts and many martial artists practice both. Hapkido kicks tend to be powerful using full extension of the leg and hip. Hapkido punches are also strong and generated from the hip but are secondary to the kicks.
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Step 4
Learn joint lock techniques. This is what distinguished Hapkido from other martial arts. Hapkido teaches intricate maneuvers to trap opponents in uncomfortable joint locks. These are primarily focused in the wrist, elbow and shoulder. These techniques require years to learn and a lifetime to perfect.
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Step 5
Throw with leverage. Hapkido throws are similar to Judo throws. They involve pushing, pulling and maneuvering to gain a leverage advantage over your opponent. Getting beneath an opponent's center of gravity is also emphasized in Hapkido. These throwing techniques are potent when combined with Hapkido joint locks and strikes.
