Welcome to the Hapkido Federation of the City of Dnepropetrovsk!

We are neither exclusively sportmen, nor narrow-minded sectarians. To put it simple we practice martial arts the way we like it - that is for our own health and pleasure. We are not concentrating exclusively on practical aspects of Hapkido or pure philosophy but we do the best to master it as a whole in harmony with our abilities and knowledge. From our experience this is the approach that leads to true knowledge. At this website you will not find any descriptions of sport techniques, or certification requirements, or glossaries or other common attributes of martial arts websites. All this is not that important. Instead we would like to tell you more about the unique practice of rehabilitation and support for mind and body. The Hankido version of Hapkido became known to the Ukraine just recently but some achievements are already seen. One should mention that this is the first style of Hapkido that began developing in our country.

The universally recognized Hapkido founder’s title belongs to the Grandmaster Choi Yong Sool, who created a synthesis of Japanese Aikijutsu Daito-rju and traditional Korean footwork. But the founder of the Hapkido style that we practice i.e. Hankido is the Korean Grandmaster Myung Jae Nam (1938-1999). His short biography can be found at the “Articles” page. In his quest to create a new school Kuk Sa Nim – a name he has been called by his followers – reached deep into historical traditions and principles of “internal” martial art schools. Among the origins are Chinese Chin Na techniques and an ancient Korean Yusul style i.e. “soft martial arts” although it would be superficial to say for sure. We cannot fully restore the scene of the ancient times with the martial arts styles in their initial stage. Thus we can only follow our own path of development which we do with great pleasure. In 1992 Kuk Sa Nim announced the creation of Hankido – the Korean Way of Energy, a style based on understanding of the basic principles of harmonious functioning of human body energy, anatomy and physiology. Although it partially based on Chin Na style of Chinese origin most of Hankido comes from the Korean culture because of its being mainly a synthesis of the old Korean Yusul styles.

First of all it is softness in approach. In Ukraine several other kinds of Hapkido are being developed, but we have no contradictions with practitioners of other martial arts styles and schools. Each of us chooses the way he finds the best. We could go into long explanation of this attitude but it would not be helpful. One can only feel it and live with it. To say even more we are not experts in other MA styles so we are not really qualified to deeply judge other styles’ learning approaches, well, of course as general specialists in martial arts we always see the external differences. But I have got a clear idea of softness and flexibility since I began to study Jujitsu Goshin-ryu in 1990. Especially the name itself – Hapkido, The Way of energy concentration - goes in harmony with concepts of softness and pliancy, they are essential for overcoming an attack with the least possible loss. There are no sex/age limits for Hapkido/Hankido practicioners (see “The Martial Art of Hankido” article). Both kids and elderly people practice it. Everyone finds here something they need and are interested in.

We are not interested in attracting huge crowds of students into our classes, we prefer an individual approach instead. If you spot a Hankido advertisement in mass media or a street poster it is NOT COMING FROM US! We do not place ads with the “Anybody welcome!” message. This does not mean we are not looking for students. However everyone who is interested to become our student should have an introductory conversation with one of our instructors. It’s essential at least to know whether your needs are aligned with what we have to offer. Following e-mail contact information in the lower left corner of the page you can get in touch with the president of the City Federation of Hapkido Arthur Vitalievich Shilin and ask him the questions you have. Our Federation is a joint member of the All-Regions Center of Hapkido/Hankido which is headed by the Master Igor Vladimirovich Gambarov, the 5th Dan. Also he is the major representative of the European Hapkido Federation in the Ukraine.

In our forum we welcome all experts in martial arts, and we will gladly publish your original articles on any aspect of the martial arts and their history.