Jungki Kwan Midwest

I went to the Core Elements self-​defense course here and found it very useful. We covered what I wanted to know: escape techniques and basic defense strategies. I am a short person and have long acknowledged that I could not physically fight most people if they tried to attack me, so learning what leverage points and physical techniques I could use to get free in a bad scenario was exactly what I had hoped for.
What I most appreciated was that Kevin, our instructor, used information I was well aware of but often gets drowned out in the sea of victim-​blaming — the vast majority of rapes are committed by acquaintances, the best way to defend yourself is to enforce boundaries — and even talked about socialization and how it affects our reactions to what other people try to do to us. This is just as important as the physical defense information and really won me over.
I would highly recommend Kevin’s course for anyone who is interested in learning self-​defense. I’m hoping to go to the full course myself soon.

Truly awesome martial arts!!! This is Hapkido as intended without crazy aerials designed to woo crowds of S. Koreans or writers from Black Belt Magazine… a good indication that a Hapkido school is actually teaching something else. Here the emphasis is placed on learning the techniques correctly intertwined with basic street knowledge and a good dose of common sense which is refreshing. Master Kevin has been teaching Hapkido since he was in his teens, holds his BS in Education, has years of experience bouncing Chicago nightclubs and performing security/​bodyguard work for major names in the Hip Hop world, and is now the premier instructor for the Jung Ki Kwan Hapkido in the Midwest. This is a man who understands fighting, self-​defense, and the psychology of what happens in a confrontation and is able to teach why the techniques work based on his experiences rather than just teaching material without ever having tested its practicality. Now that I have been training here for the last 6 months, I can’t imagine studying Hapkido under anyone else.
Also available are classes in Kuhapdo which is a Korean sword style as well as women-​only classes in Self-​Defense and the new female instructed FitCut class that focuses heavily on core strength through the use of the sword, cardio, and coordinated movement.
As Mark noted, Hapkido is a Korean martial art and is commonly translated as «the way of coordinated energy/​power». It is also frequently described using words like «dynamic» and «eclectic» because it combines so many different types of response that are all based on redirecting your opponent’s energy and returning it in a circular motion, typically along with a final strike or series of strikes intended to end the fight. In addition to basic strikes and low kicks, you learn joint locks, pressure points, throws, and some weapons at more advanced levels.
Finally, Hapkido is not a Korean version of the Japanese Aikido whose techniques typically end short before leaving the realm of defensive measures. Simply put, Hapkido is street fighting which also helps distinguish it from competitive arts like Karate, Tae Kwan Do, Kickboxing, Judo, or BJJ. I have nothing but respect for other arts but competitive martial arts generally consider our final strikes «dirty» or «illegal» because they focus on how to score points in a match. In my eyes, if you’re in a real fight, I’ll skip over anything designed for competitive back-​and-​forth point scoring and do whatever I need to in order to walk away in 1 piece. Realistically, that may simply mean running but if my back is against a wall, this is a martial art that just may save my neck.
This is a great school. Pricing is fair and Master Kevin will never try to get you to sign a lengthy contract. To my knowledge, he doesn’t even have contracts other than asking that you let him know 30 days before leaving. Also worth noting, the entire syllabus is available on DVD in English being performed by the current Grandmaster in Korea (
) and is a great way to supplement the material you get in class and reinforce your understanding so that you can train at a more accelerated pace.
Check out the International Hapkido USA website (
) for class times and any additional information.

This is a great place to learn Hapkido. Hapkido is a korean martial art that uses fun stuff like kicks, strikes, and joint locks to immobilize your opponet. Hapkido is easier to pick up and use than some other martial arts and they aren’t above teaching you some quick and dirty ways to ruin someone’s day (which I will leave to your imagination).
Master Kevin is the main guy and he is really down-​to-​earth and patient with total rookies like myself. The hours are great — they have classes seven days a week and evenings. The first class is free and if they see someone new they’ll teach some quick, easy-​to-​learn self-​defense stuff along with the regular class. Even if you don’t sign up, you will have a new trick or two up your sleeve in case you ever need it. Try it out!