Hapkido is a very complex art with many facets, creating a daunting
task for anyone trying to capture the art in book form. Quite frankly,
the entire genre of Hapkido books have fallen victim to these complexities.
Additionally, most of the books by very respected Hapkido masters are
dated, both in time and quality standard. As a whole this book by Robert
Spear, one of the American pioneers in Hapkido and one of the highest
ranking members of the USHF, Seventh Dan, unfortunately must fall into
that category as a whole, but is not entirely without merit.
Mr. Spear attempts to cover a myriad of Hapkido subjects, including
history and philosophy (brief, but not bad, given the era in which it
was written), warm ups, falling, kicking and striking, defense against
kicking and punching, joint locks, throwing techniques, free-sparring,
seated defenses, weapon defenses, and cane and fighting stick techniques.
The problem is that too much is covered, and the book barely scratches
the surface of many of the above subjects. So poorly covered are some
of the subjects, it would have been better if they were simply omitted.
NOTE, that through the grapevine it is said that Mr. Spear was (is) very
upset that the book was edited and chopped down greatly, so the fault
could easily lie with the editor rather than the author. The book generally
spends little time except at the beginning discussing concepts and theories,
and even then it is done somewhat abstractly. As for the techniques covered,
the more experienced practitioner will be able to thumb through much of
the book, simply nodding at the familiar techniques within. The book also
suffers from another fundamental flaw in martial arts books: the techniques
show the beginning and end reference points, and offer very little detail
on what happens in between. While being status quo for most books of its
type, it still limits the beginner trying to use the book to expand their
repertoire, as well as the more advanced student who does find a new variation
or who was hoping to gain insights from one of the true experts on subtlety
of technique.
As stated before, the book is a bit outdated. The writing style is very
simple and straightforward, only occasionally showing the true intelligence
Mr. Spear is known for. The pictures and layout are poor by today’s standards.
Some of the techniques might be a bit prefabricated for today’s more knowledgeable
audience (but perhaps these techniques have value in understanding the
conceptual possibilities).
Despite all of this, I still found myself taking a decent amount of
notes. Most everyone can find some variation or little jewel somewhere.
USHF students will find the techniques are done with a more traditional
flair, giving students a taste of their roots while making them aware
of the some of the subtle differences between it and their Americanized
curriculum. USHF members and others may find value in it from a historical
view, being written by a pioneer in American Hapkido and a former chairman
of the USHF Board of Examiners. It is with much regret that I cannot put
it on one of the other, more endorsing lists. But if a potential reader
were still interested in getting the book after being warned of the potential
pitfalls, I would not try to stop them from buying it.
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