Hanmoodo

Finland: Sauna, Wodka And A Very Eclectic Korean Martial Art

Most of us would make the connection between Finland and Finnish sauna and even some of the most famous Wodka brands money can buy, right?

But Finland and a very eclectic Korean martial art?

Let me tell you how this post came together.

Last Sunday while getting ready for a tennis mixed doubles match I was talking with one of my team members and his wife about martial arts.

They told me that that they had studied some Korean martial art several years ago in Mississippi, which they referred to as Han Moo Do.

I actually had no in-depth knowledge of this style and they were kind enough to tell me a little bit more such as:

Han Moo Do is a fairly young style which consists of elements of Tae Kwon and Hapkido. They probably told me more, but that’s what stuck with me.

That sounded pretty intriguing to me, so I started to dig a bit deeper and here is what I found online:

Han Moo Do was created by 8th dan Young Suk (Yoon Soon Hwang) about 20 years ago, when the first club was established in Finland!

Lately it has been spreading to other Nordic countries, such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

The first club outside of the nordic region was recently set up in Limerick, Ireland. But also even in Mississippi in the U.S. Southeast as I mentioned above.

Hanmoodo is descended from other Korean styles, such as Hoi Jeon Moo Sool and Taekwondo, so Hanmoodo resembles these styles as well as Hapkido in many areas.

Hanmoodo’s techniques include kicks, punches, throws, takedowns, grappling , joint-locking techniques and chokes.

Kicks are mostly aimed at ribs or head.

Punches can be targeted to the body only.

Throws and takedowns resemble Judo and wrestling techniques but are done even more elegantly.

Joint locks mainly target the wrist and elbow but there are also leg locks.

Chokes are performed mostly with forearm and wrist.

The art contains three weapon styles: nunchaku, long staff e.g. Japanese bo; and sword e.g. Japanese katana.

Hanmoodo practitioners are also encouraged to engage in exhibitions where a practiced choreography is presented to an audience. These choreographies feature several practitioners performing self-defence techniques on each other.

In competition, Hanmoodo rules permit kicks above the waistline and punches between the waistline and the head.

All strikes must hit the front of the body and other kinds of strikes are prohibited.

Competitors may also grapple by throwing or taking down their opponent and controlling him/her on the mat but striking is prohibited when either competitor has a hold on the other or is considered to be on the ground.

I have found Han Moo Do or hanmoodo to be a rather interesting mixed martial art that covers the four combat ranges of long, medium and close as well as ground fighting. Oh, yeah, weapons, too.

Personally, I can do without the high-flying kicks, which in no way criticizes the style itself. High kicks might have their justification.

Summa summarum, I am impressed with Han Moo Do and to give you some visuals of it all, here is a clip I found. Hope you enjoy it.