The Principle of YU (flowing water)
In HapKiDo, water symbolizes many things. Among these are adaptability and softness. Water never struggles with any object that it encounters. If water cannot win the contact, it will not conflict. Instead it will join with its adversary, producing no friction. Although this is a demonstration of its ability to adapt, it is important to realize that water never changes itself. We must learn to adapt in the same way if we are to survive the challenges and adversities that we will face during our lifetime. Softness is another characteristic of water that relates to the understanding of HapKiDo. We must accept the fact that softness has the capacity to win against hardness. A tempered steel bar will eventually break under enough stress. Water, however, though it may be made to break up, will invariably join together again. This will have much deeper meaning once you learn the higher level of techniques.
In HapKiDo, one does not stop an attacker's force directly with the force, but redirects it. If one imagines a stream flowing rapidly down a mountain, and decided to change the direction of the water flow, the problems to overcome becomes apparent. Constructing a dam perpendicular to the flow is obviously not the solution. However, if one would simply divert its flow, success would be realized. This principle of HapKiDo follows the same approach. One does not stop an attacker's punch, strike, or kick by applying force in direct opposition to the attack. By applying force to the side, tangentially, the attack can be diverted and less energy expended.
A HapKiDo principle that concerns maximum use of strength at one time can be easily explained when compared to the flow of water. One person can remove a fire hose from a truck. In this instance, it is light and flexible. However, when connected to a fire hydrant it now demands three people to handle it due to the concentration of water at one point, the end of the hose. HapKiDo compares a person's Ki power to water in a fire hose. A person should be able to concentrate all one's power in one direction to one spot. In this way one can have maximum proficiency with minimum effort.
Nothing in the world is as soft as water
yet it can wear away the hardest of things.
The supple overcomes the hard.
And the so-called weak, the strong.
-Lao Tzu - Tao Te Ching, Chapter 78
Softness triumphs over hardness, feebleness over strength.
What is more malleable is always superior over that which is immoveable. This is the principle of controlling things by going along with them, of mastery through adaptation.
-Lao Tzu
We are born gentle and weak. At our death we are hard and stiff. Green plants are tender and filled with sap. At their death, they are withered and dry. Therefore, the stiff and unbending is the disciple of death. The gentle and yielding is the disciple of life. Thus, an army without flexibility never wins a battle. A tree that is unbending is easily broken.
-Lao Tzu
In Hapkido, one does not stop an attacker's force directly with force, but redirects it. If one will imagine a stream flowing rapidly down a mountain, the problems to overcome if one decided to change the direction of the water flow becomes apparent. Constructing a dam perpendicular to the flow is obviously not the solution. However, if one would simply divert its flow, success would be realized. Hapkido's theory follows the same approach. One does not stop an attacker's punch by applying force in direct opposition to the attack. By applying force to the side, tangentially, the attack can be diverted and less energy expended.
A Hapkido principle that concerns maximum use of strength at one time can be easily explained when compared to the flow of water. One man can remove a fire hose from a truck. In this instance, it is light and flexible. However, when connected to a fire now demands three men to handle it due the concentration of water at one point, the end of the hose. Hapkido compares man's ki power to water in a fire hose. Man should be able to concentrate all his power in one direction to one spot.Nothing in the world is as soft as water yet it can wear away the hardest of things.
The supple overcomes the hard.
And the so-called weak, the strong.
-Lao Tzu - Tao Te Ching, Chapter 78
Softness triumphs over hardness, feebleness over strength. What is more malleable is always superior over that which is immoveable. This is the principle of controlling things by going along with them, of mastery through adaptation.
-Lao Tzu
We are born gentle and weak. At our death we are hard and stiff. Green plants are tender and filled with sap. At their death, they are withered and dry. Therefore, the stiff and unbending is the disciple of death. The gentle and yielding is the disciple of life. Thus, an army without flexibility never wins a battle. A tree that is unbending is easily broken.
Lao Tzu