Hwa Yu Won - Three principles of HapKiDo

Hwa "The Non-Resistance or Harmony Principle"

Hwa, or nonresistance, is simply the act of remaining relaxed and not directly opposing an opponent's strength. For example, if an opponent were to push against a Hapkido student's chest, rather than resist and push back, the Hapkido student would avoid a direct confrontation by moving in the same direction as the push and utilizing the opponent's forward momentum to throw him. "Going with the flow" helps conserve energy and enables the Hapkido student to overcome much larger attackers.

Yu"The Water Principle"

Yu, or the water principle, holds many meanings in Hapkido. Water is one of the most powerful and pervasive forces of nature. It can be soft when touched and firm when struck. Water will conform to the shape of any vessel without losing it's integrity. Water follows the Hwa principle by flowing smoothly through the path of least resistance. A Hapkido student should adopt these qualities of water.

Won "The Circle Principle"

Won, the circular principle, is a concept to gain momentum for executing the techniques in a natural and free-flowing manner. If an opponent attacks in Linear motion, as in a punch or knife thrust, the Hapkido student would redirect the opponent's force by simply leading the attack in a circular pattern, thereby adding the attacker's power to his own. Once he had redirected the power, the Hapkido student could execute any of a variety of techniques to incapacitate his attacker. The Hapkido practicioner learns to view an attacker as an "energy entity" rather than as a physical one. The bigger the person is, or the more energy a person has, the better it is for the Hapkido student.