Barksdale members kick it to Hapkido

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Amber Ashcraft
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  Some are dressed in white with colored belts around their waists. Others wear loose clothing and are shorter than five feet tall. Each one kicks their left leg forward, balancing on their right leg and yells out, directing the force in a single burst of energy.

"Good, good," says their instructor as he walks around the group.

Lt. Col. John Lofton, Air Force Global Strike Command, leads a class in the Korean martial art form called Hapkido which dates back to the early 1900s.

"One of the qualities that separate Hapkido from other art forms is the incorporation of kicks," he said as the students continued to perform various kick maneuvers and defense stances.

Hapkido is developed from concepts involving physics, geometry, physiology, psychology and philosophy, all aimed at being able to defend oneself without causing permanent physical damage to an attacker. The art form focuses on the occasions in life where non-lethal force will be necessary for self-defense.

Lofton teaches the class at the Barksdale Fitness Center every Monday and Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday at 9 a.m. More than 15 students varying from active duty military to spouses and children attend the class.

"Upon my arrival at Barksdale, I noticed there was only a Judo class offered through the Fitness Center," said Lofton, who is registered with the International Hapkido Federation and has studied martial arts for more than 25 years. "I inquired about instructing, provided my credentials and then coordinated the class dates."

All of the classes at the Fitness Center are instructed by certified instructors who volunteer to teach, said Master Sgt. Kenya Payne, 2nd Force Support Squadron Fitness and Sports superintendent.

"There are many forms of Hapkido, but the form I teach is very traditional and soft in approach," said Lofton. "Classes are reality based and real world focused. Anyone with an open mind and desire to learn or build confidence can take the class. The current list of students range from 5-years old to 50."

Hapkido contains fighting techniques such as jumping kicks and hand strikes at long ranges and pressure point strikes, joint locks or throws at closer fighting distances. Avoiding the use of strength against strength, students seek to gain advantage through footwork and body positioning to incorporate the use of leverage.

"This art form is very beneficial to military members and families alike," said Lofton. "In fact, workshops for military security forces units and civilian police officers are quite common. Hapkido is a practical and extremely effective method of self-defense."

The philosophy, principles and techniques are keys of power and confidence regardless of age, sex or physical strength, said Lofton.

"It is important to point out we are very serious about the moral responsibility of each student to never use Hapkido techniques to harm another person for any reason or as a way to display his or her ego," he added. "It is a tool to develop a better society through the character development of the individual."

For more information about the Hapkido class, contact the Fitness Center at 456-4135.