
In Plano, Texas, a gentleman named Gottfried Roser teaches what he calls Hapki Yoosool which resembles very closely the Aiki Budo of Ueshiba Morihei prior to his full conversion to modern Aikido. After doing a lot of research into Kuksanim Roser's art, I'm actually planning to teach a joint seminar with him exploring the hapki-aiki connection at the end of September. But how did this one isolated practitioner retain the internal methods of hapki while it seems everyone else has thrown it away?

Ji Han Jae, a prominent student of Choi, further developed the art by coining the name "Hapkido" and adding a vast repertoire of flashy kicks which placed an emphasis on athleticism more characteristic of Taekwondo than Daito Ryu. However, Ji Han Jae only studied with Choi Yung Sul for three years (1953 to 1956) before branching out on his own. So even if Choi had internals (which is still debatable), Ji wasn't around long enough to obtain them and considering that the majority of the Hapkido world traces their lineage to Ji, it's not surprising they favor external physical technique over internal principles. This is not to take away from Ji Han Jae as a pioneer in the martial arts or to discredit his ability as a great martial artist. This is simply an analysis of principles.

Kuksanim Roser began studying Hapkido in 1976. He first began studying under Chang Young Shil in 1990, even living in Korea for 10 years for in-depth training, and has been a dedicated student ever since. Chang's experiences with the Aikikai and Takumakai greatly influenced his teachings, which he felt brought the art back to how it was originally intended.
Hapki Yoosool as taught by Kuksanim Roser incorporates the relaxed fluidity of Ueshiba's art with the understanding of moving the body as a cohesive unit through the core, characteristic of Daito Ryu. Whether it also possesses the okuden level aiki no jutsu teachings I cannot say, as I have not yet worked out with him and I cannot give a fair analysis. I will confidently say, however, that his art is a lot closer to pure aiki jujutsu than any other hapkido practitioner I've had the pleasure of working with. The potential for internals is certainly there and I'm definitely looking forward to our seminar together!