Korean martial art 'hapkido' takes baby steps in India
New Delhi: As a martial art, it is not as well-known as its more famous counterparts like kung fu, karate and judo, yet the Korean hapkido is slowly but surely catching on in India -- with the fifth edition of a national-level championship having concluded last week.
And the man working to popularise this sport in India -- considered the birthplace of martial arts -- is Hapkido Association of India founder Tarsem Sharma.
The self-defence technique, which originated in Korea after World War II, was initially taught by Choi Yong-Sool, and is believed to have evolved from a Japanese martial art called daito-ryu jujutsu.
The art, which employs joint locks, grappling, and throwing techniques, was later combined with various kicking, striking and ground-fighting skills employed in judo.
Sharma, an expert in taekwondo -- another Korean martial art -- was introduced to hapkido when he came in contact with its world federation chief, Grand Master Bermas Kim of South Korea, and Asian federation president Mohammed Raza of Iran on the internet.
The duo invited him to the Asian Championships held in 2013 where Sharma became intrigued with the sport. On his return to India, Sharma roped in several taekwondo practitioners to set up a national body for hapkido.
"I represented India as a team leader at the Asian Hapkido Games in Iran in 2013. The idea of bringing this art to our country came from there.
"I was in talks with Korean Master Kim and Iranian Mohammed Raza about hapkido through the Internet, but after going to Iran I got to know the sport better. It has techniques related to acupressure and physiotherapy which made me take more interest in it," Sharma told IANS.
The sport has slowly achieved a level of recognition. "We have got an appreciation certificate from IOA (Indian Olympic Association) and are also in talks with the School Games Federation of India to include the discipline," Sharma informed.
Master Rajesh Prasad, chief instructor of the Jharkhand State Hapkido Association, feels that the sport is as modern as the latest mobile phones being launched in the country.
"I have been associated with the sport for the last five years. I give hapkido training in Jharkhand, where people are quite crazy about it. A lot of boxing, taekwondo and judo practitioners are veering towards this sport because it is new in India. It is a modern sport, much like the new mobiles being launched in the market.
Elaborating on the benefits of hapkido, Prasad said it can be used by women to defend themselves and should be included as a part of the curriculum in every school.
"I have been into different martial arts since my childhood. My experience says that if women are trained in hapkido, they can easily defend themselves because it requires minimal strength. In fact, it is the strength of the opponent that we turn around," Prasad explained.
"If people were aware about this sport, they would have implemented it for girls in every school, because keeping cameras everywhere to protect them is not possible," Prasad said.
Noting that most forms of martial arts had originated in this country, Prasad said that Indians need to reclaim their rich heritage in the genre.
"Most forms of martial arts were born in India. Kalaripayattu (the martial art form of Kerala) is the oldest such. From here it went to China as Shaolin and today our country is behind others (in the discipline)," Prasad rued.
"We are having to learn from other countries to develop this sport in our own country," he added.
Talking about the future of hapkido in India, Prasad said politicians should stay away from it.
"If politics stays away from hapkido, then in the world of martial arts in the country, it will become the most revolutionary discipline," Prasad concluded.
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Brazil's Ancelotti raises doubts about whether Neymar will reach the 2026 World Cup
Sao Paulo (AP): Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti raised doubts about whether Neymar will be in his squad for the 2026 World Cup. The Italian has yet to pick the former captain since he took over in May.
“If Neymar deserves to be (in the squad), if he is, well, better than others, he will play in the World Cup and that's it. (But) I don't have debts to anyone,” Ancelotti said at a press conference in Washington on Friday following the draw.
Brazil is in Group C with Morocco, Haiti and Scotland.
“If we speak about Neymar, we have to speak about other players,” Ancelotti added. “We have to think about Brazil with or without Neymar, with or without other players. Our final list we will make after the FIFA fixtures in March.”
The 33-year-old Neymar has never fully recovered from a torn ACL in October 2023 during a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay. But he's been key for Santos in its fight to avoid relegation in the Brazilian championship.
On Wednesday, he scored a hat trick for Santos despite a muscular injury. He is expected to play again on Sunday against Cruzeiro.
Ancelotti said Brazil does not have a “referential player” at the moment, a tag for the most valuable player that Neymar has mainly worn since the 2014 home World Cup.
“We have one of the world's best goalkeepers, some of the best defenders, top midfielders and some players up front. I don't want players who want to be the best in the world, I want players who want to win the World Cup,” Ancelotti said.
Asked about his team's group, Ancelotti said Brazil can top it.
“We can win all three matches, our idea is very clear. We need to be competitive during the entire World Cup. Our goal is to play in the final and for that to happen you need to face very strong teams anyway.”
Brazil won the last of its five World Cup trophies in 2002.
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