Victor Cushing is a Chief Master in Hapkido and holds an 8th degree black belt in that martial art.  Hapkido is a Korean martial art that is oriented to street fighting style defensive tactics rather than competitive sports oriented training that is used in tournaments. Hapkido techniques include strikes, punches, kicks, joint locks, chokes, pressure points, throws and pins as well as grappling and ground fighting. Hapkido was used as the basis for teaching hand-to-hand combat to Special Forces Troops (Green Berets) in Viet Nam.

In Chicago the school at which he was an instructor has been instrumental since 1969 in providing martial arts training to local law enforcement units. This school has helped to incorporate its techniques into the defensive tactics taught to the Chicago Police Department, Cook County Corrections Officers, Naval Intelligence Units, and has successfully trained officers from 25 suburban departments.

He has trained in  Hapkido for over 25 years. Mr. Cushing also trained in other martial arts including Kali\Escrima, a Filipino art stressing the use of edged weapons and sticks, Judo, and Shorei-Ryu, and Okinawan hard style noted for explosive counter attacks. This additional training took place over 20 years. He is the President of the International Modern Hapkido Federation.

What exactly is Hapkido?

There are several answers. Hapkido is a Korean martial art loosely translated as "the Art of Coordinated Power". In this answer Hapkido means the use of one’s mind, body, and energy to overcome an attacker. In another form of the answer.

Hapkido is a combination martial art that uses the kicks and punches of Tang Soo Do or Tae Kwan Do and blends them with both the joint locks of Jujitsu and the throws and chokes of Judo to make a fighting art designed for the street.

There are no competitions in  Hapkido; There are no high kicks. There is an emphasis on effective training with your partner and on doing whatever it takes to win, if the situation is such that you cannot leave or talk your way out of trouble. The assailant on the street doesn’t understand mercy and may not respond to logical reasoning. In those cases, we need to come out of any confrontation alive and whole. That is the prize, not a ribbon at some sporting event.