• Spanky rates the audio a 3 out of 5.

The video was shot with the instructor and the ukes dressed in white gis against a dark curtain background.  The mats are unremarkable, allowing the viewer to focus on the important aspects without any visual distractions. There's nothing fancy, just straight-up technical instruction.  I had no problems seeing the action at any time during the video.  I did, however, miss some of the finer detail on some of the more precise moves, such as a few of the wristlocks.

• Spanky rates the video quality 4 out of 5.

The video is divided nicely with splash screens that clearly identify the topics of the upcoming segments.  The tape was conveniently separated into the following parts: Introduction, Elbow/Wrist, Shoulder, Finger, Throws, and Conclusion. Each segment is preceded by full-speed action sequences accompanied by some generic guitar-laden music.  The music isn’t my brand of thrash metal, but it isn’t overreaching. The spacers create a convenient break between segments to allow you to stop, rewind, and review without getting lost. 

The Content

Hapkido Hoshinsul begins with Alain Burrese outlining the topics to be discussed over the length of the tape. This is a classic case of “telling you what I’m going to tell you.”  Alain stumbles a little during both the intro and the epilogue of the tape.  This is a minor inconvenience for the viewer and doesn’t really take away from the overall quality of the work. We’ll touch on this again later in the review.

Having trained with Alain Burrese in the past, I was already familiar with the material, so I knew what I was seeing.  Hoshinsul breaks down the instruction, as outlined above, by techniques that attack certain joints in the body.  Alain lays down two very important points in the very beginning of the Elbows segment.

• To truly understand and apply the myriad of Hapkido techniques, one must understand the basic foundational principles.
• Hapkido is all about circular movements. 

Hapkido Hoshinsul deals with the "fourth realm" of Hapkido training: grappling for self-defense. This tape is loaded with many techniques, variations of techniques, and combinations of techniques. However, Alain continuously stresses that the principles are the key to both understanding and effective execution of the techniques.

With this thought in mind, it is easy for me to take what the tape teaches and incorporate it into my own training regimen.  I have a decent understanding of the underlying principles of my own art – both striking and grappling.  I was easily able to pick apart the step-by-step instructions provided and integrate the techniques into my own repertoire of martial skills.

If the viewer has a good grasp of joint mechanics, the techniques taught in Hoshinsul will be second nature with a little practice. Even if the viewer has no previous skill at grappling, Alain provides a very good and very consistent approach to explaining both the overall concepts and the fine details of all the Hoshinsul techniques.

Getting back to the presentation that I mentioned earlier,  Alain does stumbles a little verbally at the beginning and end of the tape.   During the technical portions, however, the man is clearly "in the zone," as he flows from point to point with the confidence of many years of teaching experience.  At no time was I distracted in the technical segments by anything other than the force of training partners Frank and Brian hitting the mats.

And hit the mats they did.  Alain executes numerous joint locks with consistent goals in mind.  He teaches you to disable and/or control an aggressor.  Each segment begins by teaching you how to apply a technique from a wrist grab.  I was thinking that I’m almost thirty-two years old and I’ve never had someone come up and grab my wrist.  That’s okay, as Alain explains; we have to start somewhere to get a point of reference to demonstrate the techniques. 

Alain addresses how each technique is applied from a sampling of attacks, continuously reinforcing the principles behind the techniques and the options available to the student.  By the end of the tape (with practice, of course) you can apply locks to any of the joints mentioned.  You can assist your attacker to the ground, the wall, a parked car, or simply use some of the come-along locks presented to make them follow you anywhere.

Mr. Burrese also points out that it’s okay if the technique doesn’t work, which is often the case when the poop hits the fan. Move to other techniques until you can lock up, throw down, or escape from the bad guy.

Throws

The last section, which covers throws, provides a quick description and demonstration of two basic, well-known, and (in the author’s own words) "street proven" techniques. The first of these is a standard outer leg reap (O-Soto Gari) with a few minor variations.  The second is the basic rear hip throw (O-Goshi), again demonstrated with a few variations.

Wrapping it up

For beginners, learning techniques from a book or video is a bad idea for many reasons.  However, if you want to supplement your arsenal and you are already experienced, or if you are currently studying with a qualified instructor, Hapkido Hoshinsul is an excellent addition to your training library.  Watch the tape, practice the techniques, watch the tape again, and practice some more.  If you run into any questions you can email Alain through his website and he’ll be happy help you in any way he can.  For that reason alone, the video is worth your money.