In the 1960s, a Hapkido instructor taught the martial art with the intentions of passing down a respected tradition and scholarship. The instructor maintained a genuine persona and did not regard Hapkido as a simple means of making money. Compared to the past, the present lacks the presence of such instructors. As the world changed, so did Hapkido in a negative manner. As impressive techniques became the focus of Hapkido lessons, the martial art became manipulated and strayed from its origins.

As mentioned above, in the 1960s, instructors taught with honest intentions of prolonging the longetivity of Hapkido. Hapkido was not regarded as a business, but a way of life, a method of finding oneself. Nowadays, however, it appears that the sport disappointingly revolves around either monetary gains or flashy maneuvers, or both. Ironically, this change came about in the effort of preventing Hapkido from being considered a lame martial art.

In the 1960s, Judo, Taekwondo and Hapkido instructors all taught at the same dojo, one after the other, for thirty minutes each. This practice is extremely rare and unheard of in today's training facilities. It is more commonplace to hear of Hapkido instructors combining the aforementioned martial art styles, thus, leading to improper and tainted lessons. This leads me to wonder, "did authentic Hapkido disappear? Why did Hapkido change in such drastic degrees?" 

As the world evolves, we must also evolve and adapt. However, there are some things that should not be changed. This includes Hapkido.

To change continuously implies that too many deviations were made from the original. An individual is better attuned to their individual developments, and so, today's instructors who teach Hapkido for the greed of money are also attuned to their selfish ways. A Hapkido instructor who teaches with a Judo style will be laughed at by a Judo instructor, one who teaches in a Taekwondo style will be laughed at by a Taekwondo instructor, and one who teaches in a Kungfu style will be laughed at by Kungfu instructors. The days of the 1960s where each martial art prized a trait of their own is lost.

The way of Hapkido has wandered significantly since the 1960s.