I had to break a board with my head for my orange belt test. Being the first (and last) head break I had ever done, the "donk" noise it made when it bounced off my head was very interesting.
Mmm, head break - nice!! Being Scottish I should have no problems with that . Can't say I've ever seen or heard of it in TKD though
I've done 8 tiles with my head. I did it twice, once for fun at the end of my second dan grading and once to entertain the kids in a class. My partner has now banned me from doing it again :bang:
I tried a head break on a rebreakable board. Not very wise. Concussion is no fun. I don't thik I hit the board fast enough, I knocked the holder back a few steps and rubbed some skin off my head.
Breaking tiles with my head doesn't really sound like the definition of fun to me, but hey, what ever blows your socks around. :love: I the head break the second time, but nothing can erase the surprise of etreme not-funness of that first attempt. Other then that I seem to mainly be limited to my own bones. :bang:
Came across this thread while surfing, and just wanted to comment. I see many, including Yoda, say that breaking does nothing for you. And of course there are many that use the antiquated 'Boards don't hit back'. Well, all of you who say these things have entirely missed the point. The main point of breaking is not physical since most people can easily break a board or two physically. The key is mental strength. The confidence needed to actually accelerate your limb through the board in order to break it rather than do what many do and decelerate as you approach the object...out of fear. When this happens...then yes, THE BOARD DOES HIT BACK!!! Of course as the number of boards/bricks increases then more and more technique is required along with more force and speed need to be applied. But the one thing that remains constant is that you need the confidence to do it. I have seen fairly big guys fail to go through because of a lack of confidence, and once you do not go through and you feel that force redirected back to your limb and the pain sets in...it is even more dificult to muster what is needed to get through it. At the same rate, when you see a 10 year old girl who is very self concious, snap kick through a 1 inch pine board...the look on their face and the amount of confidence that builds is priceless. Once you know you can get through, then you can work on technique, speed and power in order to increase the number of boards/bricks that you can break. So to all nay sayers...you are seeing the activity of board breaking in the wrong light. It is like saying 'Why do push-ups since the floor does not push back?'.
Yes, breaking is an entirely mental thing, and I feel people that don't like breaking and don't do it are lacking in the mental strength required. Physically anyone can break a board, but only the mentally strong can break a board. beyond technique it requires good confidence and trust in the instructor to do a good break. hence in our clubcs breaking is a required part of grading, and is infact one of the most important parts. Anyone can train to become physially fit for a grading, anyone can keep stretching and increase their flexibility, anyone can revise the terminology and get it perfect and everyone can keep practicing their patterns t make them better (even if they can't make them perfect). But breaking requires the student to have a enough mental strenght to go ahead and do what the examiner says, any hestitation will be noted and you will loose marks. We rarley practice breaking at all, hardly ever, but without fail we will have it in the grading. his is what can mark the differnce between a student that naturally is quite fit and flexilbe, and a student who has what it mentally takes to become a good practitioner. Examiners do not really care how flexible or physiclaly fit you are, they care about you giving 110%, being focused, being mentally strong to fight through the pain barrier, to be confident with your techniques. A student who is scared of braking and overly hestitant, even if they break the board will not do well. A studnet who goes for it, giving all theitr effort, even if the tchniue is slightly wrong, will do well in the examers eyes. Boarding breaking is nothing physical at all.
All very well said, although maybe a little too much to say that breaking is not physical at all. It does still require technique which is based on all the physical training, moreso when you get into power breaking...but still mostly mental strength for sure.
Breaking is what separates a technique that merely looks good from a technique that actually has the power to inflict damage and do what it is supposed to. I've seen lots of karate guys (karate guys being a generic term) who can do a high side kick and hold it extended to show form. I think one of the ITF forms does this. Other that requiring strong hip muscles and balance, it does nothing. It certainly won't deter anyone. It might impress some people. Now take a middle side kick and blow through six 1 inch boards, non-baked, no spacers. That's impressive, and shows people what your side kick is capable of. And sparring is no substitute for breaking, for the simple reason that you can't demonstrate that kind of power on a human being. You will always have to hold back instead of seeing just what your technique is capable of. We do not practice to hurt our fellow students or kill people. Breaking allows us to do what we cannot do against human beings.
My best break is a fore fist punch through 2 20mm thick boards and a side kick thorugh 3 20mm boards. That;s not bad for a 14year old. :love:
Yeah but a heavy bag is cheaper Though I do enjoy breaking, it's much more effective and cheaper to use a heavy bag or big pad for power training. My favourite break is probably a reverse turning speed break.
