after reading a few threads a question came to mind. what exactly is a "speed break". one of my freinds (bb in tkd) says its when the board is held in only one hand. another freind (bb in karate) says its when you hold the board in one hand drop it (so its not being held by anything) and then proceed to obliterate it. i would tend to side with the second approach. it takes way more speed to break it in the second manner, as you have to pull back WAY faster so as the board doesnt just fly across the room. keep in mind, ive only done the second technique sucesfully about 4 times after too many attempts to count, but i think it is something that is so cool to see it needs a real name that definatly seperates it from other breaks P.S.- when we were doing that break we were using .5 inch thick 9 inch by 9 inch boards, they were not bought from a catalog/website/ma store for breaking, it was a pine plank bought from a hardware store and cut down for our use
what a speed break is Hi The term is generally used for a technique that does not utilize stable "resistance to "aid the break. This "resistance" could be the HOlders who push or straight arm the board to create max stress at the point of impact OR it could be the uprights that you put the board on to do the same. All wood has a grain. As you apply force to the grain it will naturally spring back against the force. A "speed break" requires that you use speed to snap the board before it's grain can flex back. Some do speed breaks holding with one hand. Some put a board on something ( like someone's head) and hold it upright with one finger, and some "toss" the board in the air and break it while its free floating. ALL are technically "speed" breaks and will be judged by their relative difficulty and demonstrated effectiveness. Hope this helps explain Pete Ticali
thanks pete, that does help KO: yea it takes forever to get it right, and then you lose it immidiatly after you do it. but it is definitly one of the cooler things ive done in ma EVER.
We begin performing 'speed breaks' at black belt level. I personally would rather perform power breaks as I find speed breaks personally more difficult. You have to approach a speed break in a far different manner than a power break.... you strike with more speed than power pulling back your strike as quickly as you execute it, rather than more of a follow through with a power break. This type of setup is typically used for horizontal strikes. I've performed a roundhouse for my 2nd dan (pic in Photos), a toss up punch, a 2 finger held hook and inner ridge strike, and a 4 finger jump front kick holding board in front of me above my head. I've read earlier accounts of your trials in performing this type of break here .... give it time and hours of practice. Striking the heavy bag focusing on pulling back as quickly as you strike will prepare you.
Speed breaks at our school involve holding with one hand and punching or using a knife hand/finger to break the board. I like to do them. I like power breaks, but the boards get too expensive for me.
Wouldn't speed breaking teach you bad habbits when you kick though? I dont think learning a habbit of not following through on your kicks is a good idea.
