Ravencroft Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 Ok, im sure this has probably been covered like a million times on this board before but how the hell do you break a board, let alone a brick, let alone like 20 of them. i tried breaking a wooden board maybe an inch thick at most and my hand just stopped completely, i was not getting through that board. so im sure there are people who know how its done. can anyone give me some insight how to break? Thanx. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markusan Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 You really need someone to be watching your technique as you break. Are you breaking with a fist or knife hand? If knife hand then make sure your hand is not straight up and down when it hits the board, lean it over a little so the palm side is down. Tense the muscle at the side of your hand between your wrist and the base of your little finger. It is important to aim through the board and not at the surface. It is also important to use your body, not just your arm and hand. If the board is in a horizontal position address it in a long forward stance, bring your arm up high as if you are swinging a hammer raising your body too, breath in, then twist and strike down with all your body weight behind it and at the same time Yell as you exhale. Breaking takes a bit of confidence, you must be prepared to hit the board hard. Remeber it only hurts when the board doesn't break!!. And maybe start off with a thinner board, some inch thick boards are much harder than others. To start off, pick one with nice straight grain, and no big knots. Later on when you're used to it, it won't matter so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
granmasterchen Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 for wood break with the grain not against it.... i am a big concrete breaker so i will give you some tips that i give my students 1. you must be confident. If for a moment you think that you wont break the object, then you wont. The slightest doubt will make you fail. 2. Always hit through your object, picture your target 6 inches behind your object 3. breath....i like to pass the idea of chi, ki, qi, so try to build that up with your breathing before the break, breath in when you raise your arm up, slowly exhale and slowly lower your arm down to the target feeling the tension and the power from every breathe channeling its way into you arm and down to you hand. 4 never touch the object, you will feel that it is hard and get that doubt in your mind. 5 if need be, cover the target area of the object with a towel or cloth or paper towel...something that looks soft so that mentally you picture a soft target and therefore easy to break through.... also some padding may be good while beginning so that you dont cut your self on splinters or corners of broken bricks, ice shards or what ever it may be... also if you dont break it the first time, STOP, take a breath, walk away and come back to it with a clear mind, because there will be a huge amount of doubt in your mind at the time and you may cause serious damage to your hand on another failed attempt. good luck....i hope this helped you out some, if you need any other advice feel free to send me and email or personal message That which does not destroy me will only make me stronger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pricyber Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 Here is a summary of what I tell my students: - Execute the technique for the break properly. - Exercise focus and proper breathing. - Visualize going through your target before you strike. - Kiai as you strike - Use your stance to your advantage; for example, the body weight can contribute to your power. Because we feel executing the technique properly is the most important (or risk injury), we don't make anyone break boards for tests until our second belt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravencroft Posted July 15, 2004 Author Share Posted July 15, 2004 Ok im sure this is pretty obvious but just to make sure...out of ice wood and cement bricks which is the hardest to break and which is the easiest? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
granmasterchen Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 its all in your mind.....just remember that neither of them is harder than your mind and fist and they all break just as easily.... That which does not destroy me will only make me stronger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
granmasterchen Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 also try coconuts, they are the closest thing to resemble the human skull That which does not destroy me will only make me stronger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan gry Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 will the skill of crushing a human skull ever be useful , granmasterchen do you compete the best way to get hit is to not get hit at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CloudDragon Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 One more thing to add to the great ideas already listed. Speed, this is primarily what breaks boards. Look at Einstein's formula for power, basically it is one half of mass times velocity squared = power. So in normal people terms, speed is more important than weight, if you hit something fast enough it will break. For example; the guy who can hold a board in the air with one hand and break it with the other. That is speed, if there is not enough speed the whole board will fly across the room, if there is enough speed it will snap easily in two. A Black Belt is just a white belt that don't know when to quit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
granmasterchen Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 getting used to breaking a coconut...therefore a skull....is useful if you ever get into a serious situation where you may need to break someone's head. I train to do this with one strike, no building up, so just walk over and hit and break it....I dont compete in breaking, i just do it for fun. I like the feel of breaking stuff, its kind of a rush. I do demos...but i haven't competed yet, if i did compete here, i would easily win everytime, nobody in the area breaks cement or bricks, or anything thicker than one inch for boards ....where i am currently working on 24 inches of brick for one strike That which does not destroy me will only make me stronger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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