Breaking

[DKizzle]

I am against learning board breaking at too young an age. Now, whether 15 is too young is a debate I don't have an opinion or any real knowledge on. All I know is that when I was younger I did 4 years of TKD at a McDojo, and at some point, either I was taught wrong or messed up, because I have occasional wrist problems which I never had before "learning" to break boards there.

[yamesu]

At 15 a persons bone structure has not fully developed yet.

Bones are still growing.

Even doing push-ups on ones fists at too young an age can lead to problems with wrists, flat-knuckles and such later on in life.

Teenagers are, for the most part, quite arrogant as to what is best-off in the long run for them. (I know I was.) But as 'cool' as breaking seems, it can be extremely damaging if done incorrectly.

I only try to get the message about the bodily damages of breaking at too young an age, because I dont want people to look back when their 35, and their bodies are decrepid because of this very issue.

Osu.

[lgm]

I am 15 years old and i can break 8 scalloped bricks with spacers and my sensei thinks i can do 10.Is this good?

That's quite an achievement for your age. Congratulations! But, I would advise you not to do this regularly or prove your skill by trying to notch spectacular breaking records for two reasons:

1. unless you intend to make martial arts you lifetime profession and gainful employment, you may be putting your hands or feet in grave danger of being permanently damaged or suffer some serious injuries that will impair their function for fine motor activities which you may need to do in later years.

2. bricks, tiles, planks, hollow blocks or stones don't fight back and try to evade when we hit them. It is delusionary to believe that just because you can break 8 or 20 bricks without spacers, you can crush the skull of or kill a mobile opponent with your bare hands and feet.

Learning how to hit a moving, thinking target and hitting it accurately with marginally to moderately conditioned hands and feet is a much more useful and realistic approach to self-defense, IMO, than all these breaking-brick demonstrations.

[angus88]

bricks, tiles, planks, hollow blocks or stones don't fight back and try to evade when we hit them. It is delusionary to believe that just because you can break 8 or 20 bricks without spacers, you can crush the skull of or kill a mobile opponent with your bare hands and feet.

Breaking is, for the most part, a show. It's to get non-karate people interested in karate. It looks cool.

That said, I hate the arguement that bricks "don't fight back." I know, Bruce Lee said it. Big deal - with that rationale, why hit anything except other people while sparring? Why do punching drills? The air doesn't fight back. Why use a punching bag? It doesn't fight back either.

I'd rather hear the "your bones are still growing" arguement. But the fact is, unless you're practicing with bad form or trying to get calcium deposits on your knuckles, all this talk about being 35 and getting arthritis is hearsay at best.

[lgm]

That said, I hate the arguement that bricks "don't fight back." I know, Bruce Lee said it. Big deal - with that rationale, why hit anything except other people while sparring? Why do punching drills? The air doesn't fight back. Why use a punching bag? It doesn't fight back either.

Bricks, punching bags and empty air don't fight back. That is reality and no amount of denial can change this fact. If an aspiring fighter practices on them exclusively, he'll never learn how to fight effectively someone as intelligent and versatile as he is. But, if these are used as preparatory or supplementary to the more realistic and principal training method that simulates actual combat in the form non-contact, semi-contact or full contact sparring, then these will add to and not subtract from the trainee's predictive or actual fighting efficiency.

[shogeri]

Growth plates are still there in females up to 16, and in young men up to 18.

Here is an excert from NAIMS (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) website.

"What Is the Growth Plate?

 

The growth plate, also known as the epiphyseal plate or physis, is the area of growing tissue near the end of the long bones in children and adolescents. Each long bone has at least two growth plates: one at each end. The growth plate determines the future length and shape of the mature bone. When growth is complete--sometime during adolescence--the growth plates close and are replaced by solid bone.

 

Who Gets Growth Plate Injuries?

 

These injuries occur in children and adolescents. The growth plate is the weakest area of the growing skeleton, weaker than the nearby ligaments and tendons that connect bones to other bones and muscles. In a growing child, a serious injury to a joint is more likely to damage a growth plate than the ligaments that stabilize the joint. An injury that would cause a sprain in an adult can be associated with a growth plate injury in a child.

 

Injuries to the growth plate are fractures. They comprise 15 percent of all childhood fractures. They occur twice as often in boys as in girls, with the greatest incidence among 14- to 16-year-old boys and 11- to 13-year-old girls. Older girls experience these fractures less often because their bodies mature at an earlier age than boys. As a result, their bones finish growing sooner, and their growth plates are replaced by stronger, solid bone.

 

Approximately half of all growth plate injuries occur in the lower end of the outer bone of the forearm (radius) at the wrist. These injuries also occur frequently in the lower bones of the leg (tibia and fibula). They can also occur in the upper leg bone (femur) or in the ankle, foot, or hip bone.

 

What Causes Growth Plate Injuries?

 

While growth plate injuries are caused by an acute event, such as a fall or a blow to a limb, chronic injuries can also result from overuse. For example, a gymnast who practices for hours on the uneven bars, a long-distance runner, or a baseball pitcher perfecting his curve ball can all have growth plate injuries.

 

In one large study of growth plate injuries in children, the majority resulted from a fall, usually while running or playing on furniture or playground equipment. Competitive sports, such as football, basketball, softball, track and field, and gymnastics, accounted for one-third of all injuries. Recreational activities, such as biking, sledding, skiing, and skateboarding, accounted for one-fifth of all growth plate fractures, while car, motorcycle, and all-terrain-vehicle accidents accounted for only a small percentage of fractures involving the growth plate.

 

Whether an injury is acute or due to overuse, a child who has pain that persists or affects athletic performance or the ability to move or put pressure on a limb should be examined by a doctor. A child should never be allowed or expected to "work through the pain."

 

Children who participate in athletic activity often experience some discomfort as they practice new movements. Some aches and pains can be expected, but a child’s complaints always deserve careful attention. Some injuries, if left untreated, can cause permanent damage and interfere with proper growth of the involved limb.

 

Although many growth plate injuries are caused by accidents that occur during play or athletic activity, growth plates are also susceptible to other disorders, such as bone infection, that can alter their normal growth and development."

I suppose one should exercise caution in full contact throwdowns, or locks. Along with boardbreaking, and stretching, and even kicking or striking the bag.

[angus88]

Bricks, punching bags and empty air don't fight back. That is reality and no amount of denial can change this fact.

Who's denying it? I just think it's a bogus reason not to strike objects while training. I guess it's futile to say that fighting is not the only way to train in karate...

if these are used as preparatory or supplementary to the more realistic and principal training...etc. etc...then these will add to and not subtract from the trainee's predictive or actual fighting efficiency.

Thank you. That's more or less my point.

[JimmyNewton]

yeah i wouldnt worry about continuing to brea at this point.

it also seems that breaking without spacerws is asking for injury

[KarateKid6781]

its up to you if you think you can handle it

[WilliamMKlase]

Scalloped pavers are easy. Try to break some concrete cinder block caps.