Importance of Breaking (a minor worry)

[Deathcometh]

I have to agree Phantasmatic they do seem like a very big waste of time.

 

 

[TKD_McGee]

It just makes you look all manly and stuff. If you can go out there and yell really loud while breaking 10 boards, then you are pretty dern cool.

 

Ive seen black belts actually bend the board towards them for little kids... funny!

 

 

[SBN Doug]

Shhhhhhh!

 

You're not suposed to let them know that!

 

And as a response to that age old cliche:

 

True, the board doesn't hit back. However, if you have practiced you techniques to a point where you can go through a number of boards with little effort, then when you use it on an attacker, they won't hit back either.

[tigerstyle18]

Perhaps there may be pratical implications to breaking however, when you think about the trade off of your time you may realize that you could be doing something better. Sparring I feel would be a better use of time. Granted you already spar, but why not more if it means sacrificing breaking? Sparring is far more practical.

 

 

[jahred]

here's some great info on breaking for all who want to see it. this is taken from downey's tae kwon do at http://www.kick.nf.net for all who'd like to check that out.

 

---

 

Breaking techniques are not a goal in themselves. They must be part of the total study of the martial

 

art. They are for the advanced student. They are the means whereby you will perfect your mastery

 

of the martial art. Breaking techniques produce more accuracy and control then does sparring.

 

Power, too, comes through the perfection of breaking.

 

Accuracy, speed and power are the essential for breaking techniques. Your use of accuracy must be

 

exact; your aim must go through the target and be totally accurate. Properly done, you will know

 

how effective your strikes are. You know that if your target had been a point on an opponent's

 

body, you would have shattered it.

 

Breaking techniques develop confidence. Unless you try full contact at full power and without

 

protective equipment - a practice I do not recommend - you can never really know how effective

 

your strikes are in sparring.

 

Yet weight is not the only factor. No matter how hard you hit something, it will not be damaged if it

 

is moves with the power of the punch. But if your punch moves faster than the target bounces away

 

from it, the target has no choice but to break.

 

It would be stupid to kick an opponent in the thigh and expect his knee to break. You have to focus

 

your strike exactly on the pressure point. In breaking you have the opportunity and the obligation to

 

strike an exact spot.

 

You must learn " Where to strike a target." If you don't hit the right spot on your target, you will be

 

very aware of it. It simply will not break. Practise " Controlled kicking." It will help you develop

 

focus.

 

Some people believe that you should aim for the surface of the target. All materials have flexibility,

 

some more than others. Bricks bend very little: wood and bones have a great deal of flexibility.

 

Oddly enough, it is these materials which have the most bend in them that are the hardest to break.

 

Everything breaks only after it is pushed past the limit of how far it bends. You must have the power

 

and speed to push to push it past that limit before it has a chance to recover. You must aim for "

 

Penetration."

 

You can have weight and speed behind your strikes, but with out concentration you will have neither

 

focus nor penetration. If your mind is some else where, you concentration wanders and your worries

 

about injury swim into your thoughts, and you cannot fix your mind on the target. Concern yourself

 

only with the project at hand . That is a good practice for everything , as well as the martial arts.

 

Good breaking techniques demand daily practice, concentration focus, confidence and ability. You

 

must have a good physique and you must have many martial art skills. Then you will find that power,

 

accuracy and speed are the best elements in the development of extra breaking techniques.

 

[From old martial arts magazine]

 

 

[Phantasmatic]

Jahred, that is a very good excerpt, but I feel if you really want to impress someone, break a board without touching it!

 

 

[SBN Doug]

tigerstyle18,

 

How much time are you assuming we dedicate to this aspect of training? I'm not sure about other styles, but we have about an extra 30 min. at the end of each test where we do breaking. There is no "breaking practice" during class. We practice our punching and kicking in the air, and on heavy bags. the breaking at the test is exactly that, testing how good our technique is.

 

We also dedicate at least 1 1/2 hours a week for sparring. I don't see the conflict in time.

 

 

[karatekid1975]

Same here KSN. We don't "practice" breaking during classes. We have a breaking clinic twice a year, and we break on tests only (other than tournies). We are suposed to be focusing on our technique during class, then if we have good technique when the tests rolls around, we'll have no problem breaking. But then, again, I seen two people last testing date that couldn't break because they lacked technique (and failed), and these two were red belts.

 

Oh if you like sparring, we spar regularly once a week on our "B" days (step sparring and sparring ...... "A" days are forms and self defense).

 

_________________

 

Laurie S.

 

[ This Message was edited by: karatekid1975 on 2002-04-17 10:09 ]

[tigerstyle18]

I had no idea how much time you spent on it. I imagine it varies from school to school.

 

 

[Eric-TKD]

Thanks for your replies everyone, and sorry, I didn't realise this topic had been drilled into the ground already.

 

I guess it's ok that my school doesn't practice breaking...but it does sounds pretty fun.

 

Anyway, I think I'm pretty content with forms and sparring in the end.