Board breaking

[bushido_man96]

As an instructor, I feel that it is my duty to have my students fully prepared for their testings. When I owned my own school, we practiced board breaking in class, requiring a knowledge stripe for it before allowing a student who had to board break for testing to do so. In the current school I am a student at, they do not practice board breaking in class. Aside from the basics we do, we may do some target pad work for the required techniques the week before the test.

What are your feelings on this? How would you teach? Personally, I feel that our students success rates would be higher on the board breaking if they had some in-class practice on actual boards. I did notice that at my former school, the success rates were higher.

[patusai]

I like the idea of board breaking. It is not so much the breaking but the fact that the student has to strike something hard. In competition or on the street they may punch to soft parts of the body but at times they hit bone and it can be a hard hit. Although the act of breaking a board does not allow for the total feel of striking something hard on those times that they miss and the board does not break they get the feeling of hitting something solid.

Board breaking also helps with technique to some degree. For example: the old breaking trick in Enter the dragon where the board is lofted in the area and broken with a punch...form, focus and the ability to land the punch in the right area of the board are all required for the break. It is also a mind thing that is overcome. My first attempt at this was overwhelming. "I'm gonna do what??!?"

Also square or smaller retangular boards are not the only things that should be practiced. We use to "rip" 1 inch thick 10" by 4 foot boards. Hitting on the end and having the whole board split down the middle is really not that difficult. Punching at the center of the board and having it split down the middle is also kinda nice.

Just my thoughts .. I like it! I do tell people that anyone can break a 12" x 12" board one inch think so students should move on from there.

[bushido_man96]

I like breaking boards as well. They demonstrate focus and power. But, my question was, do you practice it in class prior to having students perform them in testing?

[patusai]

Sorry I misunderstood the question. Did we practice before hand (like during classes before the actual test) and the answer is, for the most part no. Back then even pine boards cost a lot of money and my instructor/s did not charge a whole lot for classes and what they did charge covered basically the rental of the VFW and other such locations. What was left probably covered the gas (and it was cheap back then) to get to and from class. My point is we did board breaking when he would find wood that was thrown out (usually old boards and painted) or boards being tossed or not useful at a construction site that he begged for. We brought in boards too. That's where we learned about board size and abilities. While some of the other schools were breaking 12 x 12 one inch boards that were pine and nicely sanded we were breaking 8 or 6 inch boards (side with the grain) and anywhere from 8 - 12 inches long (sometimes as long as 3 feet long because we did not have the saw or nobody felt like cutting the board. It was not a formal type matter...just done to amuse outselves and it was done at the tail end of the class.

If the dojo can afford it, I think that board breaking on a regular basis (perhaps not every week) would be a good idea. Because, as I said, I like it.

[bushido_man96]

Did your school at that time ever break boards as testing requirements?

[jaymac]

Our students have an option of breaking boards during their test. They are not required to break in order to advance, but all usually want to break anyways. We do not hold a class prior to testing to teach how to break. Usually, these are small boards and the kids can be shown proper way to break a board just prior to doing it. Everyone usually breaks the board easily. We encourage them at their next belt testings to increase the board size and then once they have maxed out on sizes, to increase the number of boards.

[cathal]

I have not seen this, but I like the idea. Sometimes I think that breaking is sometimes ignored.

[bushido_man96]

Our students have an option of breaking boards during their test. They are not required to break in order to advance, but all usually want to break anyways. We do not hold a class prior to testing to teach how to break. Usually, these are small boards and the kids can be shown proper way to break a board just prior to doing it. Everyone usually breaks the board easily. We encourage them at their next belt testings to increase the board size and then once they have maxed out on sizes, to increase the number of boards.

This is a nice concept, jaymac. However, for our testings, board breaking is required, and you get two attempts per board to break them. This is why I think that breaking in class as an exercise is important to get the feel for how it goes.

[Rateh]

You could also have a board breaking practice class on the day before the test. Then the students who are diligent and want to do well on their test will show up, and those that don't care wont...

[bushido_man96]

I would rather do it a week or so before the testing, that way they don't have a class the night before that could leave them doubting if they don't break right away.