Breaking boards/bricks/whatever in public.

[Kante]

We're having an end of the school year celebration here. And it's going to involve people of high positions, therefor we worked hard on something worthy of watching.

The majority of the celebration is Karate demonstrations. And well, aside from the other things we have planned, there's a brick breaking contest/demonstration.

Now I've been training non stop to be able to break them without feeling a thing but not necessarily for that demonstration.

The thing is, I'm expected to participate but I'm finding it rather cocky and more of a show off. So I'm most likely not going to participate.

I just want your opinion on these demonstrations. Do you think they are more of a show off than a martial arts demonstration?

[bushido_man96]

I have done demos in the past, with board breaking involved. I don't mind it, but I never try to do anything to flashy, or anything that I haven't practiced.

If you don't want to do it, then don't. In general, just doing the demo could be considered a bit of "showing off." In that case, you just as well go with it. However, if you don't agree with it, then don't do it, and don't worry too much about it.

[marie curie]

I think that demos are usually designed to attract people to the school, so showing off is what you'd want to do. If this is just to impress higher-ups, then I don't know why it would be this way, but hey, you should never feel compelled to do something like that that you don't want to do.

[ninjanurse]

We do demos to not only promote our style but to "showoff" our students accomplishments. It is strictly voluntary and no one is forced to perform. It is also good to expose students to performing under pressure as there are a lot of life lessons to be learned.

[lordtariel]

What did those poor bricks ever do to you?

Seriously though, there's nothing wrong with a breaking demonstration, but there needs to be something else of substance in the demo as well. I'm not that into breaking demos, but some people are.

[A_Train]

Sure it's showing off, but if you're able to do it, why not show off?

I don't think it is cocky or arrogant, but a display of some of the skills you've acquired through your art.

Plus it tends to be a crowd pleaser. I don't think anyone leaves saying "Man, what a bunch of arrogant show offs"

[ramymensa]

I would go to. I don't think of this as showing up myself, but to help promote the dojo and the martial arts in the end. And a chance to test mysefl under pressure plus have some fun

[ps1]

I would go to. I don't think of this as showing up myself, but to help promote the dojo and the martial arts in the end. And a chance to test mysefl under pressure plus have some fun

This is similar to the point I was going to make!!

In the end, if you're not comfortable with the demonstration than don't do it. I tend to feel the same as you about showing off in public. However, because it's good for the dojo and martial arts, and I feel I owe everything good in my life to what martial arts has done (and God), the least I can do is show off a little to help positively promote them both. (Sorry about the run-on sentence ) It's also a small thing you can do to counter the people that make martial arts look bad (fake masters, McDojos, famous martial artists doing drugs and so on).

Hope this helps. Good luck.

[YoungMan]

Breaking bricks to demonstrate the power of a particular technique is not showing off. That's why it's called a "demonstration".

Dousing bricks in lighter fluid and igniting them to be broken, when there is absolutely no reason for this, is showing off.

Wearing a red, white, and blue uniform with stitched dragon on the back is showing off.

[G95champ]

I can see both sides to it. When asked I do one but in general I would rather not.

I think they can be dangerous because you show a lot of people things they can hurt each other with if they don't know what they are doing. So when I do Demo's I turn it into a history lesson and do a lot of talking. I may do a quck move but I never try and teach it in them.

As far as breaking we have done it in demos but what I usually do is let someone in the crowd come up and do it. Because truth is its not hard. Anyone who has the guts to hit the board wil break it. No more no less. Has nothing to do with karate or MA. Like Mr. Migi said when asked if he could break wood. "Don't know never been attacked by tree."