What is the best way to condition for breaking?

[bushido_man96]

I do wish that my school would give some time to in-class breaking. I think it would help still some of the nerves that comes from breaking in testings and demos.

[DWx]

I've always been in favour of breaking itself as a method of conditioning. Start off with easy stuff; thinner wood and "kiddie" rebreakable boards and then build up over time to harder stuff.

I just asked about this tonight, in that the kiddie plastic boards can be broken, reassembled, broken, etc. The use of thinner wood and moving up in thickness is a good idea, too. I guess you can double the plastic or thin wooden boards, too.

One of the good things about the rebreakable boards is that you can buy a range of thicknesses. At home I have a few ranging between 1cm with foam padding to 2.5cm no padding so you can slowly work up in level. Also a lot of the manufactures can tell you how much force is required to break the joint, e.g. I know that one of the boards my school has required 150lbs of pressure to break (when it was new) and that gives you a more quantitative idea of how much force you can generate. One thing you have to remember when stacking up the boards is that its not just a case of more force needed, you also have to sustain that force over a distance to go through the lot.

Unfortunately, I just don't have that time built into my training for breaking; the expectation is that hitting targets is adequate. From what I understand from other members' postings here and there, it's not often that most schools give enough (if any) time to breaking practice.

Same here. I think one of the biggest problems (in my school) is when practicing breaking in class, you can only have one or a handful of students have a go at a time so its a lot of waiting around and not really getting much done. Theres also the embaressment factor for some. Everytime we do it in class theres always some that dont want to have a go because everyone else is watching and "what if they don't break?". Breaking in class is just not a good use of time.

[Tiger1962]

I can certainly attest to that. In my experience we never spent enough time on practicing breaking. Which explained a lot.

[joesteph]

I've always been in favour of breaking itself as a method of conditioning. Start off with easy stuff; thinner wood and "kiddie" rebreakable boards and then build up over time to harder stuff.

I just asked about this tonight . . .

When I posted this, I did not complete it by saying that my request to use the plastic board was turned down, even though it would have been after class, with a student friend holding it. Frankly, the response made me feel foolish. I don't believe I was doing anything wrong by asking.

Theres also the embaressment factor for some. Everytime we do it in class theres always some that dont want to have a go because everyone else is watching and "what if they don't break?".

I do understand, but, personally, I'd rather screw up in practice than during a test, and if it's after class, then it's only the interested students.

[Tiger1962]

I've had a few unsuccessful breaks during class, after class and at one testing. It happens. Being embarrassed is normal, however, no one dared chastise anyone (at least not within earshot) who doesn't break because it can happen to anyone. Nobody's perfect.

If more time was spent practicing breaking during class - be it actual wood or plastic - then more people would be successful at it.

This falls on the responsibility of the instructor.

To Joesteph: do you know why your request was turned down?

[joesteph]

To Joesteph: do you know why your request was turned down?

There was no precedent in my teacher's background, nor for any of her students who were present. It was always target-based, that you practice strikes (promotion strikes are, after the first which is an elbow strike, all kicking ones) against targets; then, at testing time, wood is to be broken.

Many times, especially in a martial art that, as you moved up the belt ladder, your teacher was--and might still be--your mentor, we become teachers who teach as we were taught. I don't fault her for thinking this way; she is my teacher, as well as my children's teacher, and she has my deepest respect.

I did not say in my posting that the reason I wanted to practice with the plastic board was because I had taken three tries to kick (with accuracy and through the target) and break the board last time I'd tested, and, last night, there was another test for promotion. Though I wanted to wait until next testing time, my teacher felt I was ready, and I respect her judgment. I discovered I was much readier than I thought, so she was right, and I did break the board, but, again, it was on the third try.

The last time it was a side kick, this time a back kick; the heel has to hit as close to dead center as possible to do it properly. These two board kicks "catch you" hitting with the flat of the foot, and so no break occurs. It's actually a learning tool for the kicker, and, if we think about it, those who hold the board (not slanted or crooked, a tight grip, elbows locked) learn as well.

[Tiger1962]

What I have discovered during breaking after all these years, is that the holder is as much responsible for the outcome of the break as the person doing the kicking.

Case in point & speaking from personal experience: you could be performing a break and the holder isn't holding the board properly. As the kick is executed, the holders push back extremely hard causing the kicker to go flying back on the floor landing on their backside. Alternately, you can get holders that are afraid to hold and pull away at the last moment.

In either case, it can work against the kicker. Holders need accurate instruction as much as kickers do.

[Tiger1962]

I do wish that my school would give some time to in-class breaking. I think it would help still some of the nerves that comes from breaking in testings and demos.

I agree wholeheartedly !

[DWx]

I've had a few unsuccessful breaks during class, after class and at one testing. It happens. Being embarrassed is normal, however, no one dared chastise anyone (at least not within earshot) who doesn't break because it can happen to anyone. Nobody's perfect.

If more time was spent practicing breaking during class - be it actual wood or plastic - then more people would be successful at it.

I agree with you. There's no need to be embaressed, I've not broken at times - competed in breaking at a tournament once and managed to go high and hit the metal stand with the entire audience watching. I guess people just get into the mentality that they aren't good enough when it seems like the rest of the class have broken and they haven't.

What I have discovered during breaking after all these years, is that the holder is as much responsible for the outcome of the break as the person doing the kicking.

Free-standing holder (wood or metal) is the way to go. Saves on all those bust fingers when somebody misses. Also with people holding it you can't really stack up the boards too much because they physically can't get their hands around it, bricks aren't good handheld either.

I did not say in my posting that the reason I wanted to practice with the plastic board was because I had taken three tries to kick (with accuracy and through the target) and break the board last time I'd tested, and, last night, there was another test for promotion. Though I wanted to wait until next testing time, my teacher felt I was ready, and I respect her judgment. I discovered I was much readier than I thought, so she was right, and I did break the board, but, again, it was on the third try.

See this is why I think breaking should be done more. Like you said, going through the target and getting the accuracy spot on can be hit or miss, by practicing breaking you are developing those skills.

Congratulations by the way

The last time it was a side kick, this time a back kick; the heel has to hit as close to dead center as possible to do it properly. These two board kicks "catch you" hitting with the flat of the foot, and so no break occurs. It's actually a learning tool for the kicker, and, if we think about it, those who hold the board (not slanted or crooked, a tight grip, elbows locked) learn as well.

Actually a little tip is not to hit it dead centre. The boards are actually weaker to impact towards the edges of the board so hit centrally vertically but on the horizontal axis aim for impact to be 2 - 5 cm in from the edge. It doesn't matter so much for side/back kicks because of the foot part used but for anything smaller (i.e. hand parts or ball of the foot), it can make a big difference in how easy the break is.

[joesteph]

Congratulations by the way

Thank you!

Actually a little tip is not to hit it dead centre. . . .

Thanks again, DWx.