Braking bricks

[thesensei]

i'm involved with a demo team, so i've done quite a bit of breaking. bricks (to me) aren't that much different from breaking boards - only in the mind. and of course, your technique MUST be absolutely perfect. i've done breaks before where my technique was good enough to execute the break - but i had a great big bruise afterward!! the most i have done is 6 bricks with spacers with my elbow. i have also done 5 with an axe kick, 4 with a palm, 2 on fire, and 2 with my head. the key is prefect technique, and striking all the way through - though when you're breaking more than about 4, that becomes theory only!

btw, i have never done any hand conditioning, other that working with a bag. and the only time i use a cloth to cover the bricks is when doing a head break - for obvious reasons!!

 

[Chiduce]

I have never done any head breaks, and i do condition my hands!
Never tried breaking ice either or the back of the hand break; yet i would very much like that type of breaking experience.
My breaking experience was stated in a previous post.
Sincerely, In Humility;
Chiduce!

 

[Shinzu]

breaking is an area that interests me very much. i enjoy this aspect. i did perform a 2 brick break with a downward elbow strike. man did that ever hurt. i had a bruise that took up half of my arm. i'm lucky i didn't break my arm instead.

i broke it correctly and had no problem, but perhaps my arm was not ready for such force. anyways i don't regret it

 

[MartialArtist]

Originally posted by tonbo

Well, I've seen a multiple brick break done "close up", and it is pretty amazing. Works along the principles that nightingale set up, as far as I can tell.

I also haven't done much breaking--mainly a couple of the rebreakable boards, nothing fancy. I think a LOT of it has to do with physics, though, since I have seen kids do it more than once--it can't all be about strength.

Before I start talking about stuff that I really don't know anything about, however, I am going to back down and let those people who know breaking do the explanations...

Peace--

You don't have to be strong to hit hard. Strength and power are two different things.

 

[Damian Mavis]

I can tell you a little about ITF Tae Kwon do breaking. We have board breaking as an event at the world chamionships so breaking is pretty common in all ITF TKD schools across the world and is often a requirement for testing. We use pine and do not use spacers.

Basically you can measure your progress and power by how many boards you break over the years. 1 or 2 boards is usually a "special technique" like big jumping kicks or punches where you throw the boards in the air and snap them with a speed punch. 3 boards is starting to get to power breaking and is common for adults to try the first time they try a power break like a stepping or turning sidekick. Black belts usually break 3 with their hand using knife hand or ridgehand and break 4 with sidekick or turning sidekick. Once they feel confident black belts usually move up to 5 or 6 boards sidekick/turning sidekick which is an accomplishment because if your technique is not good you will be stopped by 4 boards easily. Most blackbelt men do 4 boards knife and ridgehand. I myself have done more but in all honesty I can break well simply because I don't care if I break my bones...a complete lack of fear or worry does wonders for your power. I'm sure the day will come when I do care and I won't be breaking so much. I've been lucky not to break any bones yet. Power breaking with your hand hurts and almost always leaves a bruise (sometimes a huge bruise) but power breaking with your foot usually doesn't leave a mark and rarely hurts.

If you want to break more than 6 boards with a kick you need a board holding machine as most peoples hands arent big enough to hold more. Not only that but when people hold boards with no machine you run the risk of the holders moving when you make contact and not being able to break as a result. The most boards I've broken is 8 with a turning sidekick, which is really good for a man my size but I still envy those heavy weights I hear about doing 12 boards....insane.

Power breaking with no spacers = confidence (no fear and full commitment) and sharp, fast, acurate technique (if you dont hit the center you probably won't break).

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

 

[Kong]

I witnessed a 3 dan grading (wtf tkd) not too long ago, where they had to break 2 bricks no spacers among other things.

 

[jazkiljok]

Originally posted by Deathtrap101

Ive seen it done and i know people can do it, but how hte hell do you do it???????

this site will give you a good idea of the science in the break.

http://www.pbs.org/ktca/newtons/12/karate.html

hand conditioning does help but ironically, it's more for when things don't go right then when they do.

as a side note--Don Bluming recently exposed the many tricks by Mas Oyama and his students commonly used in japan to build false reputations and records for breaking ice, cement slabs, bricks, bottle tops...etc.

peace.




:asian: