ANY AND ALL BREAKING KNOWLEDGE WANTED!

[hoshin1600]

Post on here how easy something is and why it's so easy, whats the trick, or what makes it difficult

Ok ..don't put pencils between the boards. If you want to impress me don't stack 3 boards together, get a solid 3 inch thick board and break it.

 

[Buka]

Breaking can be a tricky thing, and it can hurt you if you're not careful, so be careful. Good instruction in breaking is very important.

Tell you a story about breaking. We were in South Africa fighting their national team. Billy Blanks was on our team, he was asked to do a demo for a big Martial Arts show. He decided to do some breaking as part of it. Billy is one of the best breakers I've ever seen, does some really wild breaks. He told them to get some pavers for him to break. The night of the show I picked up one of the pavers. It didn't feel right. So I took it over to the corner of the gym and smashed it against the door frame. It cracked....revealing three pieces of rebar running through it. I showed it to Billy and said, "What does that tell you, bro?". The f'kers.

He also does the slap nails through pine boards thing. If anyone is interested as to how you build up to that safely, just ask.

 

[Jenna]

Another "breaking is silly" post. again, a valid opinion, but not the intention here.
Don't get me wrong, DEBUNK AWAY. That's half of what I think should be discussed here.
Post on here how easy something is and why it's so easy, whats the trick, or what makes it difficult.

For boards, I prefer to use a saw.. take longer and but I end up with a straighter edge

 

[JR 137]

Breaking can be a tricky thing, and it can hurt you if you're not careful, so be careful. Good instruction in breaking is very important.

Tell you a story about breaking. We were in South Africa fighting their national team. Billy Blanks was on our team, he was asked to do a demo for a big Martial Arts show. He decided to do some breaking as part of it. Billy is one of the best breakers I've ever seen, does some really wild breaks. He told them to get some pavers for him to break. The night of the show I picked up one of the pavers. It didn't feel right. So I took it over to the corner of the gym and smashed it against the door frame. It cracked....revealing three pieces of rebar running through it. I showed it to Billy and said, "What does that tell you, bro?". The f'kers.

He also does the slap nails through pine boards thing. If anyone is interested as to how you build up to that safely, just ask.

Funny thing is I was talking to a few guys in the dojo the other night about breaking concrete pavers. I've never tried to break concrete, and I was saying that with my luck, I'll unknowingly get a paver with rebar in it. Their eyes lit up and they told me about a guy in our organization who couldn't get through a paver in a tournament one year. He'd done multiple pavers on a number of occasions, so it was pretty odd. After it was over, they hit the thing with a sledgehammer, and sure enough there were 3 iron rods in it. It wasn't a setup as he bought it himself. The store mislabeled them.

Moral of the story - they all buy an extra one and hit it with a sledgehammer as quality control to make sure it doesn't happen to them. Pretty good lesson to learn from someone else.

 

[PhotonGuy]

indeed, imho its things like this that has lead to karate etel becoming a running joke, I'm a karate black belt doesn't conjure up an image of a noble warrior, it conjures up an image of a rotund middle aged short bald bloke, hitting bits of trick cement.
people aren't impressed, they are laughing at you

Yes, its sad how the image has been degraded over time.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Im wondering if in the whole of sports history there is anything more pointless than beating up bricks and sticks, well maybe golf

Breaking provides a chance to demonstrate the delivery of levels of power that most of us prefer not to inflict on our friends. Because friends. It also builds confidence and is just plain fun.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I thought it was more an american thing, the ancient. Chinese not having invent the cinder block

And they hadn't invented wood yet, right?

yes, but then i found out they sold two piece boards that clip together.

Who is "they"? We buy 1x12's at Loews and chop them up. Nothing special about the wood. Or the bricks.

how does that confidence go over on to real life. Unless you can get your opponent to stand still at just the right height and distance.

Right. Because none of us know how to judge or adjust distance.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Ok ..don't put pencils between the boards. If you want to impress me don't stack 3 boards together, get a solid 3 inch thick board and break it.

Spacers between boards or bricks do NOT make the break easier. They make the break SAFER.

When you break with spacers, the target breaks from the top, and if you fail, the energy you put into the strike will not rebound into your hand/foot/face/whatever.
When you break without spacers, the target breaks from the bottom, and a failed break is more likely to result in injury.

I was taught this as a kid, and discussed it at length with one of my kids who happens to be a mechanical engineer who breaks things (trains...) for a living. He confirms it.

As for 3 boards vs 1 thicker board...
A big factor in breaking is flexibility of the target. The more flexibility, the more difficult the break. This is one reason why I personally prefer to break bricks - they're more consistent from day to day, while boards get a LOT more flexible if you leave them out in the truck bed overnight while it rains.... Bricks are also cheaper.

Look at a leaf spring. Notice that they're not a single piece (generally speaking). Do you think there is a reason for that? Perhaps because multiple thinner layers increases flexibility?

Personally, I'm a fan of using good quality rebreakable boards. They're consistent, reliable, cheap (if you're using them regularly...) and better for the environment.

 

[jobo]

And they hadn't invented wood yet, right?



Who is "they"? We buy 1x12's at Loews and chop them up. Nothing special about the wood. Or the bricks.



Right. Because none of us know how to judge or adjust distance.

go on then as you have set yourself up as spokesman for the lets attack an innocent bit of masonry brigade, what exactly is the point of it. It can't be to impress people as well frankly it doesn't, they don't move fast so it can't help targeting, and they are not very strong so it cant help power, so?

 

[Dirty Dog]

go on then as you have set yourself up as spokesman for the lets attack an innocent bit of masonry brigade, what exactly is the point of it. It can't be to impress people as well frankly it doesn't, they don't move fast so it can't help targeting, and they are not very strong so it cant help power, so?

So you say. Those who break, and those who use it as a teaching tool,see it differently. In much the same way as those who don't understand the purpose and application of kata as a teaching tool like to bash kata.
So... let's see a video of you, personally, breaking a stack of bricks. I consider a stack of 5 8x16x2" pavers to be a relatively easy break, so start there.

 

[jobo]

So you say. Those who break, and those who use it as a teaching tool,see it differently. In much the same way as those who don't understand the purpose and application of kata as a teaching tool like to bash kata.
So... let's see a video of you, personally, breaking a stack of bricks. I consider a stack of 5 8x16x2" pavers to be a relatively easy break, so start there.

I'm not given to wasting my time on exercise's that have no point, . I dont generaly try to move sand with a fork nor do i juggle jam tarts. Which bring us back to my question what is the point of it
. If I want to break paver il drop them from 4ft. Though the fact you buy them just to break them seems to make even less sense

 

[Touch Of Death]

indeed, imho its things like this that has lead to karate etel becoming a running joke, I'm a karate black belt doesn't conjure up an image of a noble warrior, it conjures up an image of a rotund middle aged short bald bloke, hitting bits of trick cement.
people aren't impressed, they are laughing at you

This is why we don't like you.

 

[Touch Of Death]

I've just won an award for 100 likes,that makes me very likable apparently, so you seem to be in a minority
was the description of the fat bald bloke a bit to close to home?

I am actually quite slender; thank you.

 

[CB Jones]

I've just won an award for 100 likes

I demand a recount!

 

[Touch Of Death]

Asp Burgers for lunch again?

 

[geezer]

I've just won an award for 100 likes,that makes me very likable apparently, so you seem to be in a minority
was the description of the fat bald bloke a bit to close to home?

I have to agree with Jobo that breaking is totally unnecessary. I have achieved everything he mentioned without breaking (at least in the last 20 years)...I have the equivalent rank of a black belt in my core art, I am short, a bit too round, and something of a joke (just ask my teenage son). And I did it all without breaking!!!

Oh snap, I forgot. I still have a full head of hair. Perhaps breaking would help? LOL

BTW Jobo, don't be a killjoy. Some of those breaking demos are really cool!

 

[JR 137]

I'm not given to wasting my time on exercise's that have no point, . I dont generaly try to move sand with a fork nor do i juggle jam tarts. Which bring us back to my question what is the point of it
. If I want to break paver il drop them from 4ft. Though the fact you buy them just to break them seems to make even less sense

Break some boards or blocks, and perhaps you'll see the point. And if you do in fact break something and still don't see the point, that doesn't make it pointless. Although I'm quite sure you'll have a very difficult time wrapping your head around that one.

 

[JR 137]

Asp Burgers for lunch again?

You think?

I feel bad saying it though. But not too bad

 

[Buka]

We used to do a lot of fire breaking for demos back in the day. Eight pieces of pine, with pencil spacers between them, douse the middle of each board with lighter fluid - light it. (It goes without saying this was much to the chagrin of fire fighters) It was visually stunning when you broke the stack, as the flame WHOOSHED upwards like an explosion. Really stupid, but fun in a perverse sort of way. We've since smartened up.

Nobody ever got hurt.

 

[CB Jones]

well a no one can actually say what the point is, I seem to be winning the debate by default. When a was I young teen, I did things like that, but then when my balls dropped, it seemed a sort of pointless activerty and I went on to fight actual people instead . Perhaps its an American thing like shooting bears, looks tuff but no actual danger

I would think insulting people on a message board while trying to give off the impression of being a tough guy would be an even more pointless activity.

But to each his own.