Hi folks!
Let's see if I can add some interesting thoughts to the discussion.
Brother John said:
Just wondering: I've been to schools that required the breaking of boards....What does this accomplish or show??
I am a huge proponent of board breaking, and here is why.
1. It is a challenge, and with any challenge, it requires some skill, extensive practice, and a feeling of accomplishment/confidence when successful. Some students have a talent for breaking right from the beginning - - others do not. First, I must determine which are which, then bring those lacking the skill/confidence up to speed with those who can break with ease.
2. While a person can get away with sloppy breaks on one or two boards, it requires proper technique to break three, four, five or more boards. Thus, it hones skills, and promotes proper execution for power, focus, and accuracy.
3. It goes beyond the physical skill, and tests the student's ability to perform under pressure, or with distractions. Notice how beginner students generally take a while to prepare for a simple break, and often miss a try or two. When crowds are being noisy, and the pressure to pass a test, or win a competition is on, people often "choke." Getting over that, shows performance under pressure, which is good for street defense. I train black belts to break multiple stations as quickly as possible, with no preparation.
4. The impact on a board (or similar breaking material) relates to the power required to damage the human body. One to two boards equate smaller bones (IE: wrist or elbow joints, ribs, ulna & radius of the forearm), while three or four boards is comparable to larger bones (IE: Humerus, femur, etc.). If you can successfully break five or six boards, you can break
ANY bone, in
ANY human body, regardless of their muscle development.
Brother John said:
I can train a person to be able to break boards, impressively, in an afternoon...
what does it show? What cultivation does it show?
I have also taught brand new students how to break one board, just to show it can be done by a beginner. I have adult low rank students who can stomp through two or three (rebreakable) boards with ease. However, they are not successful with four, five, or six. Then, I put the boards in a standing board holder, and they find one board with a side kick to the rib level to be difficult - two or three boards at that height are out of the question. A first-time lesson in board breaking produces remedial results (one or two boards with sloppy technique). I tell the student they need to improve their focus, breathing, muscle control, stance, balance, acceleration, use of reaction force, etc. etc., or they will not be able to break more than two boards.
Board breaking connects the rudimentary technique with physical force required to properly, successfully damage a target. Imagine rolling a bowling ball down a lane with no pins at the end. The ball might pass over the center arrow, and you might think you would have gotten a strike, but put up the pins, and you might find that your technique does not produce the results you thought it would. Even with pins, a strike achieved improperly is a fluke, and will not be a desirable technique for a high scoring game. Likewise, swing a bat without hitting a ball - - are you sure it will be a home run? Swing a golf club without hitting a ball - - will it make it from tee to green for a hole-in-one, or will it slice into the trees?
I know that I can pick up my leg (front leg, back leg, spin kick, jump kick), and snap an opponent's knee, break the femur, or destroy the entire rib cage with ease, because I have practiced the required muscle contraction, bone alignment, speed, accuracy, etc., required to accomplish the task many times. I also know that my punches, knife-hands, ridge-hands, elbow strikes, etc., are powerful enough to break bones, and drop an opponent. Board breaking is the practice that corrects the errors in
thinking that your technique will damage a target.
Brother John said:
Many require such breaks for promotions to new rank.....
WHY???
What is the rationale, what makes this feat speacial or beneficial??
Ever notice how students testing often miss their board break. It is a test. A test of their ability to break (I have seen some high ranks who simply could not break through two or three boards at a test). It tests their mental focus to perform under pressure with distractions. It shows the audience what power exists in these "flashy" techniques, and there is that "awesome" feeling after the test when a student says "I broke my boards!!!"
We usually give the students their broken board to take home, and I have seen them cling to those boards like they were more valuable than any trophy from any tournament. What does board breaking accomplish? It tests and promotes proper skill, instills pride, confidence, and provides a visual demonstration to fellow Martial Artists, and non-Martial Artists. Oh, and like others have said........ It's FUN! :boing1:
CM D.J. Eisenhart
. Don't down the usefulness of board breaking unless you fully understand it. Many kenpoists do not and judging from the question and followup responses it isn't something you have readily experienced either.
