Breaking Competition

cali_tkdbruin

cali_tkdbruin

Master of Arts
We just finished watching the Martial Arts Breaking competition on ESPN. The Taekwondoists really stepped up and took care of hardcore Biznus:eek:

I don't know, maybe it's 'cuz they make us break all of those boards when we test. :confused:

When we went for our blacks the Sabumnim made us break 10 boards to earn our B-belts. I guess there is were it comes from... :eek:
 
When I took my black belt test, we had to break 2 ceramic roofing tiles with either a knife hand chop or elbow. Then we had to do 2 boards with a lead leg side kick. It was fun :)



:asian:
 
10 boards?:rolleyes: as if. What kind of styrofoam do you use? The world record is around 12. 3/4 inch 12x12 pine.
 
TKD Bruin,

How many different techniques were required for your 10 boards? What size were they? I have seen different schools, at tournaments, use a variety of sizes.

Is the ESPN episode airing again? That was good news about our TKD brothers doing well. Thanks for the upbeat news flash!

white belt
 
Ken,

He has to mean 10 total. That is why I posted about the number of techniques used, meaning 4 sidekick, 3 roundhouse, 3 knifehand for example.

white belt
 
why could it not be 10 at once???? and i find it hard to believe that the world record is set at only 12... i currently do a burning break with 8 using a hammer fist strike... and i know it would be very possible for me to add two more to make it ten and still do the break easily...
 
Originally posted by TLH3rdDan
why could it not be 10 at once???? and i find it hard to believe that the world record is set at only 12... i currently do a burning break with 8 using a hammer fist strike... and i know it would be very possible for me to add two more to make it ten and still do the break easily...
Click to expand...

Fine. Go break the world record then? Talk is cheap. Fame and glory awaiting you.
 
Originally posted by TLH3rdDan
i currently do a burning break with 8 using a hammer fist strike... and i know it would be very possible for me to add two more to make it ten and still do the break easily...
Click to expand...

Are the breaks spaced? That makes them easier. How long do you let them burn (i.e. long enough to get brittle and make the break easier, or do you buy green wood, soak it with water, then break it while burning?)? Burning usually makes dry boards brittle and easier to break...

Our school uses bricks, generally patio type around 6" x 12" x 1 1/2" (because they are the most "cost effective" ;) ). We also place a 3" thick phone book on top, which makes us have to be able to project enough force to penetrate through the phone book as well as through the bricks. No spacers allowed, just bricks flush together. Top that off with our pet technique - an open handed slap.

When we are able to break 3 bricks, we go to half bricks (since there are, by this time, an abundance of them around the training hall! :D ). The best break I have heard of in our school was a half brick, unsupported, flat on the floor... Ouch. :erg: I managed to break a single cinder block, 6" thick, through both a 3" phone book as well as a ceramic tile (the tile didn't break - cool, but I didn't mean for that to happen, so not as cool as I'd like it to be...)

The down side to breaking bricks is that you have to make sure they are dry... If they are wet, they break more easily (concrete is, after all, really only congealed sand). Also, it gets hard sometimes to find the patio bricks that aren't scalloped... The scalloping creates natural fault lines that allow breaks to occur more easily.

Gambarimasu.
:asian:
 
Originally posted by TLH3rdDan
why could it not be 10 at once???? and i find it hard to believe that the world record is set at only 12... i currently do a burning break with 8 using a hammer fist strike... and i know it would be very possible for me to add two more to make it ten and still do the break easily...
Click to expand...

If the boards are burning then they have been weakened.

what size are your boards?

are there spaces between the boards or are they flat together?

Im not saying its impossible, I know a guy who can do a 5 board forefist, and he isnt that great, he just weighs alot and is fast. If he was good he no doubt would be very dangerous.
 
I would say that the boards we use are about 8" across and a foot long. I've broken 7 boards with a reverse punch. They were taped together at the ends and held by 4 guys.This was a hard break for me and the holders. Can the record be set with kicking tech., or is it only for hand tech.?
 
ok the boards i use a 12" x 12" 3/4" pine... no spacing... the boards are only lit long enough for all the lighter fuild to ignite which is about 5 seconds... the boards are not even black after the break since they do not burn that long since the force of the break ussually puts out the fire... and no i dont bake them or anything to make them brittle... i ussually go and by them at and have them cut the day of the event at the lumber yard... where they are stored outside... so yes they do sometimes have quiet a bit of mositure in them...
 
Originally posted by TLH3rdDan
ok the boards i use a 12" x 12" 3/4" pine... no spacing...
Click to expand...

Pretty good then... 8 x 3/4 = 6 inches of wood... Nice.

the boards are only lit long enough for all the lighter fuild to ignite which is about 5 seconds... the boards are not even black after the break since they do not burn that long since the force of the break ussually puts out the fire...
Click to expand...

So what's the point? Since it is the lighter fluid, not the wood, that is burning, and since you can pour all sorts of lighter fluid on yourself, set it alight and the only thing that will burn (besides maybe some hair) is the fluid, and since you are never in any real danger from the fire, why bother?

and no i dont bake them or anything to make them brittle...
Click to expand...

Wasn't going to ask about that, but thanks for clarifying it anyway... I knew several "high ranking" TKD "masters" back in my home town that were outed by the lumber yards to other martial arts folks - when another instructor, a karate guy I think, went to the lumber yard to get boards cut, the lumberman asked "do you want the 'special' ones, or regular wood?" The karate guy inquired what "special" meant, and was regaled with the intimate details of the processing that the TKD guys required... Sad, really, but that is just how it goes sometimes. I think someone said in another thread that while the bulk of TKD is on the up and up, because there are so many TKD schools, the proportion of visible frauds is higher, not necessarily that there are a higher percentage in TKD than in any other art...

i ussually go and by them at and have them cut the day of the event at the lumber yard... where they are stored outside... so yes they do sometimes have quiet a bit of mositure in them...
Click to expand...

Well, respectable as that may be, I admit that when I buy bricks I buy them at least a week in advance... But then, you are looking for freshness (i.e. untampered with) in your breaking material, while I have to eliminate environmental factors in mine...

Gambarimasu.
:asian:
 
well thanks for the detailed reply... as far as the burning lighter fluid the only reason i do that is strictly for show purposes... ya know you see one board broke you seen them all... but when you add fire it makes it a little more interesting lol...
 
I recall reading, not too long ago, about a breaking expert who did a flaming break in a boxing ring. He was quite good from what I read, but one day he let his Gi sleeve ignite just prior to the break, caught fire, jumped out of the ring and he suffered a terrible amount of injury. From all accounts he was a nice guy who had a bad day. Anybody else this rings a bell with? I wonder how he is doing today?

white belt
 
ive heard stories like that one but not that paticular one... its the reason i do mine with out a gi top just a tshirt lol that way all i lose is some hair on my arms lol
 
Originally posted by Bagatha
10 boards?:rolleyes: as if. What kind of styrofoam do you use? The world record is around 12. 3/4 inch 12x12 pine.
Click to expand...

Bagatha, it wasn't 10 boards stacked up on top of each other, PA-Leeze! :rolleyes:
Okay, maybe I needed to be more specific, my bad...

Anyway, for the record we did have to break 10 "different" boards, but, it was done using 10 different hand and footstrikes (i.e., punch, hammerfist, knifehand strikes, elbow strike and various kicks). I still haven't progressed to the point where I can break 10 boards stacked on top of each other but I'm working on it...:rofl:
 
Originally posted by white belt
Ken,

He has to mean 10 total. That is why I posted about the number of techniques used, meaning 4 sidekick, 3 roundhouse, 3 knifehand for example.

white belt
Click to expand...

You got it white belt, it was 10 total. (see my previous post). We'd like to think we're tough superhuman TKD guys at my dojang, but, in reality we're just normal non-superhero regular joes. Breaking 10 boards all at once would be very impressive, I wish I could do it... :D
 
Again, move past "mere" boards and onto slabs of concrete...

There is a satisfaction after breaking a sidewalk with your hand that just can't be found elsewhere... :D
 
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