98.5% of ALL breaking (boards/bricks/tiles...etc.) is useless show bunk!!!
It's simple physics for Simple minds.
Breaking a board is good for something though... making two boards.
HOWEVER, there is about 1.5% of breaking demonstrations that are worth a darn. Most of these are spead breaks: I saw a martial artist by the name of He Ill Cho (Tae Kwan Doist) take a one foot by one foot by one inch piece of pine and toss it vertically into the air like a frizbee. When it began to descend Master Cho swiftly spun around and broke the board with a sharp spinning backfist. Breaks like this show depth guaging, timing, speed, alignment, focus and accuracy with a moving target... not just the speed and alignment that it takes to pass your hand (or other assorted body part) through a solidly supported piece of pine.
As to being able to break the brick below w/out breaking the one above. I WAS going to say that this to had no practical usefulness... but it does!!! I have a pesky neighbor who has very expensive & LOUD Speakers on the wall that he likes to put through their paces around 12:00-2:00am. IF I could strike my side of the wall and have it break his speakers w/out damaging MY side of the wall......... that would be GREAT!!!!
IN all honesty, I believe that there is a martial artist name of John Painter (I think) who demonstrated his ability w/this feat on several occasions. Bet he could handle my neighbors stereo.
:soapbox:
Your Brother
John