I just returned from the dojo - I wasn't in class today, I have a nasty infection in my arm and was stopping by to tell my sensei I would not be in on Monday night. But I stayed to watch the class (you can learn a lot that way) and at the end of class, Sensei set up some concrete blocks and the class took turns breaking them.
In the year and a half I've been a student at this dojo, we've only broken concrete twice, but both times were what Sensei calls 'soft breaking technique'. I haven't seen anything about soft breaks discussed here, so I thought I'd post a description.
First of all, these are your typical Home Depot concrete pavers. 2 inches thick by 8 inches wide by 16 inches long. They cost 99 cents at the local hardware store.
Sensei sets them up on two cinder blocks set on end, so the blocks are maybe 12 to 15 inches from the floor, not quite knee-high. On top of the blocks, he places a thick phone book that has been duct-taped to keep it from flying to pieces. The blocks do not have spacers in between them.
He explains that a 'soft break' is not like the typical 'hard break', which is based on speed and power. This is supposed to be an event generating power from ki and smooth movement.
He demonstrates - from a standing position, he inhales, exhales, and as the breath leaves his body, he kneels to one knee, bringing his arm up in front of him (as he explains it, "Like an elephant's trunk") and then down again almost like he was cracking a whip. As his knee hits the floor, his flat open hand hits the phone book. It makes a 'thump' noise (as opposed to the 'slap' noise when most of us tried and failed to break the blocks). The bottom block breaks first, which you can tell sometimes when a person tries to break four or five at a time and they hit it good, but they don't break - sometimes the bottom one or two does, but not the rest.
I have tried three blocks, and failed. However, we have women in the class who have broken two, and I know for a fact that they are not very large or exceptionally strong, so I'm guessing this is not a weight or strength thing. Whenever I hit the phone book, it feels like I'm slapping my hand and sounds like it too. My hand stings like crazy and nothing happens. So I'm sure I'm doing it wrong.
However, Sensei demonstrated two blocks with the back of his hand - it looked like he was moving in slow motion, even. He did five blocks with the palm of his hand, and some of his students confirmed that he has done as many as nine blocks - that's 18 inches of cement, no spacers, and all with what he calls 'soft power'. Several of our students did three or four blocks and one visitor to the dojo from a TKD studio did two blocks this morning. Sometimes it is surprising when a low kyu rank breaks the blocks and it looks effortless, and some of the black belts struggle or can't break them at all.
I know you're supposed to relax, let your breathing go, and aim through the blocks, but so far, I can't seem to master it. I didn't think I would ever want to break blocks or boards or whatever, but now that I've tried it, I am curious to actually do it and see how many I can break (once I figure out how to do it, that is).
Thoughts, comments? Soft power breaks - anyone else do them? My style is Isshin-Ryu - breaking is not part of the normal curriculum for us, this is just something Sensei likes to do every so often.
In the year and a half I've been a student at this dojo, we've only broken concrete twice, but both times were what Sensei calls 'soft breaking technique'. I haven't seen anything about soft breaks discussed here, so I thought I'd post a description.
First of all, these are your typical Home Depot concrete pavers. 2 inches thick by 8 inches wide by 16 inches long. They cost 99 cents at the local hardware store.
Sensei sets them up on two cinder blocks set on end, so the blocks are maybe 12 to 15 inches from the floor, not quite knee-high. On top of the blocks, he places a thick phone book that has been duct-taped to keep it from flying to pieces. The blocks do not have spacers in between them.
He explains that a 'soft break' is not like the typical 'hard break', which is based on speed and power. This is supposed to be an event generating power from ki and smooth movement.
He demonstrates - from a standing position, he inhales, exhales, and as the breath leaves his body, he kneels to one knee, bringing his arm up in front of him (as he explains it, "Like an elephant's trunk") and then down again almost like he was cracking a whip. As his knee hits the floor, his flat open hand hits the phone book. It makes a 'thump' noise (as opposed to the 'slap' noise when most of us tried and failed to break the blocks). The bottom block breaks first, which you can tell sometimes when a person tries to break four or five at a time and they hit it good, but they don't break - sometimes the bottom one or two does, but not the rest.
I have tried three blocks, and failed. However, we have women in the class who have broken two, and I know for a fact that they are not very large or exceptionally strong, so I'm guessing this is not a weight or strength thing. Whenever I hit the phone book, it feels like I'm slapping my hand and sounds like it too. My hand stings like crazy and nothing happens. So I'm sure I'm doing it wrong.
However, Sensei demonstrated two blocks with the back of his hand - it looked like he was moving in slow motion, even. He did five blocks with the palm of his hand, and some of his students confirmed that he has done as many as nine blocks - that's 18 inches of cement, no spacers, and all with what he calls 'soft power'. Several of our students did three or four blocks and one visitor to the dojo from a TKD studio did two blocks this morning. Sometimes it is surprising when a low kyu rank breaks the blocks and it looks effortless, and some of the black belts struggle or can't break them at all.
I know you're supposed to relax, let your breathing go, and aim through the blocks, but so far, I can't seem to master it. I didn't think I would ever want to break blocks or boards or whatever, but now that I've tried it, I am curious to actually do it and see how many I can break (once I figure out how to do it, that is).
Thoughts, comments? Soft power breaks - anyone else do them? My style is Isshin-Ryu - breaking is not part of the normal curriculum for us, this is just something Sensei likes to do every so often.