First break!

[Bruce7]

I have been working on the curriculum for my next two tests. There are a few things I want to have modeled for me in person (not just by someone in a YouTube video), so I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself. I do tend to get carried away with enthusiasm and geek out when I'm excited about something, so it's requiring some effort to hold back.

In the meantime, I've been focusing more on establishing a regular training regimen to improve my strength and flexibility, so I'll be able to improve my technique while still learning the foundations. I want to be ready to execute the more advanced moves when I get to them, since there's no point learning fancy kicks if you're too weak or stiff to actually do them.
That's my thought process at this stage, anyway.

We have rebreakable plastic boards at the dojang; I think it'll be a few years before I work my way up to the black ones!

Sounds like a great plan. You are a head because you did not fall back from not practicing. After training for 12 years. I still worked on the basics everyday.

Breaking
I am sure your fiends have told you
The safest for hand is a palm strike or hammer fist. Even better use your elbow. Unless requirement don't do a knife hand.

 

[Plin]

So far, my only break has been the one at the holiday party, with a side kick. I’m not sure when hand breaks come into the mix, but it’s not in the next six months based on my study sheets.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I have been working on the curriculum for my next two tests. There are a few things I want to have modeled for me in person (not just by someone in a YouTube video), so I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself. I do tend to get carried away with enthusiasm and geek out when I'm excited about something, so it's requiring some effort to hold back.

In the meantime, I've been focusing more on establishing a regular training regimen to improve my strength and flexibility, so I'll be able to improve my technique while still learning the foundations. I want to be ready to execute the more advanced moves when I get to them, since there's no point learning fancy kicks if you're too weak or stiff to actually do them.
That's my thought process at this stage, anyway.

We have rebreakable plastic boards at the dojang; I think it'll be a few years before I work my way up to the black ones!

Use your "geek out" energy on the stuff you've already been taught, when you can convince yourself. That's where you'll make the greatest gains. The more solid that stuff is, the easier it is to learn the new stuff. And definitely keep up the fitness work - that will never be wasted time.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

So far, my only break has been the one at the holiday party, with a side kick. I’m not sure when hand breaks come into the mix, but it’s not in the next six months based on my study sheets.

This differs by school/instructor, but some instructors will do things "ahead of time" if a student is enthusiastic about them. If I taught breaks (and I do not), I'd want to leverage the enthusiasm of a student who enjoys them, and would consider (if I consider it safe for them) teaching them earlier than they show up in the syllabus. You know your instructor better than I do, so use your judgment, but consider asking them how early they'd be willing to teach you more breaks.

 

[Bruce7]

So far, my only break has been the one at the holiday party, with a side kick. I’m not sure when hand breaks come into the mix, but it’s not in the next six months based on my study sheets.

Your teacher has a good plan. Side kick is the safest I have never hurt my foot with a side kick.

Pride is a good and bad thing.

Good pride drives you when your so exhausted you thing your going to die , but you keep going.

Bad pride makes you do stupid stuff. I have just come back to MA after 34 years.
An 18 year old BB was telling me I was turning my body to much doing a side kick.
She showed me a half chamber side kick, I smiled and did a half chamber side kick.
She had just started teaching and I wanted to be supportive. I did not let it show, but it irritated me.
She got some boards out and told us we could break them anyway we wanted.
Most people were breaking with an elbow. I want to show off, stupid pride.
I got a black board broke it with a knife hand. It hurt my little finger just enough to think that was stupid.
I have not broken a board in 35 years,
I could have broke my hand using a knife hand, had I hit the board wrong and at my age it would taken along time to recover.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Your teacher has a good plan. Side kick is the safest I have never hurt my foot with a side kick.

Pride is a good and bad thing.

Good pride drives you when your so exhausted you thing your going to die , but you keep going.

Bad pride makes you do stupid stuff. I have just come back to MA after 34 years.
An 18 year old BB was telling me I was turning my body to much doing a side kick.
She showed me a half chamber side kick, I smiled and did a half chamber side kick.
She had just started teaching and I wanted to be supportive. I did not let it show, but it irritated me.
She got some boards out and told us we could break them anyway we wanted.
Most people were breaking with an elbow. I want to show off, stupid pride.
I got a black board broke it with a knife hand. It hurt my little finger just enough to think that was stupid.
I have not broken a board in 35 years,
I could have broke my hand using a knife hand, had I hit the board wrong and at my age it would taken along time to recover.

I have a lingering bit of ache in a clavicle joint (I've forgotten the name of the clavicle joint out at the shoulder) from showing some younger (early 20's) advanced belts "how it's done" on some long rolls. We all get a little stupid sometimes.

 

[Plin]

Use your "geek out" energy on the stuff you've already been taught, when you can convince yourself. That's where you'll make the greatest gains.

I like the way the curriculum is set up, since the next two tests cover a lot of the same material as my first one--same 3-step sparring sequences, basic kicks and self-defense moves--but, as my instructor has explained, I will be expected to continue to refine my technique. So I'm still practicing a lot of the same stuff as before, but trying to pay close attention to detail. Learning new information and moves is just a bonus. Just because I've memorized the "steps" of Chon Ji and Dan Gun doesn't mean I've mastered them, by a long shot.

 

[JR 137]

I have a lingering bit of ache in a clavicle joint (I've forgotten the name of the clavicle joint out at the shoulder) from showing some younger (early 20's) advanced belts "how it's done" on some long rolls. We all get a little stupid sometimes.

Acromioclavocular joint, or “AC joint.” That’s the “separated shoulder” joint.

The one at the chest, at the sternum is the Sternoclavicular joint, or “SC joint.”

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Acromioclavocular joint, or “AC joint.” That’s the “separated shoulder” joint.

The one at the chest, at the sternum is the Sternoclavicular joint, or “SC joint.”

I remembered the one at the sternum, because I managed a minor dislocation there this year.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I went to the dojang holiday party, and was having a good time. It was fun to have a real chance to talk to folks I'd only had a nodding acquaintance with until now. In the back of the room, a bunch of people (of all ages) were practicing breaking boards, both the rebreakable kind and some that were left over from this past week of testing. At a certain point, our master instructor started writing holiday messages on the boards so people could take photos afterward and keep them as souvenirs.

Since I just earned my yellow stripe on Monday, and have never been anywhere near a board, I was content just watching. It never even occurred to me to try... and then I was handed a pine slab with a scribbled greeting. Um, what? I wasn't ready! Also, I was wearing a dress.

Reader, I broke that sucker on the first try, and it was SO SATISFYING. I can't wait to do it again.

I tried to embed the image, but couldn't get it to work. So here's a link instead: Baby's first board break

Boards don't hit back, neither does a well struck opponent. Enjoy your desire to break more things, don't fight it, just control it as needed and break when the timing is right, be it a board or someone's jaw. lol. Congrats on your accomplishment.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Boards don't hit back, neither does a well struck opponent. Enjoy your desire to break more things, don't fight it, just control it as needed and break when the timing is right, be it a board or someone's jaw. lol. Congrats on your accomplishment.

I beg to differ. A poorly-struck board damned well does strike back.

 

[Bruce7]

I beg to differ. A poorly-struck board damned well does strike back.

Learning to be precise is important to board breaking especially when using the hand. In my first school it was nearly a year before we broke a board. In my new school my grandson started breaking the yellow boards at 2 months, I guess that's OK, the yellow boards are easy to break so if he does not do it right, maybe it will only hurt a little bit.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Learning to be precise is important to board breaking especially when using the hand. In my first school it was nearly a year before we broke a board. In my new school my grandson started breaking the yellow boards at 2 months, I guess that's OK, the yellow boards are easy to break so if he does not do it right, maybe it will only hurt a little bit.

If he does it right, it won't hurt at all. Breaking only hurts when you do it wrong.
As far as we are concerned, piffle on the yellow boards. Our standard break is one standard 10"x12"x1" pine board. As a minimum. Including 6-7 year old kids.
Breaking a single pine board just isn't that difficult. ANYONE can do it, and with minimal training.
Students rise to expectations. If you think that a 6 year old can only break a scrap of wood 3" wide and 1/4" thick, then that's what they'll be able to break. But that same kid can also kick through a real board. If you give them the chance.

 

[pdg]

Just because I've memorized the "steps" of Chon Ji and Dan Gun doesn't mean I've mastered them, by a long shot.

If anyone, regardless of rank or experience, claims to have mastered them (or anything else tbh) - then I say that person is lying.

 

[Bruce7]

If he does it right, it won't hurt at all. Breaking only hurts when you do it wrong.
As far as we are concerned, piffle on the yellow boards. Our standard break is one standard 10"x12"x1" pine board. As a minimum. Including 6-7 year old kids.
Breaking a single pine board just isn't that difficult. ANYONE can do it, and with minimal training.
Students rise to expectations. If you think that a 6 year old can only break a scrap of wood 3" wide and 1/4" thick, then that's what they'll be able to break. But that same kid can also kick through a real board. If you give them the chance.

Can a child break a standard 10"x12"x1" pine board, yes.
Should a child try to break a 10"x12"x1" pine board ?

Breaking a single pine board just isn't that difficult. Yes, If you are train.
ANYONE can do it, and with minimal training. You think breaking boards with minimal training is a good idea?

 

[Bruce7]

Two bricks with a snap punch. That's pretty cool.

 

[Buka]

I haven't broken anything in years. Used to all the time. It was a lot of fun having crazy breaking classes.

But reading Plin's thread sure does have me thinking. I just cleaned the house and polished the furniture. (wife's orders) And now the coffee table is taunting me.

Can you hear it? It's whispering, "C'mon, old man, Plin is breaking stuff, take your best shot, see if you still got it, sucker."

I so want to break this table right now.

Plin, you go, girl. Just be safe.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Can a child break a standard 10"x12"x1" pine board, yes.
Should a child try to break a 10"x12"x1" pine board ?

They should not try. They should do it.

Breaking a single pine board just isn't that difficult. Yes, If you are train.
ANYONE can do it, and with minimal training. You think breaking boards with minimal training is a good idea?

Sure, if you're talking about a single board with something like a side kick. No, if you're talking about 10 boards with a knife hand, or a spear hand break. Are you seriously suggesting that people should train for years before they do something as easy as breaking a single pine board?

 

[_Simon_]

I haven't broken anything in years. Used to all the time. It was a lot of fun having crazy breaking classes.

But reading Plin's thread sure does have me thinking. I just cleaned the house and polished the furniture. (wife's orders) And now the coffee table is taunting me.

View attachment 22013

Can you hear it? It's whispering, "C'mon, old man, Plin is breaking stuff, take your best shot, see if you still got it, sucker."

I so want to break this table right now.

Plin, you go, girl. Just be safe.

YES! DO IT!


(and an "After" photo of that broken sucker )

 

[Bruce7]

"Sure, if you're talking about a single board with something like a side kick."
I agree, a side kick has the most power and is the safest way to break a board.

IMO the more training you have the easier and safer it is to break boards or bricks.
I have never hurt myself breaking, because my training made me ready.

IMO the color boards are a good Idea, especially for kids, slowly going throw the colors to black boards.