How the HELL do martial arts people break crazy things like bricks, baseball bats and huge stacks of wood?

Question

I'm just wondering because a lot of times the stuff they do does not look humanly possible. I just saw a lady break this pretty substantial piece of wood with her chin. And the bottom line is, I want to do that. Is it all mental? Is it knowing exactly where to hit the object? Or is it all just smoke and mirrors?

Answer 1

Any healthy person can break bricks, bats and planks. It's not that the Martial artist is stronger or has such good training that they are good enough to break bricks. It is a feet of strength or power. If you take a cement slab that they use to break in demonstrations (otherwise known as a patio stone) and prop it off the ground at both ends then hit it in the midle it will break quite easily. That is why when tey stack them they leave an inch or 2 inbetween each block so the momentum of the first one hits the second etc.... The hit them with their palms. So yes if an average person with no physical trainig whether it be martial arts or even basic weight training tries to break them. They will probably break a few but will also injur themselfs.

So the trick is that a person who practices braking things gets used to where and how to hit the objects to break them. As stated before simple physics.

Answer 2

Martial Arts Brick Breaking

Answer 3

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RE:
How the HELL do martial arts people break crazy things like bricks, baseball bats and huge stacks of wood?
I'm just wondering because a lot of times the stuff they do does not look humanly possible. I just saw a lady break this pretty substantial piece of wood with her chin. And the bottom line is, I want to do that. Is it all mental? Is it knowing exactly where to hit the object? Or is it all...

Answer 4

It's part of training and something some students like to and excel at, weapons, forms and sparring. Breaking is not some sort of a trick (at lease what I was doing), though I can't speak for others or what you may have seen on TV.
In the mid '80s through the early '90s I have done more POWER BREAK & SPEED BREAKING then I wish to remember, don't get me wrong, I did love it at that time in my life but not today. My wrists are sore and I think it's from all of those power breaking demos years ago.

Power break: 2 stacks of Patio tiles 10 each, technique, Heel palm simotanously both left & right hand.
Speed break: 100 1" boards under 60 seconds.
Glass Breaking: Beer bottle necks, technique, Ridge knife-hand.
I never broke Ice or a baseball bat (other then on the ball field).

Answer 5

Simple physics. Given the same pounds-per-square-inch of force applied, the smaller the strike area the more energy is transferred. High torque impacts transfer the energy faster.

Many objects (bricks, baseball bats, etc.) have significant load-bearing capability, but do not absorb energy quickly as they're rigid objects. Transferring energy faster than the object can absorb it will create stress in the object. Enough stress and it will break.

It's not a trick. It's simple physics. The challenge for a martial artist is to hone their skills such that they can apply their technique such that it delivers enough energy quickly enough to a small enough point to cause the target object to break.

Answer 6

The right force at the right place. It's Science

The mental part is this: people think it's hard because they hit a board and it hurt or they couldn't break it. Well when you break the board, the force returned is much less. You can hit it with all your might and all the force and speed you can muster and as long as the item breaks, you won't suffer injury.

Answer 7

The reason most of them do it is utility training.

meaning if they are ever in the woods and find themselves without an axe to chop down a tree for firewood or to build a shelter they can chop down a tree with thier hands.

So if they find themselves in a situation where they lack a specific tool better designed to do the job- they can improvise.

Yes- they do do those tricks (in most cases) I'm sure there are a few frauds and such, but generally most breaking feats are legit.

Some of the physics to consider:

I would be impressed if one did it on the ground or on "soft" floor like a trampoline, dance floor or dirt. They won't be able to break nearly as much.

They go with the grain or have the peices set so they impact each other and not act as "one big *** block".

Breaking can harden your bones over years of training it, but unless you are going to be some "breaking champ" and make a life out of it there are better ways to gain stregth and just because one can break and deliver power- doesn't mean they can connect with it against a moving/defending target.

Any of us can have devastating punching power against MR. T when he is tied to a tree with steel cables and administered an elephant tranquilizer as well as bieng sealed in concrete up to his neck, the trick is to do it when he breaks out and is pissed off ready to pity you.

Answer 8

if tis too good to be true it is. could jesus really walk on water?

the feats the martial arts community perform can be manipulated to suit the need. I see no value than sideshow fame in breaking inanimate objects... 'and now for my next feat I will move this mountain...'

if you make your own bricks you can make them brittle.

a lot of it is like the touring freak show circus, with a lot of fancy fakes, and few real freaks. but the people love it anyway.

they person who fights sticks and stones isnt necessarily a good fighter of people.

Answer 9

50% mental, 25% strength, 25% training

It's real alright. I can put dents in steel if I am not careful - hurts like hell, but I can do it accidently - I'd break my hand (and arm) if I tried to really break a piece of steel.

My sister's 7 year old kid can break several wood planks with his elbow already.

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Answer 10

It's easy. The Chinese discovered a long time ago that your body will change so that if you continue to break harder things, your bones will become harder and harder. Also there is a Chinese style called Qi Gong where you can direct your qi into a certain point of your body.