What relevance does board breaking have?

Question

Just curious to the different opinions, I have had my fist and my foot bounce off 3 and 4 boards, so please dont say I dropped one once and it broke

I have heard the comparason to this many board equal this bone and so on, but obviosly boards dont move, but i have seen seven boards broke with a side kick, an yeah anywhere, that's gonna hurt bad

Answer 1

I am going to hold my tongue against some of the crazier answers, but I feel the need to correct a few things.

8lbs of pressure to break a bone? You do realize that bones are stronger, and more dense then concrete, and how little 8lbs of pressure is?

It is the main reason Martial Arts tend to focus on joints instead of bones.

8lbs of pressure would basically mean you were Mr. Glass or suffereing from EXTREME Osteoperosis and basically would not be able to walk.

Even small bones require MUCH more force than 8lbs of pressure.

Forget all those myths taught by Karate guys of how much force it takes to break this or that. First off, everyone is different, their bone density, structure, joint flexibility and the like. There is no definitive amount of pressure that is required to break a bone.

8lbs of pressure would basically mean if you were to place a gallon of milk on that bone it would break, I mean I am no doctor or anything but somehow I doubt that particular stat.

As far as the meaning behind breaking boards, Ray H pretty much hit it on the head.

A large part of it is to build mental confidence. It is why you see board breaking in motivational seminars and the like.

It some small practical application for conditioning (makiware and heavybags are MUCH better for this) and some small application of accuracy (Not by much, that whole BS about having to hit it in an exact spot is pretty much bull, you have to hit in the center, but not to some pinpoint accuracy, just generally in the middle does the trick), focus mitts work way more on accuracy.

Mainly it is about confidence building. About having some tangible to equate your training to.

Competetive breaking and the like is just off shoots of people who worked on that sort of thing for show or competetion. Someone who can break 20 boards is really no better of a Martial Artist than someone who can break 3.

As far as it being people or bones? It shouldn't be either, but if you want to focus yourself to striking through it, whatever motivates you the better. So many instructors will equate it to defeating people, or breaking bones, the same as some motivational speaker will have you write a goal on it, and "smash through your goal" it is all motivational.

But no, it doesn't simulate or come anywhere close to bone. (If you want to work on that, punch sides of beef like Rocky, that is damn fine training).

As Ray said it is a mental thing, it builds confidence, and also shows confidence. It is a part of many tests in arts as a means of measuring someone's confidence and ability, as well as giving them a sense of accomplishment.

I think it has ivery limited uses, maybe more geared towards teaching certain arts, to children and the like. It is not what I would use as a bone conditioning tool, accuracy building, or any other "training" type of thing, but more of a motivational one. A confidence builder for children.

I don't think it has any real bearing on any real Martial technique or applications.

That is just my opinion

Answer 2

To master control of strikes. A board will only break if you hit it in a certain way at a certain angle, being able to consistently break a board can show you how much you have mastered control of your techniques, plus it also trains your mind and body to get accustomed to hard impact against hard surfaces. Think of it as the equivalent of free throws in basketball. You don't really just stand there the entire game and shoot the ball into the hoop while everyone watches, most of the time, you shoot for the hoop at awkward angles while a player is in your face. But there are times when you need to use it, and practicing free throws wouldn't be a bad thing to do for your game. Same with board breaks in Karate.

Answer 3

I don't really see the point in it myself. And yes, i've broken boards before, kicks and punches/palm smashes.

I suppose board breaking might help people who can't seem to aim through a target instead of aiming for the surface of the target.

Breaking, in my opinion, is a demostration that you can hit hard enough to break something stationary, or that you are fast and accurate enough to break a falling or loose board.

Perhaps because I didn't really need to practice board breaking, I don't understand the accomplishment it means to break a board.

Basically, I don't really see the point, boards don't hit back after all.

Answer 4

To test your increase in focus and power as you train.Because boards can flex before breaking once you get past 2 they are harder to break than brittle bricks which can be broken with a hard surface hit whereas boards you need to go thru to compensate for the flex factor.When someone is holding the boards for you punch like you want to hit him.Any breaks that use spacers between the boards or bricks are bull.

Answer 5

Ok, I take Taae Kwon Do, and we do board breaking. Geez, I hope you're younger than me, because I'm 13 and have no problem breaking 1 inch thick boards.

The key is to focus your eyesight at the direst middle of the board, and send your foot, hand, whatever, THROUGH the board. Don't imagine yourself hitting the board, you have to picture yourself going through the board and hitting the person holding it.

Good luck!

Answer 6

So you dropped a board and it broke, have you ever seen anyone break a bone from a simple fall?

It reinforces technique and teaches focus. Really, breaking a board is pretty easy and the biggest challenge is between your ears.

After one board the rest is really for show. Although the show is pretty darned cool!

Answer 7

Contrary to many popular beliefs, board breaking is a mental skill. Its about convincing yourself that what is normally not possible is possible. Making your body do what you wouldn't ask of it on an average occasion. It does also have some physical "benefits", such as increasing bone mass, but this can be done through hard strikes on virtually any surface.

Answer 8

Little to no relevance. Much like punching someone in the face. Walk away from the person as you do the boards, both are useless.

Answer 9

Bone Breaking
8 lbs pressure to break a Human Bone, so take a few boards, bricks.... and welll you have a resemblence of the hardness and strength of a bone.
I seen clips of Thai Fighters breaking Louiseville Slugger Baseball bats with their shins.

Answer 10

I always thought it was a demonstration of control. Mind and body balance, discipline, something like that. its not how hard you hit or kick the board but how you do it.