Plastic Boards vs. Wood Boards

When I was much younger, my first instructor always used wood boards. I remember trying to break through multiple knots, and always having a souvenir to take home afterwards.

Fast forward 12 years- now we have plastic (rebreakable) boards. Some of them are padded. I just tried to break a brown (1.75 wooden boards) plastic board with an upset ridgehand strike, and bruised not only my hand, but my forearm as well.

When these plastic boards wear down, they're twice as easy to break. Not only that, I see black belts breaking boards that are WELL below their potential. How is it that I can come back after 12 years off and break one of these supposedly difficult plastic boards with a kick like a hot knife through butter?

If you "miss" on wooden boards, they MAY still break. If your technique is ever so slightly off on plastic, you're going to get hurt like I did. I won't be breaking anything else at testing but wood, and I want to encourage others at my school to do the same. This style seems to be much less popular than it used to be- what do you think?

$$$$$ and convenience, I would imagine. Probably less expensive in the long run to use re-breakables, than to have to keep buying new wood. Not to mention no splinters to vacuum up when they're done.

I don't really see a point in breaking boards or anything else really.

If you must break something I suggest the plastic re breakable boards. 13 years ago Century had these products and in my opinion the fake boards were nearly three times harder to break than the wooden boards.

I suppose now a days they have changed the texture of the re breakable boards for safety and comfort and probably look. And I'm sure now they have re breakables that represent the equivalent of their wooden counter parts.

Back in the day one re breakable board was in my opinion equal to two or three boards placed back to back with no spacers. Most likely it was just two.

Practiced on breakable plastic boards but tested on wood board.

The thing with good plastic board, NO PADDING, was that you had to be precise. If the technique wasn't good then, if you were not committed, then you wouldn't break the board and chances are you potential could injure yourselfs. And more then likely, injuring the holder(s).

We had green for kids and blue for adults. We also had brown, black and white boards that were even more difficult that as you progressed you had to break. And as boards broke too easy they had to be discarded and replaced.

And like TeK, I found breaking these boards while training more difficult at times then the wood boards for testing; and those were some nasty beat up knotted gnarly boards that at times I left bruised and bleeding.

Breaking CAN be good for several reasons.

It can build confidence. Especially if someone thinks they can't break the board, then when it comes down to it they actually do.
It will let you know if you are hitting right instead of just hitting the surface or using improper technique.

The last purpose is the best, you just want to.

I prefer real over plastic. It gives me something to burn in the fireplace and the plastic ones stink when you do that.

At my school, it's $2 a board for testing.

You know, it's funny. A newly adorned brown belt said to me last night, "doesn't that elbow strike hurt? I tried that once and I won't do it again." My reply? "Sure it does—if you do it wrong!"

I'll gladly pay the extra 8 bucks to hear that SNAP.