I cant believe that there are clubs that put so much emphasis on breaking.

Still - to each his own I suppose.

*shrug*

Lets just be clear, however. Breaking is by no means any kind of indicator of your skill as a martial artist.

I can and have taught people with NO martial arts experience to break 1.5 inch concrete patio slabs in five minutes, and then watched while they did it.

Take it from a long time breaker - it takes no skill. A little attitude and a tight fist maybe, but skill???

Nope.

Korb

Hmm when I became a bb in tkd our test didnt use breaking as a matter of fact no test did we had to be able to fight effectivly 3 on one and had to fight every bb at the test one right after another. Thats how we proved our skill not by breaking boards that is a waste of time. As the late bruce lee said: Boards dont hit back

well when my instructor tells us to do breaking (every belt has to) for the black belts he tells me/the rest of us to do like drop kick, or triple round house (near 3d degree belt) or scisor kick round house, things like these , he makes us break some of the real thick boards, but for the color belts he gives them little tiny wood, that when u blow on it it can break (ok ok not that tiny) so that explains my school.

I used to wonder why we broke boards but now that I'm a 3rd gup red stripe I understand it much more.

Breaking boards in my opinion is to help perfect the techniques shown in class to create muscle memory. For instance, we punch in class but how many times do you or others get lazy and don't put your hand correct. Well punching a board if done incorrectly can hurt or even break your hand. You'll only do this once. The same thing for front kicks, by breaking the board you have to remember to pull your toes back. Or side kick, you have to remember to pump the leg and not push with it.

We've been taught back round houses and I thought I knew what I was doing but not until I had to do this break did I really start to understand it. Now I always turn my head and use my hips to hit through the board or person for that matter. And now I purposely do it with my heal.

It's not just breaking boards to show you can, it is emphasing that you know the technique. There are reasons why we do things that we may not understand but there is a purpose. Yes boards don't hit back but you have to crawl before you can walk.

Thats interesting I learned how to hit properly while sparring I learned how to kick properly while sparring. Bones can get broken while sparring to but its alot less common. The benifits are far greater then learning how to strike properly with boards. Why risk breaking your hand or foot just to break a board. Just one of my kicks can cause internal damage easily I didnt learn how to hit properly with boards. I learned through sparring and forms the dynamics of proper technique. If one is to lazy then the instuctors arent doing their job on motivating.If I didnt hit effectivly first I got hit and dropped that motivates a person way more then breaking inanimate objects.