Beware Board Breaking

The practice of board breaking has to be one of the most ridiculous training drills in the Martial Arts. It also has to be one of the biggest reasons why people will NOT take Martial Arts. The practice of breaking boards, bricks, ice and other items on fire may look impressive on TV, in the movies, and even more impressive live, however, this practice turns a great deal of people off from the Martial Arts because they think that to learn Martial Arts, they are going to have to break things with their body parts. Can we blame them for thinking this? Martial Artists have been made fun of for decades for this silly practice. All people can picture is themselves or their child breaking these items then hurting themselves. Others, especially kids, will think this is the coolest thing ever and go and try it at home without any training and really get hurt.

The rational behind the practice of breaking is that if you can break these items, you have tremendous focus and power and that you are now able to push through barriers you did not think were possible. This is quite a stretch for a justification and this can be true to a point but the reality is that these items do not move nor hit back! Plus there are plenty of other "safe" ways to push through "impossible" barriers and develop the skills of focus and power. Is it really worth the risk of breaking your hand, foot, knee, elbow, or head? I don't think so!

What many people do not know that these "breaking demonstrations" are often a hoax. For example, the "breaker" will use brittle or weak materials making it easier to perform the break in the meantime "wowing" the audience. Many of these demonstrations are just an ego boost for the performer. How does breaking construction materials display the benefits of Martial Arts? It does not and it makes our whole industry look BAD.

If someone does have an interest in breaking, they should be properly trained for it and be under careful supervision of a qualified instructor. It also takes time to develop the strength and bone density to effectively break these items and NOT injure yourself. Do NOT EVER let your untrained child do a break these items unless they have been properly trained to perform a break. I will see instructors bring boards to fairs, demonstrations, or promotional booths and have untrained kids from the crowd try to break boards. This almost always ends badly with a child crying after they hurt themselves. This is now a child that had an interest in Martial Arts but has had a bad initial experience therefore will NEVER enroll in Martial Arts training.

I cringe every time I see a Martial Arts demonstration and they perform a break. It is giving the public the WRONG impression of what we are really about.

At American Kempo Karate Academy, we do not believe in the dangerous practice of breaking especially for brand new students. It is simply not worth it for anyone. For more information about our safe programs, visit http://www.akka.com/