Why Break Boards?

Board breaking has long been a part of Kenpo Karate training, but at first glance, the reasons for this practice might not be obvious. After all, in the words of famous martial artist Bruce Lee, “boards don’t hit back.” Of course, in street self-defense, our opponents do hit back, so how does board breaking develop skills that we can apply against a resistant opponent in a real fight?

First of all, board breaking teaches Kenpo practitioners how to strike a hard target with power and commitment. When training with a partner, we have to take the edge off of our strikes for safety’s sake; if we struck with full power in training, severe injury would become commonplace and we wouldn’t be able to train nearly as frequently. That being said, do we really want the first time we strike a hard target with full power to be when we are really defending ourselves? Of course not. Board breaking allows us to practice hitting a target with our full strength without injuring our training partners.

Second, not only does board breaking give us the opportunity to practice striking techniques with our full strength, but it also provides honest, quantifiable feedback on striking technique. Boards don’t lie. If you hit them without proper technique, they simply don’t break. In controlled partner training, it is easy to acquire false confidence about what striking techniques would really deliver damage in a real fight. Board breaking acts as a reality check— if you can’t break with a particular strike, then it may be time to drop it from your arsenal of techniques.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, board breaking helps Kenpo practitioners train their minds as well as their bodies. I can’t count the number of times I have seen a student perform a strike with flawless technique in the air and on a hand pad, only to hesitate and deliver a weak, half-committed strike when the time comes to break a board. Overcoming this mental barrier is essential to becoming proficient in self-defense. Board breaking is an excellent tool to allow students to build confidence in their technique, so that if they ever have to apply the techniques of Kenpo in a real self-defense situation, they will be able to do so without hesitation.

For all of these reasons, board breaking is making a comeback at the Independent Martial Arts School; every three months, we will now have a regularly scheduled breaking class. Make sure to stick your head in. You’ll be a better martial artist for it.

Written by Tim Philbin