TaeKwon-Do: Break A Board With The Jumping Front Kick

Step 1: Preparation

To train in the jumping front kick, you'll need to practice your run up, because this will determine the height and power of the kick.

Ask a fellow student or master to hold a training hand mitt out in front of them. First at shoulder height and slowly raising the target each time until you've reached your comfortable limit.

Step 2: Practice

Before attempting an actual break, take some time to practice. Use hard plastic training boards that you can break as many times as you like, and put back together again!

With repeated kicks, you'll strengthen your kicking muscles and toughen the skin on the ball of the foot, around the metatarsals -- the area of the foot used to strike the target.

Don't forget your Kihap - the yell or war cry - that shows fighting spirit and fires you up just before and during the striking of your target.

Step 3: The break

You can demonstrate the incredible height that can be reached with this technique by having the board held by a fellow master sitting on a student's shoulders. This could be up to an amazing 2 metres or 6 and a half feet high.

Remember: The board must be gripped firmly and not move so much as an inch. The board holder must take the impact of the strike in his arms and upper body.

Start from the ready position, where you need to begin activating your concentration.

Work out the exact distance to your target by carrying out a few test runs. Get it wrong, and it might not be the board that breaks!

Return to the ready position once again and focus your concentration on your small target area. This should be just a few centimetres squared.

Now combine your focus, concentration and speed to break the board.