TaeKwon-Do: Break A Board With The Knife Hand

Step 1: Preparation

Before executing any break, it's important to physically prepare yourself to avoid any kind of injury.

Shape your hand so that it simulates the edge of a knife. Close the fingers and bend them slightly to avoid an excessive rebound when hitting the board and focus all your power on the muscle of the outside edge of the palm of your hand. This is the knife-hand.

To harden the striking area of your knife-hand, simulate the break on a hard surface, such as a wall, column or plastic training board.

Don't forget to warm up your muscles with practice pads. This will also help you begin to focus your attention on your striking technique.

Step 2: Practice

Before attempting an actual break, take some time to practice your focus. It cannot be overstressed how important this is to the final break.

Using plastic training boards is almost like the real thing… but you can break them as many times as you like, and put back together again!

Just make sure that, when breaking a board, the person or people who hold the board have a firm grip. If the board moves at all during the execution of your technique, it will soften your strike.

Step 3: The break

Ask a fellow master or student to hold the board. How many people hold the board depends on your chosen technique, but for the knife hand break, you'll need only one person.

Set the board to the appropriate height. Just under the solar plexus is best… This is where the power and energy comes from.

Start from the basic ready position - this is balanced with your feet firmly on the ground and 70 per cent of your weight on your back supporting leg and with your arms and hands up in the guard position. Stand at a right angle to the board.

And now you need to activate complete and total concentration.

But before you try and break the board, just take a little time to measure the exact distance you need. Get it wrong, and the board stays in one piece.

Return to the ready position one final time and focus on your small target area this should be just a few centimeters squared.

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