TaeKwon-Do: The Circular Kick

Step 1: Preparation

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

With the circular kick break, the weapon of attack is the metatarsals, so pull your toes tightly back and strike the target with the ball of your foot.

To train this area of your foot, use a heavy bag. Over time this will strengthen your kicking muscles and help to harden the skin on the ball of your foot.

Stand at a right angle to your target and when striking it, your foot should be parallel to the floor. Rotate your hips as you perform the move. This adds power and speed to your kick.

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.

The board should be held at the solar plexus level, as this is where energy and power comes from. Using plastic training boards is almost like the real thing, but you can break them as many times as you like, and put them back together again!

Make sure that the person holding the board stands in a low stance. This is for balance and allows the board-holder to absorb some of the impact - vital for a clean break.

Step 3: The break

Ask a fellow master or student to hold the board and set it to the appropriate height.

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.

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 centimetres squared.

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