Breaking tips

Brian A. coached me again last night on breaking. He held the big blue pad and helped me practice the front elbow strike and the knife-hand strike, the two hand-techniques I'm using at the test.

He must watch people closely when they break. Several times he said "from watching people, I've noticed they tend to make this mistake . . ."

There are lots of things I need to remember. "I better write all that down," I told him after I was done. Maybe these will help some of you (or for those who don't do TKD, help you picture how we set up!)

Breaking Tips for Front Elbow Strike:
Stand close to the board.
Press right fist into left palm (right knuckles up works for me).
Hold elbow level with shoulder; don't let it drop.
Tighten muscles along arms.
Swing back, then stright into the board; don't dip down.
Swing all the way through. Don't stop at the board.

Breaking Tips for Knife-hand Strike
Line up to the left and slightly in front of board
Bring hand across body in ready position.
Tighten hand muscles, bend tip of fingers slightly.
Swing through the board, leading with the elbow.

I like this photo I found on Google Images. The (woman) martial artist swings her whole body into the strike. You can see her hips have turned and her feet, too. That's how I've been practicing:


Last night Brian A. told me he thought my strike would work. "You'll break easily with that," he told me. I certainly hope so.