Board Breaking Tips

One of the things I love most about Taekwon-Do practitioners is their unique openness to trying new things despite potential failures. Not the least of which is our exposure when demonstrating a board break at a test.

Everyone wants to break on the first attempt (including the holders!) All eyes are upon you as you stand there staring at those boards knowing you just have to hit it hard in the center, but knowing there is the risk for failure. Missing on the first attempt can be embarrassing and even physically painful. Then, one begins to feel disappointed in oneself, especially if the board holders were injured in the process.

Having had more than my fair share of failures in Taekwon-Do, board breaking and otherwise, I decided to share some words of encouragement and also explain how to use your mistakes and failures to become a better practitioner.

At our last test, I decided to give a demonstration and failed to break the boards on the first (and second) attempt. The poor gentlemen holding boards for me claimed dislocated thumbs and other serious injuries as a result. I’m very grateful for their trust and support and it is in honor of their spirit and sacrifice that I decided I must “go to the video tape” to make sure it doesn’t happen again. (This idea was inspired by Master Paul Hoppe’s book, “Way of the Poker Warrior”)  As the images below indicate, I made several physical mistakes. My technique was off. But I made a big mistake before I even took my first step. I failed to commit my mind to my success.

The last time I did a board break, it was 5 boards and I had never broken 5 boards before. But when I stepped up to do the break that day, I heard myself say out loud and in my head “I’m gonna smash these boards right now”. I felt it in my heart. I felt in my stomach. I didn’t just THINK it, I KNEW it. The result was success and I can’t lose the look of Ken’s face after I broke through. It was utter bewilderment as if he couldn’t believe what had just happened.
Contrast that with the things that went through my mind this time: “I SHOULD be able to break 4 boards. I’ve done it before. It would be really embarrassing to fail in front of all these people. I’ll be fine. I’m sure I can do it.

Now, having a good attitude and confidence is a very significant part of successful board breaking, but no amount of confidence will overcome bad technique. After my second attempt, I knew that I was missing the proper extension. I hadn’t “stretched the rubber band” far enough to create the elastic snap needed to generate the speed and subsequent power. At this time, I also heard the enthusiastic and electric words of my teacher, Grandmaster Kim: “Just pick your knee up and KICK IT!”

At that point, I got a little mad and I decided there was no way I was going to miss a third time. I decided I would intentionally make my first motion stronger and faster and pick my knee up toward the target.

So, what can you take away from all of this? What does this teach us about mistakes? First and foremost, mistakes can and should be corrected whenever possible.

In order to correct the mistakes, you have to go backwards in time.
What was the mistake? I didn’t break the board.
Why didn’t I break the board? I didn’t hit the center.
Why didn’t I hit center? My knee wasn’t high enough.
Why wasn’t my knee high enough? I didn’t have enough speed.
Why didn’t I have enough speed? I didn’t elongate my leg and torsoe enough at the proper angle in order to cause the proper snap.
Why didn’t I elongate properly? I didn’t think to do it.
Why didn’t I think to do it? Because I didn’t commit to my success and I lacked confidence.
Why did I lack confidence? Because I hadn’t warmed up sufficiently or practiced diligently enough.

I think this method of thinking can be applied to all kinds of mistakes in our lives. Usually, we see only the last consequence, the unbroken boards and feel the pain. Sometimes, we see the prior event that led to the failure directly. Only by continuing to ask “and why did that happen?” can we trace back to the initial mistake and the subsequent mistakes made further on the journey.

Why did I lose my temper at work? I was upset.
Why was I upset? My boss took credit for my hard work.
Why did my boss take credit for my hard work? Because I didn’t sign my name to it…….

I urge you to take a look at something that happened to you recently which felt like a failure and ask yourself the “why” question 10 times. See if it provides any answers. I humbly offer my gratitude to Tom and Brian for agreeing to hold the boards for me and promise to be better prepared next time!

Congratulations to our new Black Belts!

After training long and hard Kristian Frye, John Buck and Priscilla McCabe have earned their first Dan.

Master Kelly, a friend of Mr. Mannion’s was supposed to attend and administer the test, but due to vehicular issues was sadly, unable to attend.

The black belt test was long and tested their strength. The test started at 3:30 pm yesterday with a 2 mile run that all three completed under 18 minutes. Afterwards, the three took a written exam to test their knowledge of Taekwon-Do. At the promotion test that evening, the three demonstrated four different three kick combinations followed by four different forms that the three had learned in their training. The four patterns that John, Priscilla and Kristian showed were Choong-Moo, Hwa-Rang, Joong-Gun, and Won-Hyo.

The three showed the outcome of their hard work, with strong and percise forms. After multiple rounds of free fighting amongst the participants, They each had to perform three different breaks, as can be seen in the embedded video(s).

The three performed excellently and we are very proud to welcome Mr. Buck, Mrs. McCabe and Mr. Frye as black belts.

John Buck, Priscilla McCabe, Ray Mannion, Kristian Frye

Oneonta Taekwon-Do School picture July 2010

John Buck, Priscilla McCabe, and Kristian Frye earned their black belts on July 22, 2010

Most martial artists and non-martial artists understand that a black belt is something you “earn”, not just something you “get”.

But, please hear me out, I would like to take it a step further.  I like to think of a black belt as something in the present tense.

I like to think of a black belt as something that you “Be“.

Today, I’m going to be a black belt.  Tomorrow, I will be a black belt.

I call myself a black belt because I do the things that a black belt does.  I go to a dojang.  I bow to flags.  I try to learn from my teacher as best I can.  I practice as hard and sincerely as I can.  I do sit-ups and pushups, stretch, hit the heavy bag, and practice my patterns.  I try to further the teachings of Taekwon-Do by inviting other people to practice and then I do my best to give them the training they need for their development.  I try to “be” the best black belt I can “be“.  This is something I “do”.

When I’m not training, I hold myself to the tenets of Taekwon-Do by being courteous and being an indomitable spirit.  I also try to build a more peaceful world as General Choi wished in the oath.  This is the way I choose to “be“.  (That’s a great link, by the way – Calvin & Hobbes help explain the Oath!)

One day, I got an email from some guy who wrote:

“Ray, I trained Taekwon-Do for 5 years and just missed out on getting my black belt and was wondering how long and how much it would cost to get one.  I’m only going to be in town for 5-6 months, but I don’t like having loose ends out there.”

I was offended by this for a few reasons.

My first thought was, “you trained for 5 years in Taekwon-Do but didn’t learn that rule about calling black belts Sir or Ma’am or Master?”  Okay, some schools are like that.  I’ll let that go.

I re-read the 1st sentence: “how long and how much…”, I felt like I was Burger King being asked about a special order cheeseburger or something.

To me, a black belt is a personal experience and there is a great deal of growth that goes on during the years leading up to and after black belt.  I do my best to consider each of our students from white belt to 2nd degree black belt and I devote my energy to helping them be the best they can be.  In Master Kim’s school, there is a relationship between teacher and student that transcends mere coaching.  It’s a tough thing for me to consider doing for only a 5-6 month commitment.

Not everybody needs to make Taekwon-Do a lifelong journey.  However, boiling it down to a “loose end to tie up” left me without much common ground upon which to build a bridge with this gentleman.  But, you never know who will turn out to be one of your best students, so I responded:

“Dear Shawn (not his real name), congratulations on your accomplishments.  Thank you for your interest.  I don’t think 6 months is enough time to earn a black belt.  However, please come and see us when you get to town and perhaps when you visit our school, you’ll get a sense of how it would be to train with us.  Nothing is impossible.  Are you familiar with the original Taekwon-Do patterns or the newer ones? “

I forget what his response was.  Something about not being able to attend on the nights when we have sparring and that’s mostly what he was interested in anyway….

I guess what I wanted to say to him was that getting a black belt is not a “loose end” and a black belt isn’t something you just “get”.  It’s something you earn on your way to becoming a master.  It is something you become, and then it is something that you continue to be on a daily basis.

It’s okay that this guy didn’t approach me in a wiser manner.  He didn’t understand my perspective.  That’s called a student.  Who knows, had he finally showed up, he may have gotten more than just a belt that was black…..

Mr. Davis demonstrates Eui-Am and Choong-Jang. Unfortunately, I neglected to set the camera to record his excellent 4 board back kick break.

Black belts give test demonstrations approximately every 6 months.  Owen had an excellent test demonstrating kicking combinations, Kwan-Gae, board breaking and sparring.

Below are videos of Owen breaking 3 boards with a back kick and two boards with a reverse punch.

Choong-Jang has 52 movements. Note that there is very little symmetry in this pattern, making it very difficult to learn and even harder to master


Mr. Davis and Mr. Goodrich Sparring:


4 boards with a back kick:

The following was submitted to the Hometown Advantage for the October release.

Owen McCabe of Worcester earns 1st Degree Black belt

On September 24, 2009, Taekwon-Do International recognized 14 year old Worcester resident Owen McCabe as a certified black belt. Having trained diligently since March of 2006, Owen was invited to test by Oneonta Taekwon-Do instructor Ray Mannion. In addition to his training in Oneonta, he attended camps and seminars under Grandmaster Suk Jun Kim, a 9th degree black belt and founder of Taekwon-Do International.

For promotion to black belt, Owen was required to run 2 miles, demonstrate complex kicking combinations, perform several patterns, compete in 2 rounds of contact sparring, demonstrate 3 board breaking techniques, and complete a written and oral examination. In addition to physical requirements, students are required to explain historical and philosophical concepts related to their training. These include the tenets of Taekwon-Do which are Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-control, and Indomitable spirit.

For his board breaking requirement, Owen chose to break 3 boards with a spinning back kick, 2 boards with a reverse punch, and a jumping front kick to break one board suspended 7 feet off the floor.

“Taekwon-Do training develops a great deal of power in the practitioner and this manifests itself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. You can’t break 3 boards just because you have big muscles. It requires accuracy, speed, and knowledge that only come through disciplined training”, said Mr. Mannion. “Promotion tests are a unique experience. Our students share a special bond. We train together, we support each other, and we earn a great deal of respect from our classmates. It’s something nobody can take away from us. Seeing a fellow student earn a new belt is almost as fun as earning one yourself.”

Owen owes a great deal of gratitude to the support of his brothers Guaire and Cael and especially his parents Tom and Priscilla. Travelling to Oneonta 3 times per week consumes a large amount of gas and limits time for other commitments.

As a registered black belt in Taekwon-Do International, Owen carries an identification card and certificate with worldwide recognition. Wherever life may take him, there will surely be a Taekwon-Do school close by that will honor his achievement and welcome him among their ranks.

“Black belt is just the beginning actually,” said Mr. Mannion, a 3rd degree black belt. “It means he has developed the skills he needs to begin learning mastery. I’m sure Owen will be happy to start the next phase of his training and I hope it remains a lifelong pursuit.”
Pictures and video available at http://oneontatkd.com

Congratulations to Matt Goodrich on successfully earning his 1st degree black belt. Matt is now certified by Taekwon-Do International to be a black belt in good standing.

For his promotion test, Matt traveled to NYC with his family and fellow Oneonta Taekwon-Do schoolmate John Buck. He completed a written exam, an endurance test, and then gave a demonstration including 3 patterns, basic combinations, sparring, and 3 different board breaks.

In addition to the physical requirements, Taekwon-Do International requires proven examples of living up to the Tenets of Taekwon-Do.

Congratulations to Matt on this significant milestone. Please enjoy the video highlights below and offer Matt your congratulations next time you see him.

Hwa Rang is a 29 movement pattern named after a youth group in early 7th century Silla Dynasty. This is one of the many patterns that Matt and Owen have had to achieve in order to demonstrate their next step…. becoming a 1st Degree Black Belt. Obtaining the Black Belt is an honorary achievement for any martial art.

There are many qualities that must be achieved for any belt, whether it be yellow or black. Each belt signifies an advancement of learning. The higher the belt the more the student has increased their awareness and personal growth.

The 1st degree Black Belt means that the student is now ready to learn some of the more advanced techniques in martial arts.

To become a black belt, a student must show many qualities other than techniques learned in self defense. Some of those qualities include self-control, self-discipline, respect, humility, confidence, passion, helpfulness, patience, and gratitude. Many more qualities are expected as one advances in martial arts.

The belt color should be an honor for all members of any martial art whether it be Taekwon-do, Aikido, Judo or Sumo. Achieving these qualities and techniques are no easy task and takes years of practice. Ask any member who has hung in there during the sweating and injuries caused by an incorrect kick or punch. This along with the inner improvement of our body and mind have made us strong outside, as well as inside and will stay with us for an eternity.