Physics speaking breaking a board is easy. In practice it can be more difficult. All that is required to break a board is to hit it with enough force, at the correct angle, to overcome the strength between the bonds in the wood. This is easier said than done however. The hardest part of breaking a board, besides the board itself, is getting the angle right.
One way to compensate for an incorrect angle is to strike with enough
force. One way that can be
accomplished
is to add mass. Since breaking
competitions frown up on weights, breakers need to find a way to
get their
body mass into their breaking motion.
When
breaking with some kicks, you can step into the board.
Stepping into the board means that you start
a few steps back so that you can have a more time to build up your
acceleration
and forward momentum.
Another
technique that is helpful with other breaks is flying.
This literally gets ALL of your body mass
into the kick.
When talking about hand techniques there are less ways to increase
your force. Again, stepping into the
board is the easiest way. For
hand breaks acceleration is key.
Especially when talking about any break that involves spinning. The faster you can whip your hand around the
more force you will generate.
Another
important breaking technique is to not aim for the board. You
should always be aiming for a spot about a foot behind the board.
This will ensure that you do not try to stop your momentum at the
surface of the board.
Using
tricks such as acceleration and increasing the amount of your
body mass that factors into the force equation can help even very small
people break
boards.
Movement of the boards is something that also contributes to whether a
board breaks or not. If the board is not
held properly or does not have enough support the board won’t break.
Taken by A. White. Used with permission.