Basic Foot Destructions can be analysed and performed in methodical and logical steps to gain maximum technique and power. Using a set formula we are able to break down each destruction into many stages so any incorrect technique may be adjusted. Specifically during the stage of kicking, we can analyse technique in smaller stages to help the practitioner increase the technique, power and confidence.
The basic formula is below.
Using the GIFT Principle the destructions of the front, side and turning kicks can be broken into steps to check the correct positioning of the body during the movement which will ensure good technique.
As you can see from the chart, start your destruction sequence with the GUARD. Make sure you are in a good strong guarding block and L stance. When in this stance you should relax the muscles by taking deep breaths and focusing on the task at hand.
The INTERMEDIATE POSITION is very important. With the correct intermediate position you will utilise the following:
FOOT POSITION when measuring up for the board should be one third of the width of the board. The leg should be bent slightly around 20% (the leg should be around 80% straight).
Follow THROUGH THE BOARD in every technique is essential for any break. This involves visualising though the board and physically kicking past the breaking point of the boards.
Once you have followed through automatically come back to the guarding position.
Many female practitioners in Taekwon-Do have a challenge with breaking boards. This challenge is mainly psychological. With this in mind I set up a formula to tackle this in an analytical fashion in hope to help ladies increase their destruction abilities. With focusing on each step they are able to see were they are going right or wrong. They are able to tackle each break in small steps so the whole process in not so overwhelming. By doing these things, confidence in the mind and ones own abilities, increases as well as the execution of technique. We start with the most basic foot techniques, front snap kick, turning kick, and side kick.
I conducted a Basic Foot Destruction Seminar for Ladies using the formula of GIFT. The following explains to you what I did and how successful it was.
The first step I took was to advertise the Destruction Seminar specifically for ladies only. This encouraged ladies to attend as many feel pressure having men. I also let them know a female would be taking the seminar so they had someone to relate to, "If she can do it so can I" theory. (see appendix 1)
Asking the advise from senior members in ITFNZ of duration and time periods of when to have this course gave me more insight of how to conduct this course. I decided to go with suggestion of Mr Paul McPhail to conduct 3 sessions over 3 weeks, with the duration of each class being 2 hours.
Shorter classes over many weeks meant the participants would be able to "digest" the information from each class and be able to think about foot technique one at a time. This also helped with the confidence building up over each week (see REWARDS). Physically, it gave the participants time to heal and not put a major strain on the body especially those who had not / had little experience in breaking boards.
At the beginning of each session we started by looking at the handout for the day (see Appendix 2). The positive statement set the mood for the day and making them write down their goal which gave them focus on why they were there and something to strive for. The self reward gave them a good reason to achieve their goal and helped with the extra push when "the going got tough". At the end of each session they wrote down two positive comments on the day. This gave them a good note to finish on.
Each technique was broken into three major groups. Technique, Power, Board Break.
Technique was excecuting the kick slowly against a solid wall. Power was excecuting the kick fast to a kick pad. Board break was excecuting the kick against the board. In each of these three groups the formula of GIFT was applied. Throughout the course tips of self positive reinforcement were taught as we as what type of language to use when practising. A great example of this would be the constant saying of "I'll try my bad leg now" to " I'll use my left leg now, or I'll use my other leg now".
Most of the time was spent on pushing Technique and Power. Once everybody was ready, and only then, would they start on the Breaking.
I found especially during the Breaking part of each session, that if the board did not break we could break the kick down into the GIFT formula the ladies figured out the problems themselves and would successfully break the boards. Following are a few examples of what stopped the breaks.
No intermediate position
With the foot on the floor a kick would be executed without any intermediate position. It may have been from not keeping both arms and legs bent while the movement was in motion or the movement not beginning with a backwards motion. There may not have been any sine wave during the movement by utilising the knee spring properly.
Incorrect foot position
This was due to not using the appropriate attacking tool or not using the correct angle and / or distance for the kick.
Not going through the board
There may have been no exhaling at the moment of impact or not bringing the movement of the eyes, hands, feet, and breath into a single coordinated action.
As you can see the success of the kick to break the board had a lot to do with how well executed the Training secrets of TaeKwon-Do were utilised. Below are all 9 of the Training Secrets of Taekwon-Do.
Taekwon-Do condensed Encyclopedia Gen. Choi Hong Hi
The ladies each decided on a goal which they wanted to achieve. This took the shape of something they could see. As in number of boards broken, or how many times they could break a set of boards one after the other. The important thing was being able to measure the goal. This meant goals like doing a better kick, or getting better technique were not set. There is no way of seeing those sorts of goals achieved. Of course there will be improvement but how do you know when you have reached them or how close you are to achieving it.
After showing the kick of the day and breaking the kick down into the different stages for about 10 minutes the ladies sat down and visualised themselves kicking in that manner. They were talked through each stage and prompted on what to look for in each stage. Some ladies visualised a mentor doing the kick.
During the week outside of the class they were told to visualise the next kick as well as visualising the board breaking. This was to be done every night before going to bed and any other chance during the day.
Before each kick each lady would say in their mind a positive phrase. This ranged from "you can do it, that board is going to break, relax" to focus their attention on task at hand and to give them confidence.
Once the goal was set the ladies then decided on what they would do or buy when they reached their goal. Rewards were in proportion to the goal, as in a hot bath, or movies with the husband without the children or a bar of chocolate. This made the ladies very focused on the task at hand.
We used the re-breakable purchased from Macho in USA. There are three levels of board. The white board, equivalent to half a New Zealand pine board approximately. The green board, equivalent to 1 board of New Zealand pine (approximately 1 rib). The black board, equivalent to 1.5 New Zealand pine boards.
All ladies started on one green board each. There were two reasons for this. First, it was an achievable break which gave them confidence each time they broke it. Second, they became use to the type of boards they were and where to hit the board. Physically it was not too demanding so it eased them into the next stage.
Each lady broke a green board at least half a dozen times until they were comfortable and completely happy with it.
The next stage was to "move up" to one black board. Again they broken the board at least a half a dozen times before putting a black and green board together. Two black boards were then put together and so on. Once students reached their limit and found it difficult to break the first time round, they attempted two more times. After those two attempts, if they broke the boards twice over they would continue on that level until they could do it at least half a dozen times one after the other without missing any breaks. If on the other hand they did not break the boards, we changed the amount of boards down to what was done previously eg two black boards are attempted and unsuccessfully broken three times. The boards would be taken down to one black and one green.
Confidence in breaking increased with this method and progress was made quickly to the higher number of boards. I think this was due to the fact of moving back to previous breaks they could do. Generally what happened after that, was the more advanced board breaks would be attempted a second and third time. On the second or third attempt the breaks were easier and more successful The number of boards they thought they could break increased giving more confidence. All breaks were measurable so they knew how close the goal was to being achieved. Many found they could break at least one green board more than they thought.
At the end of the course I asked for feedback. Following are some of the questions and responses.
Was the course they had done what they expected it to be like?
Many commented that they enjoyed the fact there were all females in the class. This helped their concentration and gave them incentives seeing other ladies attempting and succeeding with board breaks which they found hard.
Was the GIFT principle useful?
They all agreed it made breaking easier. Each stage showed up the parts of the whole kick they needed to work on. Many said they were told to "just kick the board" so breaking it down into stages made it easier to understand why it didn't break and to correct it so it would break.
How did you find the goal setting and reward system?
They all agreed that it gave what they were doing more purpose and at the end of the day gave them the knowledge that they had achieved something. The reward was "the cherry on top".
Visualisation?
Some ladies found it difficult because their mind kept wandering (what the needed to get at the supermarket after class or what was for dinner tonight). As they practised more it became easier to focus and concentrate. Some ladies had never done it before and found it very useful in breaking. Overall they felt it was a good exercise and they would use it in other areas of their lives.
How did the positive phrase at just before you kicked help?
"Relax", was a good one for many. The reason being was the thought of breaking a board made the body tense up. When the body tensed up the technique suffered for it. When the body was relaxed the technique was much improved.
Had you achieved all you thought you would achieve?
Yes, and more. All but one of the ladies achieved more than they thought was possible. It also gave them incentives to later attempt different techniques which they would never have attempted before. The one lady who had not achieved her goals during the course had the very high goals. These had previously been achieved but not obtained during our time in the course.
Each participant was given a manual (see appendix 3) so they had something to work from once they left the course. This manual is a short but easy to read guide of notes which may help in the destructions area.
Each participant was also give a Basic Foot Destructions Certificate (see appendix 4 ). It was good to tie up the course with an acknowledgment that these ladies had taken their own time and effort to increase their skills in Taekwon-Do.
The aim of this course was to increase the confidence and technique of ladies breaking boards by breaking down each basic kick into smaller stages of GIFT. With the stages broken down the technique was analysed picking up any need for correction. With correct technique and a positive mind set many boards were broken far above expectations.
Using visualisation, positive phrases goal setting and rewards, in a friendly environment also aided in the ladies destructions. With the main bulk of the course concentrating on the GIFT principle I feel it has helped all the ladies to increase their technique and confidence in board breaking to the point of giving them the vehicle to increase their skill level in all destructions they will attempt.
No prerequisite
No former destruction training required
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: You'll gain the skills needed to break boards using simple foot techniques. You will learn how to build your confidence when in a breaking situation. You will also gain the skills required to prepare your breaking materials and holders.
WHO CAN BENEFIT: 8th kup to 6th kups, revision for 5th kup and above
COURSE TOPICS:
COURSE LENGTH:
One class each week for three weeks
duration of 2.5 hours per class ( 7.5 hours )
MATERIALS: You will be provided with everything you'll need throughout the course. Text materials are yours to keep.
CLASS SIZE: Class is limited to 9
YOU'LL EARN: The Basic Foot Destructions Certificate.
TUITION AND SCHEDULE: See Appendix I and II
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the beginning of a very successful career in destructions. This course is designed to help you improve your skill in destructions and increase your confidence in your own ability.
With this course you will become proficient in basic destruction of boards with the front, side and turning kicks. Remember always when you are looking at destructions:
practical 5% MENTAL 95%
Remember when we say this we mean that you need the confidence and strength in your head and heart, your technique will power through.
Keep in mind to maintain and improve your success in destructions, constant practise is wise. With this practise always keep in mind the correct proceedure of warming up, stretching, and cooling down.
Constantly conditioning any tool you think you may use now and in the future and this will always protect you from unwanted "injuries".
Before we continue, remember most importantly you will learn in this course to
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF BECAUSE YOU CAN DO IT!
Lets start by looking at the basic building block of destructions. In any destructions there are two important physical aspects which you need to apply.
Firstly, there is technique. With technique you will use the correct body motion, the correct attacking tool and with that you will have the correct body posture. Any person no matter what size or shape is able to break a board with technique.
Secondly, you need to know how your body generates power. In applying power correctly you are able to excecute techniques with force, using your whole body to your advantage and getting the most out of you body each time.
COURSE #10
A combination of using technique and power will give you the most accuracy in breaking boards with the least amount of strain to you body.
The theory of power will take you through the basics of how your body can generate enough energy using the correct attacking tool to obtain your target. Breaking boards.
The following factors will result in a high degree of physical power
Reaction force is explained by Newton Law. That is every force has an equal and opposite force. eg. when hitting a ball with a bat the force you use to hit the ball which will send the same amount of force back through the bat.
Concentration is utilised best when the attacking or defending tool hits the smallest target area. eg. water from a hose will come out faster and harder when there is a smaller area to come out of than larger.
Equilibrium The more stable the body the less energy is wasted on standing up so there is more energy available to go through at the point of impact.
Breath control helps the execution of any technique. At the moment of impact you should sharply exhale which tenses the abdomen and concentrates the maximum energy on the target.
Mass To gain the most from your body mass in destructions use the maximum body weight and speed. Maximum body weight comes from turning the hips and using the downward motion of the body from knee spring. Additional momentum is created by the twist of the large abdominal muscles towards the target.
F=MA
Take a large object, say a rock gently dropped from a small height onto a sheet of glass. Also take a small object, say a small pebble and throw it from a distance as hard as you can, also to a pane of glass. What would your outcome be? The glass where the large stone fell suffers no damage / little damage in comparison to the pebble which shatters the pane. Why has this happened?
Let us look at the formula F=MA. Force is equal to mass multiplied by acceleration. Lets see how this relates to Taekwon-Do.
Relate this scenario with the F=MA formula with the chart below.
Force / Power = Mass x Acceleration
(breaking board) (your body) (Reaction force concentration equilibrium breath control flexible movements rhythmic movements )
There are two types of conditioning you will need. Firstly, the conditioning of the body which we will address now. Secondly, the conditioning of the mind which we will address in building confidence.
It is important to condition your body and mind to the task at hand. Say a want to be bodybuilder wants to lift double the weight of their own body and can only lift a small weight of 200 grams. They would start with a weight they are comfortable with and gradually increase their weight till they are lifting the weight they desire. Would it be foolish if they tried to lift double their weight straight away? Yes. Of course it would be. Asking the simple question, why? I would suggest it would be because their body, ie. the muscles, ligaments, tendons, spine, mind etc are not used to having such a great strain on them. All of the pressure on the body is happening in one quick burst rather than letting the body become accustomed to the increased pressure over a longer period of time.
The same example can be taken with breaking boards. Say a person has great goals of breaking 6 boards with a side kick and has never been taught the logistics of breaking even one board. Over time that person will be able to
break 6 boards and it would be wise to start with one board first and when ready increase it to two, then three, then four, then five, then six thus accomplishing their goal.
To be able to accomplish the goal of what ever you set out to do when you are breaking, no matter how large or small, from breaking one board or more, from maybe not having the confidence to feeling good and strong about breaking, no matter what it is, your body and mind need to be conditioned to be able to head towards achieving your goal.
Remember you will always be able to achieve the goals you set with the right mind set and conditioning. Remind yourself of the following saying often, especially when ever you need that boost in confidence.
What my mind can conceive, What my heart can believe, I can achieve!
Let us look at the useful conditioning exercises for the front snap kick, turning kick and side kick for breaking.
I. The most basic of conditioning acts is tapping of the attacking tool on the floor while standing. This can be done often, in almost any situation and environment.
This helps you use the correct tools for the technique you would like to use eg. using the ball of the foot for a from snap kick. It gives you the feel of what the impact to a board will be like for the specific tool used, without having to warm up and use the whole body.
This is usually the last action performed by the breaker just before setting up for their destruction. Just before performing a destruction this action will not only help you check the attacking tool that you will use, but also subconsciously send "messages" to the brain that it needs to get the muscles, ligaments, tendons etc ready for the stress the body will shortly under go.
II. Foot shields are a good tool to use for partner work. The advantage of foot shield is that you are able to use them wherever you go as they are highly transportable. This is a good tool to begin with as you discover better technique.
It gives a little bit of resistance so your body is able to "get used to" what it feels like to hit something without causing damage to you or your partner. The body adjusts to the increase in stress at the time of impact, conditioning the muscles, ligaments and tendons.
III. The forging bag is a most effective tool to practice techniques for breaking. It is especially good because of the resistance it provides, simulating the resistance of boards. This is also a great tool as it does not need any holding by other people giving the advantage of you being able to practice at any time of the day or night without having to call on someone. The use of a large forging bag will be ideal for the practice of foot techniques on the ground ( small forging bags are used for flying hand and foot techniques).
If you would like to make your own bag, you can use any material, utilising nearly any stuffing. Ideally you would make a bag of leather or canvas 1.2m long, 45cm in diameter. 80% filled with sawdust. Patches around the mouth of the bag with iron rings attached so the chain to hold the bag up, can fit through it.
Alternatively you are able to buy a bag from Martial Arts Suppliers near you. Be aware that there are many types of bags sold, different lengths and weight made of different types of stuffing. A knowledgable shop assistant will be able to find the correct bag for your needs or alternatively ask people around you who have bags as they most likely have done a lot of research into the matter.
Also check the Condensed Encyclopedia for other forging tools you can use for conditioning.
How does one build confidence and how is it done effectively. Many people have many different ideas on how to do this and many ways of going about it. The general conscious is to action the following points.
Start by writing down what you would like to achieve and put a date beside it. Write down at what point you are at now towards achieving this goal.
Spread the time in between these two points into monthly and weekly sections (depending on if it is a short or long term goal). You may find breaking it down daily may also benefit you.
Write down at each point what you would like to achieve. Once you have done this, read over what you have put down and whether you feel you will be able to achieve the smaller goals you have set. You may find you need 40 hours each day to fit in all you would like to achieve or you may find you could really achieve your goal in a shorter time possible. If that is the case reset your goal to a workable time frame.
Make a decision whether this is what you would like to strive for. Once you have done this put your plan into action. Do EVERYTHING you have written down no matter how your day has gone or how you may feel. Don't let there be any excuses to pull out of your plan. DON'T EVER QUIT.
Once you reach your goal, reward yourself. When you strive for your goals always be positive. DON'T LET ANYBODY STEAL YOUR DREAM.
IF YOU THINK YOU CAN YOU CAN
IF YOU THINK YOU CAN'T YOU CAN'T
Confidence is a state of mind. The stronger the mind the more able you are of overcoming challenges and any obstacles you may face.
Confidence is built with repetition and repetition can only happen if you attempt your goal over and over consistently.
These principles help you focus on where you want to go and help you obtain it. As you go through these principles your confidence will rise automatically as you will have to strive for what you want.
Building confidence is a daily exercise in every thing you do. Focus on all the good points and of what you can do. Use visualisation as a way to help you succeed. Practice visualisation constantly and consistently.
This is a very organised way of building confidence. Following are some other points which will also build confidence.
There are many points which will help you. Try them and keep trying until you find what drives you. When you enjoy what you are doing, you will naturally be enthusiastic. A great man once said (many time)
ENTHUSIASM MAKES THE DIFFERENCE
It is a general practice when holding boards for a one board break for a stationary front, side or turning kick you will only need two strong holders. As in anything in Taekwon-Do it is not so much you size, age or shape, but the technique. The same is true for holding boards. It is important you know how to hold correctly as that will decrease the chances of any injuries on the holder and breaker.
Now with both hands on the board check that you are holding as close to the corners of the board as possible.
Correct
Incorrect
When ever breaking boards, always check the position of your holders as well as the way the boards are being held.
Now you have seen the basics of board holding let us run through what you do when you set up board holders before breaking. This proceedure is also generally used in formal occasions.
Board holders
Boards
Distance
Bow
Breath
This is the basic pre-break procedure which you should go through each time you break.
Next let us look at the breaking procedure itself.
Using the GIFT Principle the destructions of the front, side and turning kicks can be broken into steps to check the correct positioning of the body during the movement which will ensure good technique.
Many people feel more confident about breaking boards if they MEASURE UP. Measuring up involves taking up a GUARDING position, slowly excecuting the INTERMEDIATE POSITION through to having the FOOT BENT on the board, then visualising going THROUGH THE BOARD. After doing this coming back into a guarding block.
This helps you focus the mind and "FEEL" the break. This final measure up checks the distance and correct body position in relation to the board.
Through the whole measure up proceedure, keep relaxed and focused. Breathing deeply helps achieve this. Once you are satisfied that you are ready start the GIFT process.
As you can see from the chart, start your destruction sequence with the GUARD. Make sure you are in a good strong guarding block and L stance. When in this stance you should relax the muscles by taking deep breaths and focusing on the task at hand.
The INTERMEDIATE POSITION is very important. With the correct intermediate position you will utilise the following:
FOOT POSITION when measuring up for the board should be one third of the width of the board. The leg should be bent slightly around 20% (the leg should be around 80% straight).
Follow THROUGH THE BOARD in every technique is essential for any break. This involves visualising though the board and physically kicking past the breaking point of the boards.
Once you have followed through automatically come back to the guarding position.
Take note: As you become more familiar with distance, technique and your own confidence you will be able to naturally measure your body up visually. It will not be necessary to physically place the foot on the body for distancing and/ or foot position. This, I believe is the stage which we should attain in all our kicks. Why? In a real life situation, if we are forced to defend ourselves we will need to excecute any kick we do, effectively without a measure up.
FRONT SNAP KICK
Guard
As you can see from the photo below the guarding position of the front snap kick is directly in front of the boards. This enables you to line up the body, more importantly the attacking tool to the target.
At this point pick your target spot on the board, then visualise at least 10 cm past the target. If it helps you, look 10cm past the board. Look back to the target on the board itself until you have finished the break.
Intermediate position
Let us look at the intermediate position for the front snap kick. The knee is bent and positioned slightly above the target. The foot is pulled back so you are able to point the ball of the foot (attacking tool) to the board. Arms are bent close to the body and the supporting leg is slightly bent to give stability.
Foot position
The foot travels horizontally from the intermediate position to the board. As you can see in the following picture the knee is bent slightly at the point of impact for the front snap kick. The knee is approximately 20 % bent, the leg 80 % straight. The ball of the foot is in contact with the board at hip height. The attacking tool is placed one third of the distance from the edge of the board.
Through the board
Your leg is at full extension. Once the boards have broken retract the leg along the same path as you did the break. Form a guarding block in a strong guarding block and L-stance. This gives a tidy finish.
THEORY OF POWER
FRONT SNAP KICK
SIDE KICK
Guard
As you can see from the photo below the guarding position of the side kick is directly in front of the boards. This enables you to line up the body, more importantly the attacking tool to the target.
At this point pick your target spot on the board, then visualise at least 10 cm past the target. If it helps you, look 10cm past the board. Look back to the target on the board itself until you have finished the final guarding block.
Intermediate position
There should be an imaginary line from your bottom through the heel of the attacking foot in line with the board. The knee is bent, close to the body with the knee pointing up slightly from the horizontal position. Toes are pulled back exposing the attacking tool (foot sword).
Foot position
The foot travels horizontally from the intermediate position to the board. As you can see in the following picture the knee is bent slightly at the point of impact for the turning kick. The knee is approximately 20 % bent, the leg 80 % straight. The attacking tool is placed one third of the distance from the edge of the board.
Through the board
Your leg is at full extension. Once the boards have broken retract the leg along the same path as you did the break. Form a guarding block in a strong guarding block. This gives a tidy finish.
THEORY OF POWER
TURNING KICK
Guard
Intermediate position
With your body position facing forwards, the attacking leg should bent with the leg pulled back from the target This will promote the momentum therefore giving you greater power. Toes are pulled back exposing the ball of the foot. The leg position is parallel to the floor.
Foot position
As the leg travels from the intermediate position to the board the whole leg should stay parallel to the floor. The knee is bent slightly at the point of impact for the side kick. The knee is approximately 20 % bent, the leg 80 % straight.
The attacking tool is placed one third of the distance from the edge of the board.
Through the board
Your leg is at full extension. Once the boards have broken retract the leg along the same path as you did the break. Form a guarding block in a stance. This gives a tidy finish.
THEORY OF POWER
