Let's Break Something!

At All American Martial Arts, we like breaking things!  Wood, brick, cement, whatever we can get our hands on is fair game.  Seeing pieces of wood fly through the air or watching people’s eyes go wide as pizzas as a cement block is crushed is a great feeling.  But there is a purpose behind this seemingly destructive behavior.

Breaking is an excellent tool to teach self-confidence and goal setting.  For example, think about something you’ve wanted to accomplish for some time, but have let obstacles prevent you from achieving it.  Now, envision writing the obstacle(s) down on a piece of wood and having someone hold it in front of you.  Picture yourself striking the wood (we’ll concern ourselves with the specific technique later) and breaking right through it.  Ahhhh, it feels good just thinking about it.  Imagine how it feels after doing it!  There’s nothing like envisioning yourself smashing through those barriers that prevent your success.

Here’s another example:  We recently visited a group of young people who participate in the Police Athletic League’s mentoring program.  I took a couple of students with me and we taught each young person how to break a board.  Most of them had never done this before and were concerned that they couldn’t.  But by the time we had finished, every single young person had successfully broken a board, and they all accomplished it on their first try.  The pride they had at their accomplishment beamed across their faces.

Quite frankly, breaking is a part of the martial arts experience.  However, the best schools understand how to utilize it beyond being a mere testing requirement.  They know that this process can be the foundation for student accomplishment in many other areas of their life, and use this exercise to teach goal setting, self-confidence, and visioning.

So the next time you feel like breaking something, don't hold it in.  Find a good martial arts school and ask them for a piece of wood, or a brick, or a concrete block, or whatever else is available.  Then smash through those obstacles and see yourself achieving your goals and gaining self-confidence with every effort!