So Mat form M.R.Carpentry made us a bespoke breaking board holder. And it does the job excellently. I have tried a few and they do not hold the boards as well as this unit and the break-away design ensure that you can pass cleanly through the board without it biting you.
The pressure and strength required to hold some of the advanced boards is definitely something that you need to build up to and this unit allows us to train at all levels without risking our partners wrists and forearms. if you have held the boards you will know what I mean...
Now what is the point of hitting breaking boards because we all know ""BRICKS DON'T HIT BACK""
Well here we go.
‘Tameshi-wari’ is the karate term for testing or attempting to break. Sword quality and technique are tested in ‘tameshi-giri’, the test-cutting of objects. Similarly, the weapon of karate, the empty hand, is tested with tameshiwari. So often, a legitimate technique is learned, but the practitioner lacks the sufficient power to properly apply it. What good is it to learn swordsmanship, and then carry a blade with no edge? By honing your skills with breaking, you improve your ability to finish the fight (if your strikes reach their target). It is true that bricks do not hit back, but neither does a broken opponent. Remember the ultimate goal is not to fight. If we have to hit. Then lets make sure it is effective.....
The heart of combative skill is the ability to inflict damage. Power striking is definitely one path towards this. Power striking is rooted in tameshiwari.
Regardless of your years of endless training or the colour of your belt, tameshiwari is an objective measure of your ability.
You may be the Supreme Grandmaster of all martial arts, but if your strike is less than sufficient, the target will remain intact. You must stay sharp in order to succeed.
Heavy bags and sparring partners give limited and unreliable feedback, but legitimate tameshiwari demands that your skills are genuine. The Board does not compromise to meet you half way on your off days. You must learn to strike with all of your power.
Some people insist that striking inanimate objects, whether for conditioning or breaking, is not a useful form of training because it does not address the dynamic aspects of live fighting. Well if it was used in isolation then of course tameshiwari may be less than useful and indeed may even be harmful, if we relied upon the ability to smash a inanimate object but of course we also have training in all of the other dynamic aspects such as drills and sparring.
Thanks for reading
See you on the mats soon.
Ian