Aim

With any, strike moving straight at the target, most common, you should hit the target dead center. Strikes approaching from the side of the target, such as an outer forearm elbow strike or a round kick, should strike in the vertical middle of the target but horizontally slightly closer to the edge closest to you. This is important to protect the not striking areas of the attacking weapon, such as the wrist bones when using the elbow strike.

Breaking Procedures

Always ask an instructor to watch.
Inspect boards for knots or defects that may cause injury. Do check your material. Wet, sappy boards, or improperly cut boards will make breaking more difficult.
Make sure board grain is going the right way. When the grain is vertical, the board will not collapse on your arm or leg as much. Align vertically for a side kick, front kick, round kick, or punch. Align horizontally for hook kick, knife hand, or ridge hand. Look at the board from the side, if it is bowed, place the bowed side outward toward you.

Board Holders

A board held in a relatively stable position, such as on both sides, will require less force being applied by the breaker to break the board, than when the board is held suspended by one side. This is because of the negative force exerted on the board by holders. When the board is held on two sides, this force is added to the force behind the punch which effectively doubles the force being used to break the board. When the board is held on only one side, there is little negative force being applied, so the breaker has to provide the full force required to break the board. If you are uncomfortable with the ability of the holders to hold the boards tight, you will have to compensate by providing the all the necessary force yourself, rather than depending on the reverse force provided by the holders.

The board holders are your responsibility, if they are not performing adequately, get new holders.

Check the board holders for:

Locked arms. Bent arms absorb energy rather than resisting it. Thumbs held parallel to edges of board.
Thumbs extending down may be injured.
Deep stances with a slight forward lean.
Both inside legs should be in back. For certain angular breaks, one holder may have outside leg back so it does not interfere with motion of breaker.
Holding on the smooth edge with one hand diagonal to the other. Never brace the boards with the forearm.
Extra holders may brace the holders by pushing on the primary holders backs and/or by holding their forearms from the side.
Size (they should be about the same height and weight)
Strength (they should be strong enough to hold for the break)

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