Question 017: Breaking tricks
A true martial artist would not ever use an illusion. HONOR ! I break ice blocks with no spacers and with no sawing! This isn't an illusion. In my school we never used spacers. 2 or 3 or 4 boards stacked on each other. This is the only true measurement of your breaking skill. A true master of qi can break almost anything without your illusions. It would bring shame on a school to use such methods. Anyone with respect for martial arts in general would never use your methods. To accuse all schools of being frauds is false. You have brought shame on your house by making such statements. Why would you knowingly discredit all the reputable schools? I take great offense at your sight. I believe from your statements that you have never taken a martial art or have never practiced the true principles of martial arts. HONOR being one of the most important. Pupil you need to study more. You can learn to do all the tricks you listed without fraud but first you must believe that anything is possible. Second you must practice, practice, practice ! I have been studying the martial arts since I was 5 years old. I am now on the verge of 26. How long have you been studying ? I think to discredit the true potential of martial arts is the mistake of someone either new or not of their beliefs. A true master of qi would never dishonor themselves by doing such a thing. This site makes a mockery of real martial artists who study most of their life to accomplish what you call parlor tricks, except they are not playing a trick but doing a feat of endurance and mind over matter greater than most could dream of accomplishing.
Reply
I received my first black belt in 1974 as an adult, so I was breaking wood before you were even considered, much less conceived. I know little about you or where you are “coming from,” but if you have read all I have to say on the web site, then you know where I stand on the martial arts.
As a “true” black belt, you must have been taught the role of respect and humility in the martial arts, or maybe you missed that class. You win discussions and influence people by using facts, reason, and logic. If you possess any of those attributes and wish to continue a discussion of breaking, I will be glad to join you in the discussion.
Where did you find I accused all schools of being fraud? On the page What's the Truth I state:
You cannot always believe what you see and hear in the world. This includes what you see and hear during demonstration by Taekwondo "masters." Some of the things you see are true feats of skill that were developed through years of intense training. Some things you see are merely illusions. When you see something that first appears to be possible even though it seems to be impossible, be skeptical and make sure what you are seeing is really the truth.
What about that statement shows dishonor to true martial artists. In the What’s the Truth page, I explain how to recognize breaking frauds. All the topics in the breaking selection of the site explain how breaking should be done. I inform students of the facts and so they are able to make their own conclusions as to what is real and not real.
One fact is that breaking does not take any mastering of ”ki,” “chi,” or “gi.” With no training, anyone may break a board (Johnny Carson once broke a board on the Tonight show); with a little training and practice, anyone may break two boards; with more training and practice, anyone may break three boards. To break more than three boards takes much training, practice, and very precise technique. However, no break requires any kind of mystical force.
The martial arts appear to be the only physical endeavors that have practitioners who believe they possess some mystical internal force. Experts in other sports consider themselves mere mortals who have trained long and hard at their sports. Why does not some “master” that possesses “qi” use this power to become a boxing champion, a golfing champion, or an Olympic power lifter; or all “masters” too honorable for demean themselves this way.
Bruce Lee once said martial artists should keep an “open mind” in regard to the arts and he was criticized and even hated by “masters” for showing the public that ordinary people could do extraordinary things through hard work, not though some mystical power. Remember what you learned in health, geometry, and science classes and apply it what you see and hear in the martial arts. Make decisions on what you know to be true, not what you believe to be true or what your instructor says is true. True martial artists will willingly prove their truths to you; false martial artists will say you should disprove their claimed truths.