You should absolutely practice until breaking becomes routine. I use both plastic and wood. Plastic is fine in the initial training stage of learning a new break. Wood boards are only good for one attempt, so using them can be expensive. Also, pine boards are typically what is required for testing, so it makes sense to get used to using them. Additionally, power breaks through multiple boards can only be done with stacks of real wood.
A huge part of getting comfortable with a break is getting the hold and holders set. A bad hold will ruin a good break. I use a home made mount for most of my breaks. It makes it easier for the holders to secure up to six boards in a very solid and stable manner. See pic. You really should be talking to your instructor and getting hands on help from him.
I'm curious about how you're going to practice. Either, your instructor will be watching, or, you'll be doing the practice at home.
If your instructor will be supervising, then, it is expected that s/he'll have the necessary boards.
But if you plan to do this at home, your biggest problem will be the board holders - not the boards.
Here's my advice to anyone nervous about breaking for their test:
Practice your kicks "in the air" or on a heavy bag. Keep practicing. Then at the test, when a board is placed in front of you, change nothing. Pretend the board was the air (if you were air kicking), or the bag (if you were heavy bag kicking).
People get so worked up about breaking, that they forget that it's the technique that counts. It doesn't matter if it's rebreakable or wood or paper: if your technique is clean, whatever is in front will break.
Did the instructor explain the point of this? Why do people break boards? A manufactured breakable board? Finding wood soft enough to break and hold it so the grain will allow breaking easier.... What's the point?
I dono know why breaking wooden boards or plastic boards are in your grading exam!! They both are useless in martial arts terms! Breaking is more of physics than martial arts. If you really want to be tough practice hard on makiwara... breaking bricks and ice could be considered more of a martial art stuff than plastic or wood. As far as your test is concerned ppractice with wooden boards.
That depends what velocity means to you.
Hey guys
I was wondering what the difference between breaking a plastic board (black - as Ive hear they are the toughest) and breaking a wooden board, specifically pine wood that is about an inch thick.
I have a black belt grading coming up and we are required to break wood boards so I want to practice. i am tempted to get these plastic re breakables but they don't seem hard to break from footage Ive seen
So whats the difference between wood and plastic board in breaking terms? Should I just get wood or is plastic a good substitute?
