I love breaking boards. And I figured out last night after watching Karen break her boards, that I love watching other people break boards. Especially if they are my classmates. We know that it takes a special combination of aim, concentration, speed and power to break a board…we have an appreciation for how difficult it is. So we root for others, and feel good when they succeed. But it goes even further than that. There was a study done (I will have to find it for you all) that shows that even when you watch someone do something well, it helps you when you do it. So even though we don’t practice it all the time, visualizing ourselves succeeding and even watching someone else succeed helps! I can’t wait until the next time I get to break boards, but in the mean time, I will look forward to watching you all do it!
Board breaking has been a new incentive for my son to do TKD. At the last Captain’s Cup, he was inspired by the black belt who did a flying kick after jumping over a group of people. So, after he practices forms or combinations he breaks a practice board. It has become his reward in TKD!
Susannah
