How to Kick Through a Board Without Breaking Your Toes

Skilled karate practitioners make it look easy. And it is, with practice. But you've got to perform a front kick with good technique before attempting breaking a board or your toes could be broken instead.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Practice front kicking
• Proper board for kicking
• Partner to hold the board for you to break

1. 

   Learn correct form. Raise cocked leg leading with the knee.

2. 

   Execute the kick. While raising your leg to kick, prepare to simultaneously force your body weight forward from your standing leg while snapping the kicking foot out forward in a fast, forceful, snapping kick. Force your toes back and lead with the ball of your foot.

3. 

   Balance or land. Be prepared to either balance on the supporting leg or to land forward on the kicking foot.

4. 

   Practice without making contact. After learning this kick, practice it without making contact with anything but the air. Again, have your toes curled back and lead with the ball of your foot. You can march forward in a kick, step, alternate foot kick, step motion.

5. 

   Practice on a bag. Make contact with a hanging bag with the ball of your foot. You will learn why it's necessary to have forward momentum with your body weight to push through the bag. The ball of your foot is the softest, strongest part of the foot for this type of kick. Alternative kicks use the side of the foot, the instep or heel for contact.

6. 

   Break a board. After several lessons, perform the same kicking motion but this time have a partner hold a single board in front of you with two steady hands. Think about kicking through the board and you will break it.

Tips & Warnings

• Get professional instruction.
• Do not attempt this kick on the inside of windshields of cars. I have broken two perfectly good windshields this way. Your kick is stronger than you think.