DEMONSTRATIONS OF REAL SKILL

 by Phillip Starr

Back when I first undertook the study of gong-fu and karate, many upper-level practitioners would thrill audiences by shattering bricks and boards with their bare hands (the gong-fu people rarely engaged in this practice, however). It was certainly impressive but as time passed, I came to understand that breaking a couple of boards or even a brick is nice but it isn't necessarily indicative of real martial prowess.

Over the years, I witnessed (and subsequently sought to practice) forms of “breaking” that required a good deal more than simple brute force. I will describe a few of them here...

I once saw Masutatsu Oyama (known as the “godhand” and founder of Kyokushin karate) shatter a brick...which would seem to be no big deal, except that he had a partner holding it firmly BY ONE END! He punched the lower half of the brick and cut it in half! This is an incredible feat and a display of high skill. I was never able to duplicate it...

One feat that I'd only heard about was breaking a balloon with a punch...while it was floating gently in the air. To try it sounds easy enough...just blow up a balloon and tie it off, then toss it into the air. And punch it. Go ahead, try it. It took a while, but I was eventually able to do it. In my 50 years of teaching, I've only had about 3 students who could do it. This is largely due to the fact that very, very few students were willing to put in the required training to achieve this feat.

It requires a very high degree of speed and the blow must strike the balloon with SHOCK (as opposed to simple force) so that the skin is instantly torn before the balloon has a chance to bounce away.

Another extremely difficult breaking technique is what I call the “flush break.” A brick is placed on top of the base rather than being supported by two other bricks on either ends; it simply lays flat on the base and is struck with a sword-hand to cut it in half.

Or an “unsupported” break is also very difficult; in this case, the brick is stood up on end and then hit with a punch. This requires exceptional speed and shock.

My gong-fu teacher demonstrated his skill with the sword by hanging up a wooden ring (about 4-5” diameter) and started it swinging gently. Then beginning in a preparation (“on-guard”) stance, he'd suddenly lunge forward and thrust the sword cleanly through the center of the ring! Not only that, but he'd quickly withdraw it without touching the sides of the ring!

A demonstration of real skill needn't (and usually doesn't) require a display of strength or brute force.