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Kicks

In the various martial arts styles, the hands are important for striking. Taekwondo techniques, however, take advantage of the fact that in humans, the legs are longer and stronger than the arms. With the right training, legs can be as fast as if not faster than the average hand for striking an opponent. The spins add to the power. For example, the 360° back kick and a tornado, or autobahn, kick both require a full rotation into the kick, which generates more than double the power of a regular kick because of the centrifugal force of the spin. 

Forms

Forms are set patterns of attacking and defending moves that apply taekwondo techniques against imaginary opponents. They are an important part of learning taekwondo. Forms help students improve balance, coordination, breath control, and timing. There are 24 forms in taekwondo, and they get more complicated as students move up in rank. Although the forms can be hard to learn, they are one of my favorite parts of taekwondo because I can work on my balance and coordination. Additionally, the forms keep my mind active, since I need to think about the sequence of each form.

Board breaking

One of my favorite taekwondo skills is board breaking. Special kicking and striking techniques are used for this skill. Learning to break boards reinforces your speed, precision, power, and focus or concentration. It is very important to learn the proper techniques before trying to break boards, since you can get hurt if it is not done properly.

Pine boards are normally used during tests because they are easier to break than other materials such as tiles or bricks. Boards can be broken using hands, feet, elbows, knees and the head. A student’s ability to break with different body parts depends on his or her belt level. Thicker and larger boards are harder to break than smaller boards, and it is easier to break two small boards than one thicker one. Another important factor in board breaking is the person holding the board. The holder must have a firm grip; if the board moves, you will not hit it properly and it will not break.

Board breaking is an example of Newton’s third law—for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction—in action. Therefore, if you punch a board and it breaks, the force applied is dispersed; however, if you punch a board and it does not break, the force will return to the board breaker, as explained in the law of conservation of energy, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed. Since the board did not absorb the force and break, the energy of the attack will reflect back to the board breaker. So, if the board does not break, that force will return to your body . . . and that will hurt!