Breaking Manual: Materials, Techniques, Holders, and Exam-Day Standards

Mat Manual companion guide to "Your Board Did Not Break." Print it. The article explains why boards bounce. This book is the complete working reference: what to buy, how to hold, how to strike, how to progress, how to troubleshoot every failure, and how to arrive at the exam with a repetition count instead of a hope.

Name: ______________________________ School: ______________________________ Rank: ______________ Exam break: ______________

SAFETY, BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE ☐ Hand and foot conditioning in this book is progressive impact over weeks (Part 8). Nobody conditions by striking hard, unyielding surfaces at full power on day one — that is how stress fractures are scheduled. ☐ Holders keep fingers clear of the strike's follow-through line at all times (Part 4). A broken board releases the striker's momentum somewhere; the holders' hands are never where it goes. ☐ Pain in a wrist, knuckle, or heel that persists into the next day stops breaking practice for that limb until it is assessed. Swelling after any break attempt is assessed the same day. ☐ Children break age-appropriate material only (Part 2 table) under instructor supervision. Pride is not a thickness standard. ☐ Boards are inspected before every use (Part 2). A knot near the center or a warped board is firewood, not a test.

Part 1: The Physics Card

Post this where boards are stored.