Board breaking looks like a strength contest. It isn't.
Three things decide whether that board splits: speed, accuracy, and follow-through — which is why a 60-pound eight-year-old with a crisp side kick can break a board a much larger adult might struggle with. And instructors aren't being fussy about hand and foot position for no reason: a properly aligned strike sends force straight through the wrist or ankle joint instead of bending it sideways. That alignment IS the safety. Even the wood cooperates — class boards are cut so the grain runs with the strike, and wood splits along its grain far more easily than against it.
The full story — the history, the physics, and the part that actually matters: https://nemeagear.com/blogs/blog-and-news/why-do-martial-artists-break-boards-the-fun-story-behind-the-big-crack
Do you remember your child's first board break? How many tries did it take?
