13 Best Martial Artist Biographies
List Updated January 2021
Bestselling Martial Artist Biographies in 2021
The Way of the Fight
The Complete Martial Artist
Bruce Lee: The Evolution of a Martial Artist
My Fight / Your Fight
Bruce Lee Artist of Life: Inspiration and Insights from the World's Greatest Martial Artist (Bruce Lee Library)
Fight for the Forgotten: How a Mixed Martial Artist Stopped Fighting for Himself and Started Fighting for Others
A Buddhist Martial Artist's Journey To God: The Inspiring Biography Of Grand Master Dong Jin Kim
Fighter in the Wind
Karate-Do: My Way of Life
Martial: The Unexpected Classic
Win or Learn: MMA, Conor McGregor and Me: A Trainer's Journey
Renaissance Man
God's Double Agent
Preventing Injury in Young Martial Artists
This article highlights a few ways proactive parents can be sure their child stays safe while board breaking.
The first thing is safety. Preventing sports-related injuries in young people is very important: even more so than adults. A child risks damage to their growth plates; essentially handicapping them for life if something goes wrong. Board breaking can be very dangerous if it is not done correctly.
The instructor should never ask a child to break a board with their hands before about sixteen. By that point, most of the growth plates are done developing and the risk of injury is minimal. If your child's instructor insists on breaking with their fist, against your consent, find another school. Most instructors, even those who prefer hand breaking in children, will allow the child's parent to select another break if safety is a concern.
The boards selected should be very lightweight with no knots. Heavier boards mean that more sap and moisture have been left in the board. This makes them harder to break than lightweight, brittle, boards. Ask your child's instructor to see the boards in advance and, perhaps, demonstrate breaking one to see how hard it is.
When it is time for your child to break, the instructor will have 1 to 2 other people holding the board for your child, depending on the technique used and the size of the board. A larger board requires more strength to hold it, thus more people. A safe first technique for a child is any foot kick that uses the bottom of the foot to strike the board; such as a side kick. Make sure your child's instructor uses board holders that are experienced. A juvenile holder, under sixteen years old, may not have the ability to hold the board in the right way for it to break. Properly holding a board for children is a technique that takes many years to master.
The goal in board breaking is to build up confidence in the child. Being able to snap through a board makes them feel more confident in themselves and their ability. Repeated failing at breaking the board will make them unsure of themselves. This is an emotional test for your child; injury should not have to be a worry in such a time. As always, talk to you child's instructor if you feel any reservations about what they are teaching. Safety should be important to both of you.
