Odd things people have said you RE: breaking

Recently, I did a demo at my church before I started my program there. I was breaking 5 16" x 6" x 2" concrete slabs in addition to some boards.

An adult (& a friend) watched me do these breaks & after matter of factly told me how easy breaking wood is. I said little about his opinion. Later, when I broke the concrete, he said something to the effect that they were baked &/ that it was a trick. His first comments I let go, but the second I could not. (While he is a friend, I know him to be quite critical & dismissive of things he doesn't understand). With my temper in check, I asked him if he has ever broken concrete. He said, "no." I asked if he'd like to try. He again said, "no" & added, "You've been doing this for years." "More than 25 years," I added, "would you like to see one of these bricks?" Without waited for an answer, I handed him a half of one of the broken pieces. I told him that had it been baked, it would have broken in more than just 2 pieces. He finally was speechless.

What have people said to you?

Oh we've gotten asked if the boards are pre-cut and glued together, if our bricks are cut or made of styrofoam, if the bats are cracked. My instructor does a speed break where he takes the top off of a whiskey bottle with a neck chop strike and he's been asked if the neck was sawed into already. The most questioned is if the bed of nails that we use for demos is real, no one can believe that the nails are real, and that we can lie on them without being peirced.

Anyways the moral is that people are always skeptical of things they can't experience or understand for themselves, so the natural reaction is to disbelieve and look for ways to discredit or find the "trick" behind it. You've just gotta understand where they're coming from and stand behind your training, if you take the time to show people how real it is, and how it works (the way it's held or supported, the part of the body you're striking with, how you progressed to this level, the level of focus and concentration needed to perform the break, etc.) people generally come around, and if not, then you know it's real and that needs to be enough for you.

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NL TKD Academy "Home of the Champions"

nathan_barrett wrote: The most questioned is if the bed of nails that we use for demos is real, no one can believe that the nails are real, and that we can lie on them without being peirced.

i made a nail bed for my science fair in grade 10.  no teachers would let my buddy smash a cinderblock on my stomach with a sledge hammer though. 

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i'm delicious

i broke my toe doing forms in the shower..owww!

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Traditional TKD

I was asked once if it hurts to break wood. I said no, it only hurts when the wood doesn't break...