DESTRUCTION
(Kyokpa)

Destruction ( of boards, concrete slabs, opponents' ribcages, etc)

A fuller discussion will appear in due course; in the meantime, here are some articles to get you warmed up on the topic:

• The Mechanics of Breaking
• The physics of Karate strikes
• Impulse, momentum & energy
• Momentum, Force, Impulse, and kinetic energy
• Correct alignment of the hand & wrist when punching

Note that the second and third articles talk about breaking downwards, or towards the floor; in Karate it is more usual to break items with a downward motion. In TKD, we tend to break horizontally, with the target held in the hands or on a breaking horse, but the principles are pretty much the same.