Tags for this video have been changed from 'karate, board, break, wow, kick' to 'tkd, board, break, wow, tornado, kick' - edited by rembar

Looks like TKD to me, just from the gi - *ahem*, I meant to say dobok - style and the fact that the signs are Korean.

Thanks for the clarification rembar, I was guessing

maybe its tang soo do

p.s. that is fantastically bad ass

my only question... are the boards filled with confetti sphaghetti what the hell is flying all over... boards break into two

That's....incredible.

That's a black belt board break. Don't know which level, TKD for sure.

Deathcow, I saw a TKD show when I got the opportunity to visit South Korea. The boards were always held with one side to the audience but as they got prepared and into position, you'd occasionally glimpse the other side and the were little explosive charges attached to ensure a nice break with confetti effects.

This is undoubtedly a hell of an achievement, but I have to wonder - how hard is he hitting the boards? How useful is this stuff in an actual fight? I know martial arts shows have little to do with actual fighting, but I think the moves must still be genuine, otherwise it's basically just ballet.

amazing
*actionpack
*asia

Adding video to channels (Actionpack, Asia) - requested by looris.

"How useful is this stuff in an actual fight?"

Not useful at all. If you've ever watched an MMA fight, the smart strikers know not to throw kicks when fighting a grappler as it is a quick way to end up on your back getting your face smashed in.

It's possible to mix kicks into MMA - we're seeing it more and more (look at Crocop's LHK, GSP's front kicks, Jardine's recent win against Chuck, or Gonzaga's arm-breaking kick against Randy). That said, kicks in MMA aren't normally going to look like this one (unless it's a fight against 3 short opponents, arranged vertically) - though it would certainly be unexpected.

TKD isn't the most effective when it comes to self defense, if your looking for that try Krav Maga. TKD is a discipline and art. It does have some practical use but it's things like this that help develop accuracy and speed when dealing with any situation.

In my time as a TKD student, I came to feel that much of TKD was only practical when facing an opponent who is also using TKD. Other students I know have agreed with me. That's not to say there aren't techniques that can be applied to a 'street fight' situation, but you've got to think differently than you would in one of your sparring matches. Of course it's still good exercise and conditioning.

Perhaps ironically, the worst place to go to learn TKD for use in a combat situation is probably Korea where it has been transformed from its military roots into a sport. It's all about flashy board breaking and rapid, powerless strikes. A landed strike, no matter how insignificant it is, is still a point.

Pretty cool to watch, even if it's not super useful in a fight.

Vewy good. But boads do not hit BACK.

Hm. How to say this:

- Kicks work in MMA, even against grappling specialists. The kicker just has to be very good at kicking, takedown defense, and escaping from ground to standing, i.e. be a good sprawl-and-brawler. Kicking has proven to be a very important part of MMA, and anybody who doesn't train to kick and defend against kicks is an incomplete fighter. Anybody who doesn't think so is wrong.
- TKD is an art with many different variations, it's how it's trained that makes the difference. Because most tournament TKD is trained crappily with tippy-tappy kicks not intended for damage, and because no punching is allowed, tournament TKD sucks for self defense. Then again, most Krav Maga sucks for self-defense too because it caters to wimpy civilians who are looking for any easy way out rather than pay the sweat, blood, and pain in training, so who's counting?
- Martial arts are all about fighting. Anybody who's practicing a martial art that isn't about fighting isn't practicing a martial art. That's just my opinion, but I'm right.
- Boards don't hit back. Seems pretty smart to single them out to fight, then, right?

People, just appreciate this for what it is: an amazing example of athleticism and skill intended for crowd-pleasing, board-breaking, kick-flipping action, not for combat ability. I highly doubt anybody would think throwing a tornado kick in a fight is a good idea, and whoever does deserves the surprise that Darwin's got coming for them.

The boards were extremely weak / loaded with explosives. They sounded like balsa wood. Normal boards don't shoot confetti.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag.(show it anyway)

Really? No tornado kicks?

If I ever get into a bar fight - that's all I'm using. Just one tornado kick after another until I've obliterated the whole bar. Of course I can't do a full 540 degrees. - I could do 70, maybe a 90 if I really stretch.

I'm going to start practicing my tornado kicks, like - now ... just have to finish this beer first.

This could be more badass than my floating crane technique. Wax on, wax off - motherf*cker.

huahuahuahua.

btw, don't understimate the power of intimidation.

this kind of kick may not be strictly combat-savvy, but if you manage to do one successfully, any opponent will likely run away.
it depends on what kind of opponent are you facing.

(OT: wtf, Camino doesn't let me select spellcheck dictionary )

this kind of kick may not be strictly combat-savvy, but if you manage to do one successfully, any opponent will likely run away.
it depends on what kind of opponent are you facing.

This one is for you, Looris.

lol rembar! thanks

btw, I agree with you: if you are facing a professionist, or anyone who is used to fighting, flying kicks are probably a dumb idea. But still, I bet a good part of the average street thug would still be impressed by something like that.

It's like someone playing with nunchucks (or butterfly knife) before using them: he's using them as intimidation.

Wow, that kicks ass. This is a vid definitely in need of a slow motion repeat.

this one, yes

if you are facing a professionist, or anyone who is used to fighting, flying kicks are probably a dumb idea. But still, I bet a good part of the average street thug would still be impressed by something like that.

It's like someone playing with nunchucks (or butterfly knife) before using them: he's using them as intimidation.

I guess, if you want to take the chance that your opponent is easily impressed and isn't going to laugh at you while you flip in the air. Personally, I'd be somewhat relieved to see a person throw a flying kick, flip his nunchucks, or swing a butterfly knife. It tells me they're not ready to kick ass and take names for real. Flying kicks look silly and probably indicate that whoever's doing them actually might think that crap works, nunchucks are almost completely useless in a fight, and butterfly knives are inefficient fighting weapons compared with other knives (dangerous though all knives are).

And screwing around with any of those puts you at a momentary disadvantage. Hell, what happens if you do the kick and the guy rushes in while you're rotating in the air? Bad times.

I'm no badass, but if I were to get into a fight, I think a much safer and smarter course of action would be to put up your dukes, square your shoulders, and tuck your chin like a good boxer. Rear back for a huge right, and then when he reaches up to block, turn tail and run.

Intimidation is a big part of winning a fight. If I see a guy twirling a knife or using nunchucks in a proficient way then I'm going to think this guy knows a thing or two about how to use them. At least it would keep you second guessing your chances of taking them down. Besides in TKD most of your fight happens in your mind before a punch or kick is even thrown.

Intimidation is a big part of winning a fight. If I see a guy twirling a knife or using nunchucks in a proficient way then I'm going to think this guy knows a thing or two about how to use them. At least it would keep you second guessing your chances of taking them down.

I agree intimidation is a big factor, but I guess I just don't see knife-twirling or nunchuck-waving to be very intimidating.

Besides in TKD most of your fight happens in your mind before a punch or kick is even thrown.

Now that...that I really don't buy, unless you're speaking in the most metaphorical of terms, i.e. "if you're not confident, you've already lost". It's a physical competition, man, you can't win just because you think you're going to win. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that most of the fight happens as the fight is happening.

I was speaking mostly of strategy. In a fight 2 minutes seems like 20. You have to be thinking faster then your opponent acts. I was talking about confidence but physical prowess can't compete with an opponent who knows your moves split seconds before you make them. I say it's mental because you have to be constantly weighing your opponents moves and your counter movements.

I've sparred against guys who can pack a punch but are so concentrated on hitting as hard as they can they forget to protect their head or keep a balance. And in any combat situation maintaining a several options is critical

loaded with explosives?? smokeless explosives I see... balsa? Recognize the wood type by the sound of the crack from a crappy camcorder eh?

I would give this guy the benefit of the doubt, folks. First of all, he's doing an airborne 540. Second, he is wearing a black belt. Now, you dont even see a lot of black belts doing airborne 540 triple kicks, so, you can think, hey - he is probably pretty damn good. Third, you will notice he is pretty fast. I bet that leg coming full circle at that speed has more than enough power to break a board and throw some confetti (the confetti flies in the direction of the kick mind you...) or do you think they aim the "explosive" charges to shoot the confetti in the direction ofthe kick?

I was speaking mostly of strategy. In a fight 2 minutes seems like 20. You have to be thinking faster then your opponent acts. I was talking about confidence but physical prowess can't compete with an opponent who knows your moves split seconds before you make them. I say it's mental because you have to be constantly weighing your opponents moves and your counter movements.

By strategy, do you mean tactics? I'm definitely in agreement with you that you need to be constantly checking your actions to your opponent's, but I disagreed with you because you said that most fights happen in your mind before a punch or kick is thrown. I was only disagreeing with that, because you can't adjust tactics until you're actually fighting. In other words, there's a difference between an opponent who knows your moves seconds before you throw them (because you're telegraphing movement), and an opponent who knows your moves before you even start the fight (which is, I hold, impossible). No amount of thinking before a fight will tell you that he is developing a welt on his right-side ribs so you need to feint right, slip left and pound with your left hook that much harder. Mental state and strategy can be determined before a fight. Tactics and techniques, the kind of things you're talking about when you're adjusting your moves to his, cannot.

That is true. I guess to try and clarify. You can't win a fight if your not confident your going to win before hand. After that you need to keep a clear mind and read the opponents moves. I don't think anyone can anticipate every move in the fight but I do stand by that you can often tell the first move your opponent will make.

One common misconception about Tae Kwon Do is that it was designed for some kind of cage fight. Tae Kwon Do is a military dicipline. Whenever I practiced a form in TKD I was told to visualize 8 opponents. (who would presumably be less disciplined.)
The application of any art changes according for the situation. But if 3 people jump you on the street, just try tackling 1 of them Brazilain Jiu-Jitsu style and see how far it gets you.

First of all, I've never met anybody who thought TKD was created for cage fighting. Hell, no popularly practiced martial was created for cage fighting. Cages in MMA didn't come into use 'til the late 80s. Second of all, forms don't teach you how to fight. Neither does "visualizing 8 opponents".

And try fighting 3 people with anything less than a baseball bat or 1911 .45 ACP and see how far it gets you. No unarmed art is ever going to let you beat up three people in a fight without enormous amounts of luck and/or a very effective weapon. Sorry to burst your bubble, but if you think you actually can handle three guys in a fight you've got another thing coming. Actually, another six things coming.

Wow, I never expected this quick clip to generate such a discussion. Good to see

Generally any move that involves high jumping is a VERY BAD IDEA in a real fight, because you can be knocked off balance easily then.

And try fighting 3 people with anything less than a baseball bat or

Yep, Jwray, although there are exceptions though.

Reminds me that it's time to do "Death From Above Pt. 3"...flying knees, anyone?

But if you happen to be attacked by a pack of drunkards, or dumb guys from a disco, well, I guess if you are well trained you can defeat any number of them.

I completely disagree with you. You are honestly underestimating how much of a difference an extra man in a fight can make. Anybody who thinks they can reasonably take on two men and have a better chance of winning than losing is delusional, or Fedor Emelianenko.

It's not too hard for one guy to run in, bear hug you, then pull you to the ground and keep you there while the other guy kicks your face in from the side. Takes no skill, takes no particular courage, just two bozos who are sufficiently motivated to injure you. And that's just with two guys. What happens when you add a third? Or a fourth? Or, as Ryjkyj seems to believe, an eighth?

C'mon, be reasonable.

Actually Krav Maga will give you an enormous advantage against multiple opponents. Doesn't make it any easier but if your proficient in Krav Maga and your opponents may not be you can easily dispatch them one after another. Granted they aren't all attacking at the exact same time. It would be impossible to dispatch multiple opponents in one swift move but you can end the fight in seconds by putting them out of commission quickly and one after another.

No, no it won't. First of all "granted they aren't all attacking at the exact same time" is an enormously insane assumption to be making. Second of all, Krav Maga is no better at training a person for a multiple opponent situation than any other martial art, and significantly less effective than track team practice.

That's the whole point of Krav Maga. To be able to dispatch opponents in the fastest manner possible. I've never practiced it myself, but I've seen it at work and a master of the art could quickly disable several opponents in a matter of seconds. I think you underestimate the training and real world practicality of martial arts.

Wow Rembar brilliant fucking insight right there.
Let me make myself a little clearer:

A: Of course you've never met anyone who thought Tae Kwon Do was made for cage fighting. I was being facetious:

FACETIOUS, [fuh-see-shuhs]
-adjective
1. Not meant to be taken literaly.
2. Lacking serious intent.

The reason that I said it was that scholars and practitioners generally agree that grappling with limited striking is the best form of one-on-one, unarmed combat, which people love to bring up when talking about Tae Kwon Do. And, which I tend to agree with. But not all fighting takes place one-on-one, or on even, equally familiar ground. (i.e.: a cage fight) The martial arts merely train you in different ways to be prepared for given situations.

B. Forms are not the only thing you need to learn to fight. I agree, but they do help impart technique and physical fitness. Otherwise, why do boxers shadowbox? Why do pilots fly training missions? Why do hunters practice shooting targets? Martial artists punch bags, break boards, spar and use all sorts of different ways to train. No combat art relies only on forms, and even modern MMA fighters don't train ONLY in the ring.

C. Yeah, your not bursting any bubbles here. I know that you think you're smart but I've had the same thought about fighting multiple opponents, as have millions of other people. I never said that I could take on 8 opponents. What I said was that I visualized 8 opponents when practicing a form. It's a way of keeping focused. I don't believe I would have an advantage over anyone, alone or otherwise, before I fight them. To do that would just be asking for failure. I'll tell you this though: If I ever DO have to fight more than one person, I'm not going to say "Hey guys, wait here while I run home and get my 1911 and my baseball bat." I, unlike you, am hopefully going to confront the situation in a realistic manner.

And one last thing.
I hate to burst YOUR bubble but fighting in cages has been around for a lot longer than the late 80's. Not to mention, I never said anything about MMA in my first post. You pulled that one right out of your cock holster.

Have a great day.

That's the whole point of Krav Maga. To be able to dispatch opponents in the fastest manner possible. I've never practiced it myself, but I've seen it at work and a master of the art could quickly disable several opponents in a matter of seconds. I think you underestimate the training and real world practicality of martial arts.

And here I was assuming that you were a Krav practitioner, and we'd have to compare experiences. I'm trying not to be a dick about this, because I respect you, but let me ask: I have practiced Krav Maga for three months, in the downtime between traveling and switching between real schools, and sparred with a bunch of Krav guys during that period and afterwards, students who trained under about three or four instructors. Not a lot of exposure, admittedly, but enough that I think I have seen generally what Krav Maga has to offer in training for a fight, and which I believe to be not adequate for successfully fighting multiple opponents unarmed. You have not practiced Krav Maga ever. So how is it that you are confident you have a better grasp of the applicability of Krav Maga in a fight than I do?

I just don't get it...what did you see that convinced you that Krav Maga is this ultimate +5 vorpal martial art of ass-kicking? I know you've mentioned it several times before, and I figured it was because you practiced Krav, but you say you haven't. Have you ever seen a Krav guy take out multiple fully resisting opponents in a few seconds? If not, then how can you be so sure a good Krav guy can do this? How exactly are you figuring on this happening, by the way? Knockouts? Joint locks? Eye gouges? Chi blasts? Hell, it's unlikely for a good fighter to take out a single opponent in a few seconds, and that depends largely upon enormous luck with landing a massive power shot to the jaw. I do not believe it is possible for any fighter to take out multiple opponents, unarmed, in a matter of seconds, short of the aid of an act of God. There is no realistic way a human can do this.

The best advice I ever got from a Krav instructor on fighting multiple opponents was to work on my cardio and my sprint starts.

A: Of course you've never met anyone who thought Tae Kwon Do was made for cage fighting. I was being facetious:

You're full of horse puckey, putting it lightly. If you were being facetious, you wouldn't be getting your panties in a knot.

The reason that I said it was that scholars and practitioners generally agree that grappling with limited striking is the best form of one-on-one, unarmed combat, which people love to bring up when talking about Tae Kwon Do. And, which I tend to agree with.

What scholars and practitioners generally agree with that? Bullcrap. I have never heard anybody but non-fighters say that, nor is there a general consensus that there is any single perfect mixture of striking and grappling in MMA. Hell, most of the wins in the UFC title bouts recently have been won through striking: Gonzaga's, Serra's, GSP's, Rampage, etc.

In fact, the general consensus among MMA fighters is that there is no single best combination of striking and grappling. The mixture of grappling and striking is always dependent on the background of the fighter and calibrated to his particular technical and physical abilities. And I've never heard a good fighter with "limited striking" skills, that is unacceptable for any good fighter. A good fighter, even one who's a submission specialist, will have proficient striking skills at the very least, or he's not a good fighter.

But not all fighting takes place one-on-one, or on even, equally familiar ground. (i.e.: a cage fight) The martial arts merely train you in different ways to be prepared for given situations.

I agree that not all fighting takes place one-on-one or on even ground. I do, however, hold that MMA-style training is the single most effective form of training for any kind of unarmed combat, period. I also do not believe that any unarmed martial art will adequately enable you to actually fight multiple opponents with a greater chance of winning than losing.

B. Forms are not the only thing you need to learn to fight. I agree, but they do help impart technique and physical fitness. Otherwise, why do boxers shadowbox? Why do pilots fly training missions? Why do hunters practice shooting targets? Martial artists punch bags, break boards, spar and use all sorts of different ways to train. No combat art relies only on forms, and even modern MMA fighters don't train ONLY in the ring.

Forms are not good at imparting technique, they're a waste of time if you're trying to learn to fight. Sorry. Boxers shadowbox because it is a dynamic exercise, in which there is no set order of technique. That's why they move the same way that they do during a fight, with no pre-conceived list of things to do. Shadowboxing is not comparable to doing forms. Boxers are not just standing in horse stance or front stance and throwing chambered punches, then maybe sidestepping, because a pre-memorized complex set of motions like a traditional form will never be applicable in a fight, individual techniques must be learned in dead drilling, but they must be chained together during dynamic training. Pilots fly training missions, similiarly, because it is a dynamic exercise, that's why they don't just fly the same mission over and over again, they run many different scenarios with things changing every time.

Modern MMA fighters do not train ONLY in the ring. However, good MMA fighters NEVER try to train by:
- breaking boards
- doing forms

They DO train by:
- dead drilling: for re-enforcing a SINGLE new technique being learned, this is largely de-emphasized when a fighter is preparing for a fight
- shadowboxing: dynamic movement, takes up a small percentage of training time, mostly done for warmup
- doing padwork: dynamic movement against a moving target, and sometimes resisting opponent, takes up a medium amount of training time
- doing bagwork: dynamic movement against a moving target, takes up about a medium amount of time
- sparring: dynamic movement against a resisting opponent, takes up a large amount of time

Forms are a waste of time if someone's trying to learn how to fight.

C. Yeah, your not bursting any bubbles here. I know that you think you're smart but I've had the same thought about fighting multiple opponents, as have millions of other people. I never said that I could take on 8 opponents. What I said was that I visualized 8 opponents when practicing a form. It's a way of keeping focused. I don't believe I would have an advantage over anyone, alone or otherwise, before I fight them. To do that would just be asking for failure. I'll tell you this though: If I ever DO have to fight more than one person, I'm not going to say "Hey guys, wait here while I run home and get my 1911 and my baseball bat." I, unlike you, am hopefully going to confront the situation in a realistic manner.

Ok, so remind me again how all this visualization during forms is going to carry over to a fight? Confronting a situation in which you need to fight unarmed against multiple opponents in a realistic manner means acknowledging you're going to get your ass kicked if you try fighting back unarmed, and the only reasonable solutions are: stopping the fight, running, or using a force multiplier (i.e. weapon, friends, etc.). Unlike me. Uh-huh. Please tell me exactly how I'm being unrealistic about this. How exactly would YOU plan on confronting a situation with multiple opponents?

I hate to burst YOUR bubble but fighting in cages has been around for a lot longer than the late 80's. Not to mention, I never said anything about MMA in my first post. You pulled that one right out of your cock holster.

Oh really? Cage fighting's been around since before the late 80s? There's a reason why cagefighting is nearly synonymous with MMA. Hm. Ok, I'll give you the early 80s, maybe even late 70s if you push it. Oh, you meant before that? Please cite your proof. No, seriously. I'm waiting. Oh, and Bloodsport and Mad Max don't count as historical documents. Me and my cock holster will be waiting. I shoot from the hip. Or pelvis, if you want to be specific.

Getting back on topic...

There are no explosives in the boards. For these types of complicated demonstration kicks, thin, soft boards are used. They break very easily. In the states, it's usually a soft pine, 1/2" thick or even less. I would imagine that they use a different type of wood in Korea. Does anybody have an idea what kind of board would shred like that when broken?

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