How many bricks can you break?

[dragontounge2]

How many unsupported bricks can you brake? Are they solid or two hole brick?

[PHILBERT]

What does brick breaking have to do with martial arts?

[The Willow Sword]

nOW IN this FORUM THE real QUESTION SHOULD BE "HOW MANY BRICKS HAVE YOU HAD BROKEN OVER YOU?"

my answer is 5 patio stones 12x12inch and about 3 inches thick.
broke with a sledgehammer over my stomach and chest. IRON SHIRT. heh heh not lately though,,my iron shirt has temporarlily turned into jello shirt.

Many Respects,,,The Willow Sword

[harry_the_monk]

Surely for the bricks to break they would have to exist and for me to break those bricks I too would have to exist.

[Repulsive Monkey]

What have they done to upset you? Leave them whole and in one piece you cruel slate snappers, boulder breakers, slab shatterers and brick beaters you!!

[scotty1]

Somehow I just don't think this topic is going to get the respect it deserves.

*cough*

[Repulsive Monkey]

unfortunately means nothing in reality. It usually means carpal and meta-carpal damage and qi and blood stagnation plus channel damage too. I've never seen the point to it and long time brick breaking seems to do nothing but kill the hand and all its sensitivity. I recall a recollection from Robert Smiths "Masters and methods" book where he speaks of a famous externalist who spends so much time in conditioning his hands he could merely slap a brick and break it it with the flat of his palm, however his hand was so dead and gone he was unable to pick up a coin or pencil from the floor. What did this martial artist really acheive through his palm conditioning???? A dead hand with little day to day practical use.

[Former castleva]

I tried that out once and I broke many...bones!
No bricks,sorry.

Seriously.
Have not done that,but I don´t consider it as nuts as people (previously posted) do.
It is once classic part of training (mainly karate,TKD etc.) So it probably has a lot to do with martial arts,whether we like it or not.What possibly happens during "breaking" training is:
1.Some kind of injury,probably few walk away from it unharmed.
2.Joint problems-joints stiffen.
Example:I heard about a veteran who probably had a hard hand but also "had hard time touching his thumb with little finger"
As long as one will be able to stand the consequences-both good and bad.

[fa_jing]

My sifu says he used to break bricks. Don't know how many, I assume one.

-FJ

[harry_the_monk]

I trod on a lego brick once and it smashed into many pieces.

[dfedorko@mindspring.com]

Brick breaking is not that important. Technique,practicing form, training internally are more importanr. Breaking is only a sliver of you MA training pie. Peace.