A person attending a Martial Arts demonstration watches in disbelief as the student burst through stacks of boards, “Why doesn’t he/she just use an axe?” one asked. Point well made. Why don’t we just use an axe to break the wood? We could, but we don’t because it’s the principle of the thing. Board breaking is one of the biggest boosters of self‐confidence in the entire program. It’s not just about the “oohs and ahh’s” it’s about focus and determination. It’s about technique. It’s about believing that you can. Watching a high rank black belt or a demo team do a demonstration at a testing or tournament is a big thing. Seeing the concentration of an individual flying over three students crouching and breaking three boards is no different than a colored belt breaking a board with a simple sidekick or a hammer fist for the very first time.

So make it a point to attend a demonstration. Don’t rob yourself or your child of a valuable opportunity to learn from watching others perform. Demonstrations are a tool used by every school owner to encourage students to perform as well. By watching a black belt or demo team do a striking form, perform advanced one- steps, and break multiple amounts of wood using multiple techniques the average student performs in class one is inspired to do better. So be sure to watch a demonstration. Be a part of the crowd that is there to learn. And don’t forget to bring your “ooh’s and ahh’s”.