Board breaking serves as the culminating activity for Taekwon-Do students at the end of the semester. Students are taught the proper way to break so that they are able to execute their techniques safely. Only kicking breaks are allowed and hand breaks are strictly prohibited at the middle school age. When executing their foot breaks, students wear shoes and barefooted breaks are not permitted.

During practice sessions, sturdy rebreakable plastic boards are used. They are cheaper than buying real boards, since you can break them and put them back together again for the other students to break. Real boards are costly. The last couple of days in the semester, students have an option to break real boards which they may choose to purchase. The type of boards used is1 x 12 ponderosa pine cut into lengths of 10 inches.

For majority of the students, breaking boards are the highlight of the Taekwon-Do class. They get really excited about it especially when they are successful in increasing the amount of boards they are able to break. The success rate of students being able to break at least one board is 100 percent.

Board breaking has many benefits. It teaches them to focus and believe in themselves. It also teaches them that if they put their mind to it and apply their thoughts into what they are doing, they will be able to accomplish their goals. Breaking is not simply physical but it involves the mental application as well.