At the Karate Institute in New York City, they earn them by breaking 1-inch-thick pine boards. Lots of them.Ben Paris, a fourth-degree black belt in tae kwon do, is happy to demonstrate his grasp ...

The art was introduced to mainland Japan in around the 1920s when Shorin Ryu master Gichin Funakoshi taught the art in Tokyo, leading to the now world renowned styles like Shotokan and Wado Ryu.