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In the movie Bloodsport, which claims to be based on a true story, the lead character is challenged to break one brick at the bottom of a stack, using only his hands. He successfully causes the bottom brick to disintegrate by striking the top brick with his palm.

Jean Claude breaking a brick (source)

Is it possible to consistently break only the bottom brick in a stack with just your hands, in the manner portrayed in the film?

Related Question: Is breaking bricks/wood "karate style" an impressive feat?

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Brian M. Hunt
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  • There is a [Wikipedia article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_(martial_arts)) and a [Straight Dope article](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2613/how-do-martial-artists-break-boards-and-bricks-using-only-their-bare-hands). Are you looking for something different? – DJClayworth Feb 08 '12 at 17:05
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    @DJClayworth only the bottom brick breaks while the rest are left intact – ratchet freak Feb 08 '12 at 17:17
  • In principle there are physical shocks that could accomplish such a thing. Whether it is possible to deliver such a shock with the palm, and if so how you would learn to do it are quiet beyond me. All my breaking experience is of the unsubtle, get-good-mechanics-and-go-to-town variety. – dmckee --- ex-moderator kitten Feb 08 '12 at 17:37
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    This is actually quite a specific and notorious claim of (some) martial arts: the ability of masters to focus and concentrate their "chi" in a specific point in space for massive damage. – Sklivvz Feb 08 '12 at 21:43
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    From an engineering perspective, the greatest bending stresses will be at the top and bottom of a beam. Since masonry is stronger in compression than tension, the bottom brick would be the first to break. However, this assumes the bricks are rigidly attached, with no longitudinal movement where they contact each other. – Doresoom Apr 22 '15 at 20:01
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    A [demonstration of the claim](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQAfDXrvRpQ) - not an answer, because it would be too easy to fake. – Oddthinking Jun 04 '16 at 07:06

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