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Breaking the Mold: Liberty business student to attempt world record in karate power breaking

Liberty School of Business student Parker Moody uses his elbow and forearm to crush a stack of concrete slabs in a recent competition.

UPDATE 7/5/22: After defending his three-directional (3D) powerwood title at the International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) North American Championships in Connecticut in May, Parker Moody, a rising Liberty University senior business student, captured the ISKA U.S. Open Martial Arts World Championships title in that discipline over the weekend in Orlando, Fla., breaking 23 of 23 boards to set a new record.

Moody was also successful on a world record attempt during Saturday’s Night of Champions, breaking a total of 36 boards with three upper body strikes. Watch the video of that event.


When he was 10 years old, watching the U.S. Open International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) World Martial Arts Championships on ESPN, Parker Moody told his parents that he was going to be up on that stage and be a world champion one day.

Moody, 20, a junior from Wilson, N.C., studying in Liberty University’s School of Business, is now a third-degree black belt in taekwondo as well as a defending ISKA World Champion and reigning ISKA North American Champion in the sport of breaking.

On Saturday, he will be competing for four ISKA world breaking titles and attempting a world record live at 6 p.m. EST on ESPN3 and rebroadcast on ESPN2 from Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort Hotel & Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., where more than 8,000 competitors and 12,000 spectators will gather from Thursday through Sunday. Moody will become the youngest breaker to attempt a world record on the televised ISKA Night of Champions at the U.S. Open.

Moody showcases his two ISKA North American title belts and one ISKA World Championship belt that he won in 2021.

“I am very thankful I am seeded to compete for all four ISKA world titles this year,” Moody said of the three-directional power wood division, the concrete arm and concrete kick competitions, and the creative category, where contestants can choose to break anything from baseball bats to bricks and concrete slabs over a period of three minutes. “The goal is to try to win all four world titles and be in the running for the Ultimate World Title.”

For his world record attempt, Moody plans to try to break a total of 42 boards using three different upper body strikes.

“Breaking a world record requires a lot of logistics due to how elaborate the set-up is and a lot of training leading up to it,” Moody said. “They usually ask a current world champion to do a world-record attempt and it is typically an older master breaker that gets that spot.”

His Christian values show through in his competition — something he said may have factored into his selection for the record-breaking attempt.

“I do feel opportunities have risen for me because of how I choose to live and conduct myself,” Moody said. “I try to conduct myself the way I believe God would have me to. Hopefully, others can see my faith through my actions.”

Moody began his martial arts training under Master Matt Mercer in Wilson, N.C., and more recently has worked with 10-time world champion Mike Reeves in Orlando. Also an active member of Team Hayabusa Breaking, he has competed in a series of tournaments sanctioned by a variety of organizations — including the International Sport Karate Association (ISKA), the AAU, North American Sport Karate Association (NASKA), International Martial Arts Festival (IMAF), United States Breaking Association (USBA), World Breaking Association (WBA), and the State Games of America’s North Carolina State Championships — to build up his skill level and experience.

In late May, Moody defended one of his two 2021 titles at the ISKA North American Championships in Naugatuck, Conn. In the wood division, he broke 21 planks with three strikes in three seconds. He also placed second in the concrete kick category by tiebreaker as one of two lightweight competitors to break 13 slabs for the first time ever in competition.

During the school year, Parker conditions by weightlifting as well as practicing general martial arts. He does the majority of his breaking practice on his family’s farm.

Moody breaks a stack of wooden boards during a tournament in 2019.

“It really depends on what the tournament is and what I am training for, but I probably break more than I should, probably 10 times per week in crunch time before a competition,” he said, noting that he also does weightlifting, makiwara body conditioning (using a padded striking post in the same way a boxer uses a punching bag), and flexibility training six days per week in the gym. “I really don’t take days off.”

He practices safely, wearing pads or shoes when breaking, which are not allowed during competition.

“I have seen some pretty bad injuries,” Moody said, noting that he has had several cuts and some bruises on his shins that have swelled up to the size of baseballs. “Every time you strike your hand really hard against something, it creates small microfractures in your bone that help it to grow back stronger.”

After graduating in the next year, Moody plans to pursue his master’s and Ph.D. degrees while putting the principles he learns into practice.

“I’d like to be involved in owning my own martial arts school and marketing for my business as well as owning a rental property company and being a business marketing professor,” he said.

He has taught breaking seminars, which he said has been a great way to be a role model for teenagers, showcasing the love of Christ through his sport.

“I definitely feel God’s given me a gift for breaking, and kids look up to me as someone close to their age, which makes my journey relatable to them,” Moody said. “I want others to see Christ in me and in all that I do. I don’t drink, I don’t party, but I am passionate about things I do, and they’re wholesome things.”

>> Below, watch Moody in action as he defends his 3D powerwood title at the ISKA North American Championships in May.

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