Why you should aim next to the doorknob, explained
Jonathan Seidler
WeeklyHave a nice weekend‘s how-to column shares expert advice on how to tackle some of the big and small challenges of modern life. This week: How to kick a door?
“The first thing you need to do is make sure the door opens. far from you, because there is no point in kicking the opened door opposite “It’s for you,” says Dan Hampton, a former NSW police officer who works in Maroubra in Sydney’s east and has given a few people his boot. He says the key to getting through a door (made of wood, not steel) is surprisingly simple: “Kick right next to the doorknob.”
From where? Because hitting this point targets the structurally weakest part of the door and concentrates the force where the lock meets the frame, causing the wood to splinter. “Sometimes you’ll feel like a hero and succeed the first time, but most of the time it’ll take you two tries before you explode,” he says. Personally, I would feel like a legend if something like this happened, but I’m also the type of person who would try to kick the door open for me.
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There are a few legitimate reasons why you might want to do this instead of just knocking on the door (assuming your name doesn’t end in “Van Damme”). Most of these are about catching crooks or saving someone in danger on the other side. Hampton has been on both occasions (he once did this when he was plastered in his own share house, too, but that’s another story). He weighed 100 pounds at the time and was wearing Strike Force boots; I weigh 70 kilos and wear New Balance sneakers. Surely size matters?
“If it’s a regular door that doesn’t lock, most people can get through it,” he says. “It’s psychological, especially the first time. You just have to lean into it and transfer as much power from your body weight into the kicks as possible.”
But what if there is more than one lock on the door, as in many modern hardware? “You have no hope of kicking that door in, so don’t even bother,” laughs Hampton. Another tip for the uninitiated: It may seem like an easy, shiny target, but never kick a doorknob: “it’s a good way to twist your ankle.”
Still not excited enough? Fake it ’til you make it. “We’re imitating what the police do,” says Australian stunt actor Daniele Clements, whose projects include the upcoming film. Street Fighter reboot. “Also, the effects team can create a door that will work right away. If it needs to come off its hinges, they’ll unscrew it. Maybe To look “It’s like a giant wooden door with a lock, but it will be made of foam, plywood or plastic.”
