Perhaps you’re saving a child from a burning building, or perhaps you’re breaking into the stronghold of an enemy spy—but one way or another, you have to break down a door. Weblog The Art of Manliness shows us how to do it effectively and safely.


You’ve probably seen people do it in the movies, but Art of Manliness notes that there are a few things you’ll want to make sure of before you go kicking down every door in your path:

Check to see which way the door opens by checking the hinges. If the door opens towards you, kicking it down is going to be next to impossible. Kicking a door down is best employed on a door that swings away from you. Kick to the side of where the lock is mounted (near the keyhole). This is typically the weakest part of the door.


The above illustration explains most of the things you need to know, but for a more detailed description of the process, hit the link below.

How To Break Down A Door | Art of Manliness

How To Break Down A Door: An Illustrated Guide | Art of Manliness

This post is part of Spy Week , a series at Lifehacker where we look at ways to improvise solutions to every day problems Bond-style. Want more? Check out our spy week tag page .

Welcome to Lifehacker's Spy Week Welcome to Lifehacker's very first Spy Week. This week, we pay homage to spies and share with you… Read more

From Art of Manliness . Illustration by Ted Slampyak .