Make A Powerful Karate Punch!
The reason a karate punch is the hardest punch in the world is because of this little thing called focus. Focus makes the whole greater than the sum of the parts, and it is the point at which all your energy comes together. Focus maximizes the efforts of the human being by concentrating all energy into one moment.
A Tight Fist is a Heavy Fist!
It is quite fascinating that most martial arts schools have gotten away from teaching serious focus. Many karate schools prefer to strike the bag, rather than taking the time to develop proper focus. Hitting the bag is fine, of course, but it develops resistance which can, if not corrected, slow a strike down.
Proper focus takes place in the fist…and it doesn’t. This seeming contradiction means that the strike must come from the whole body. It must start from the stance, course through the body, and appear in the fist.
Correct body alignment is necessary at the point of impact. The bones and muscles and other body parts must be lined up between the feet and the target in a way which develops maximum efficiency. This doesn’t mean a straight line, necessarily, but it does mean choosing that arrangement of the body which gives best transmission of energy.
Something that people usually don’t understand, and which is critical to the art of karate, is the concept of nothingness. The body must be relaxed so that energy can travel through it. When the energy travels through an empty body it can summate in the sudden closure of a fist.
One moves the body without mass, then snaps just the fist, and then one is empty of energy. The snapping fist should actually make a popping sound. The idea is to snap the fist so that it closes just under the skin of the enemy.
It is a universal law that two objects cannot occupy the same space. Yes, one could thrust forward and knock the enemy’s body backward violently. Snapping the fist in proper focus, however, causes a shock wave to be exploded within the enemy’s body, and the result is massive revulsion, and the enemy dropping like a rock.
Proper focus disrupts the enemies body when you place it in the space of his body. What it is really all about is invalidating the enemy when he comes at you, you see. Practice your focus, remembering these points, and you will be able to invalidate the very molecules of an enemy’s body.
You are absolutely right. A chambered punch is the hardest punch to execute in melee in the world. Haymakers have a higher success rate. After 25 years in the martial arts, I cannot recall when I ever saw that punch used effectively in real life. I have seen it taught in many ways, in a karate dojo where the instructor can create the illusion of practicality. Though I love my Tae Kwon Do, Goju Ryu, and American Kenpo forms, I am not one to believe in fantasies. After careful examination of the various striking styles from various regions, I have to say I believe Wing Chun/JKD/Chow Gar Trapping-Punching is the most effective, Western Boxing Style punches are the most often used, and the power delivered with a punch is dependent upon the practitioner and the level of the practitioner.
Any punch regardless of style that you succesfully apply is a good punch. But after more than 25 years in martial arts the difference is more about the focus on internal rather than external when applied in a technique. And there is a big difference…