Today, most martial arts in the United States are quite watered down from the original. By this, I mean that the power and technique that was once evident and expected, is now lacking in many that claim expert or master level in the martial arts.

In the nineteen sixties it was the expected thing that anyone claiming a blackbelt in karate could knock out a man with a single punch. I know this to be true because I have done it and seen it done many times. Nevertheless, by the nineteen nineties, a contributor to "Black Belt" magazine wrote that the single strike knock out/kill was merely a myth!

I would invite him to be hit by any one of many "true masters" that I know. After he came back to consciousness, if he ever did, he would have a different opinion.

Still, the perpetuation of his "myth belief" is compounded by the fact that there have been so many fake masters, in the "Ultimate Fighting Championships" and other similar events, who could not effect the single strike knock out. Therefore, the majority of martial artists today actually believe that the single strike knock out is a myth.

How did this occur? How did we descend to such a low place?

In some cases, it is due to certain Asian masters wanting the money of the Americans but not really wanting to reveal the essence of their arts, so the American student would be taught a shell of the art with no real core of what was the reality that it contained.

In other cases, there were Americans who knew about the scientific ways to put power into a technique, but did not teach it for safety reasons. They did not want their students to get hurt. In addition, they did not want to be sued, if some student was seriously injured accidentally. Failing to teach these students the core principles, they (the students who made "black belt" under them) went out and started their own schools, not even knowing how to put maximum power into a technique. What they don't know, they can't teach!

Consequently, today we see many so called "Masters" on television fighting with poor boxing techniques and even poorer martial arts techniques, calling it full contact karate or kick boxing.

Let it be known that there is a reality to martial arts power and effectiveness. If one is not eventually taught that reality, then perhaps one should consider finding a better teacher.

Among the things that a good teacher will teach about power are the methods of striking with greater mass. He will also teach about how to increase the speed of the technique which will increase the force. He will talk about how effectiveness is inversely related to the striking surface, and how to use the legs and hips to generate increased force.

When all these things are taught and practiced, then sparring matches will no longer be just tag games, and full contact matches are going to be much shorter in duration!