Power Transfer

Perhaps the most important part of the physical portion of martial arts is the power transfer. I honestly think that a unskilled fighter will beat a skilled fighter as long as he can transfer power better.

No matter if you are punching, kicking, throwing, grappling or using weapons, Power Transfer is the key. A kick without proper power is not effective. A punch without proper power is meaningless. A throw without a good transfer is an accident.

What are the keys of a proper Power Transfer?

1. Explosiveness.
2. Rooting to the earth/footwork
3. Hip Rotation
4. Focus

We will get into these more later in this article, but let's take a look at Power Transfer in sports:

Baseball: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aBKr9NoyXk
The video lacks proper explanation in explosiveness. I think this is largely due to the fact that it's something to be assumed rather than taught. The creator of the video also fails to explain proper hip rotation. But did you notice that he does proper hip rotation? I assume this omission is more of an accident than anything else. The focus part comes up in his videos later. Highlight: He mentions that you should have your REAR FOOT on stable ground. This goes with the Rooting To the Earth.

Football: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bET91RpahoQ
We talk about football in class a lot. This is because we have seen high level football players K.O. Blackbelts and other martial artists. Something about adapting your body to soak a 200-300 lb meat missile teaches you good footwork. This video explains a bunch of techniques and goes into the importance of proper footwork. I find it amazing that football players understand this stuff better than fighters.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qkw_QWmt8w&feature=related
I like this one a ton. It's very simple, but says just about everything you can in under a minute. If all you did was practice two step drills, you would probably be a better fighter than most of your "fighters" out there. I wanted to point out the foot that's in the direction of travel moves first. Also, notice how they are off their heels?

Boxing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqqo9KzOaao
This video isn't flawless, but it makes it's points well. Light/powerful footwork is the thing to get from this video. He has good posture, mobility, and foot placement. Although he blades his body a bit much, he makes it clear why.

Muay Thai: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzqVUnbkAM8
Very similar to the other stuff, but hopefully your getting the point: Good athletes are built on the foundation of footwork.

Breakdown of the Keys:
1. Explosiveness cannot be learned any other way than practice. You can watch people in class who practice this a ton, and those who don't. Micro movements and small muscle movements are really what cause this to be effective. Shadowboxing/Jump rope/explosive body weight exercises are what develops this. Hit the bag, watch in the mirror and EXPLODE!

2. Rooting to the Earth is a term I learned in Shotokan Karate. The concept basically comes down to the ability to use the terrain as a springboard to launch your explosiveness. If you are caught on bad footwork, your fighting just doesn't work. Additionally, if you have no grasp of the earth, you are likely to be knocked out or thrown much easier. Judoka practice "Un-rooting" their opponents all the time. It's why their throws are so effective. There are many ways to learn to do this, but proper foot work is where you should start. No mater where you are, what your doing, or who's around, just think: "Are my feet properly rooted to launch significant power?" The football video mentions curling your toes. In football this is commonly referred to as "Grabbing for Grass". Launching off your feet is where Jack Dempsey's "Drop Step" really comes from. Make sure you are properly rooted before you try it though!

3. Hip rotation is essential to knock out punches. The baseball video show's this best, but good kicking tutorials are good to watch too. Opening your hips adds so much power to your shot's that it's tough to put into words. Hip Heists, windmill's, and "Elvis drills" are some great way's to develop power with this. Hip rotation is covered in Jack Dempsey's system as a "Shift" masterfully.

4. Once you have the above skills down, it's time to focus it. The ability to focus on your hip movement (or anything else) while placing a shot against a guy's jaw is a important skill. Once your body has developed all this energy, it's time to Transfer your Power into a target. Keep in mind: If your hand isn't strong enough to bear, you will likely damage yourself more than the opponent. Make sure you focus your damage properly! There is no way that I know of to knock someone out without landing your technique.