THEORY; THEORY; SUB-PRINCIPLE: Percentage principle

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Pretty much this means what percentage of power we generate that actually reaches our adversary. Our goal is to transfer the highest percentage of power generated whole body into the adversary. After all, any one body can generate only a finite amount of force an any given moment. 

The quantity of the force generated depends on the body in question, i.e., the overall weight of the body, the structure applied, the posture as it relates to the applied application/technique, etc., spinal alignment, relaxation, heaviness and so on (see the particulars of the physiokinetic principle).

The total power expended by an individual when, say, punching usually includes exertion in other parts of the body. 

While our goal entails acting with 100 percent of our body’s energy output, we typically use only a fraction of that percentage towards any given technique. Some percentage of the force we generate ends up consumed by unnecessary muscle tension, inefficient technique, a lack of proper intent, etc.

As karateka and martial artists we must strive to employ the maximum possible percentage of power we generate in any given moment. A novice will use perhaps as little as ten or twenty percent (figure varies depending on the individual). We strive to get a higher percentage of force to the principled based methodology that actually makes it to the target. The goal, a higher percentage of our force to the target. 

We understand that we can never communicate more power than we generate but we can strive to communicate the maximum possible sum of it. When we study the full spectrum of principles we can readily see that applying them holistically and fully provide us the means to achieve a higher percentage of force provided our physical structure is not faulty, our motions don’t waste energy, etc., otherwise we communicate only a small fraction of our overall power. 

As a martial artists, simply strive to communicate 100 percent of our power. Take time to study our bodies as to its structure, etc., because our bodies have natural energy bleeding points that must be addressed as well to achieve a maximum possible percentage of force and power. 

I recommend wholeheartedly reading the eBook by Marc MacYoung titled, “Writing Violence III: Getting Hit and Hitting,” because he addresses the issues of power loss through inappropriate energy transmission and transference, etc. It is available at Amazon, click the title above. 

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