Well, i can say i have fought a lot and that fighting and learning to issue and direct energy of violence is a huge part of martial training.
One cannot claim to be a martial artist if one is incapable of dealing with a fight, however there is the concept that a fighter is one who fights, encourages fighting or is willing to fight in general, this is one i disagree with.
I'd like to point out that a lot of 'arena fighting' in the past had no rules... people died. China used to have tournaments that resulted in many deaths. The old Brazilian Vale Tudo is noteworthy, the translation of the term implies 'anything goes' these fights were eventually stopped because they were so bloody and violent, people did get maimed.
I've seen a grappler who could lock and break an arm about as fast as a punch can be thrown, some people out there have a very high level of skill. For any grappler to say he can beat any blackbelt is naive, but the reverse is also true. People should not ignore that percussion based striking is commonly found in grappling arts, to suggest they do not train to use or counter strikes is kind of naive.
To base a method upon percussion perhaps ignores other aspects of striking that are not percussive, such as issuing and transmitting force through contact.
from a deep and excessively wide (nearly immobile) square horse stance they shot their left hand straight out in front of them as if grabbing somebody by the throat, then with loud screams, lifted the hand in three increments and then, when their outstretched hand was far above their head, seemed to do a double eye jab with the fingers of their other hand. My students looked at me with wide eyes and said, “They can’t be doing what I think!” When we got back to the school, I handed the strongest of my students a 35 LB dumbbell and said, “Do that move.” He could not lift it as they did with his arm outstretched. I said, “That move of theirs might be effective if one were fighting a 15 LB baby in diapers. That is why we test what we do and keep to strict principles of sound physics.
to think that the energy of the strike is perpendicular to the plane of the strike ignores the basic physics, while an outstretched arm is weak in a plant perpendicular to it, it is nevertheless incredible strong in the plane of the arm. the test with the 35lb weight shows a basic failure to understand the physics of the strike which relates to the fulcrum and the line of the transmission of force, the issued force is not perpendicular nor is it transmitted by the extremity in a vertical direction, it is linear.
but then to use or rely upon muscular force to issue a strike is ignorant of the most powerful and effective force a person has, momentum. to rely upon an arm to strike with is very weak, if you use the whole body to strike through the arm, using the hips as the driving force behind a torsional movement, and the arm is relaxed and not stiff with tension, then far more force is transmitted and in a far more efficient manner than if the arm was used on top of a sturdy stance. however such mistakes in motion are commonplace in karate and nearly totally absent for wushu. short jin/jing energy strikes are good example, i can shake with an incredible amount of force and put that force into any limb and make it into a strike or an energy issuance with a lot of kinetic force. I could never strike so hard and fast if I used my arm strength.
I know many fighters, street fighters, and yes they have friends that will kick you when you are down on the ground. Several of them have not lost a fight, but they are by no means martial artists. A few of them were enforcers for a biker gang in Las Vegas, they are retired now, but still violent. the point is I know several masterful fighters who would never claim to have any virtue.
I have very high standards for the use of physics, philosophy and physiology in martial arts training and cannot say i am impressed by the content yet. I would like some proof of concept demonstrations.