The “Sundome” (Inch-Stop) of Karatedo has sometimes led to misunderstanding in the general public that Karatedo is a martial art without ample damaging power.

The amount of damaging power of Karatedo does not mainly depend on the strength of the muscles that deliver the punching or kicking. This is because the more we make use of the muscles to deliver movements, the slower our movements will be, and thus the weaker the actual damaging power becomes. In Kumite, the great impact of damaging power mainly comes from the depth of an attack which is resulted when you spear your punch or kick into the body of the opponent in great speed, and also the quick retrieval of the technique after hitting. When you are in the state of relaxation, your body is highly responsive to stimuli from surroundings; body joints are all ready to answer calls for effective coordination; all these favorable conditions would help achieving a good attacking skill, like “Seiken” and “Mawashi Geri”, which are characterized by high speed and great versatility. When delivering a punch or a kick to your opponent, the deeper the contact is made, the more damaging the attack will be. The depth of this attack determines the extent you withhold your power, thus also determines the scale of damage caused. Regardless of how much “Sundome” you want to make in any attacks, the speed (which should be high) and muscle power (which should not be over-relied on) are the same; the only difference is the depth of contact. Of course, the body parts which receive the attacks also determine the extent of damage. For instance, head and throat are vulnerable body parts most susceptible to great damage.