There is a technique for generating devastating power that spans the martial arts. Boxers use it to knock out their opponents in the ring. Wrestlers use it to fling their opponents to the mat. A former female student of mine who is extremely petite used to use it to bash my brains in during training sessions.

The technique is to use hip torque. To illustrate this concept, let's consider a boxer in a traditional boxing stance using a left lead. The boxer wants to throw a hard right hook at his opponent. As the boxer prepares to throw that right hook (using the hand in the rear), he begins by pushing explosively forward with the right rear leg. That push propels the right side of the hip around in a circular motion, torquing the hips. The torquing motion can be used to recruit the body's mass into the explosive circular motion that is powering the hook. The total motion starts at the ground and moves up the body. The feet push off, powering the leg forward, which in turn slams the hips around. The hips drive the rest of the torso, and the body's entire weight goes around, providing power to that arm which is delivering that hook to the opposition. The hook becomes a whole-body punch, rather than just an arm punch. This technique spans the martial arts, and every good fighter that I know uses it to generate power, regardless of size or muscle-build.