gregg block

[-Work with a good BJJ practitioner, or a good Wing Chun person, or several arts - or a boxer who has been hit a thousand times - and see how far your atemi gets you, or what the ultimate results are.[/quote]

Larry,
This is exactly my point. A good boxer is a prime example. They often faint and don't commit their arms deeply. How are you going to get to them without some type of distracting strike. Now I'm certainly not suggesting you try to box a boxer unless your boxing skills are superior as that would be certain disaster. You could however strike with your legs to keep out of range of his/her arms. The examples you gave above are what makes me such a believer in MMA. One needs to study techniques/styles which can be used long range, medium range, close range and on the ground. One needs to be able to be soft or hard: circular or straight all dictated by the situation and the opponent. Bruce Lee really had it right.