The Way of Least Resistance

Here is a topic I've been meaning to address for some time. I hear a lot about how karate and other traditional martial arts "have lost the plot" with all "all their chest punches". Most commonly I hear the refrain: "Who does that anyway?" Disregarding the fact that body blows occur, it does seem a bit odd to see so many punches seemingly directed to the chest in forms, traditional two-person sparring etc. So what's it all about? I've heard every "theory" under the sun - "They aren't really punches!" (yeah right), "They're hidden/secret techniques!" (not that again) and "There are death points on the chest! (so why aren't people dying around the world?). I believe the answer is rather more simple.  It's all about training at the at the correct range - and accordingly making your training more realistic and practical - and doing it with reasonable safety from injury . But what ...