On proper front braking... and do consider that I ride a number of fixed gear bicycles that only run a front brake which I can stop as fast as anyone on any bike with any type of brake and these skills transfer well when I ride bicycle with dual brakes.
When you hit the front brake (hard) you need to simultaneously shift your weight back over the back wheel, this will keep the rear wheel down and with a fixed gear you attenuate the rear wheel with your legs instead of with a brake and the effect is the same as you can skid a back wheel with either.
The stopping distance when you only use a front brake is half of that when you skid the back wheel and skilled riders can generate nearly 1G in a hard panic stop.
When that rear wheel lifts you have hit the maximum braking force you can apply with the front and need to be able to modulate that braking to bring the back wheel down to earth... when I am riding a fixed gear that back wheel will hit the ground at a dead stop.
The best way to practice this is to make every stop a hard stop so you learn to shift your weight back every time you hit the brakes automatically and like driving, when you have a drink or a cel phone in one hand your ability to operate the vehicle will become impaired.
Find a big grassy field and practice fast runs followed by hard braking, this will lessen the chance that you go over the bars as it reduces the traction of the front wheel and then repeat repeat repeat.
I find that I automatically shift my weight back every time I brake unless I consciously choose not to... skip stops on a fixed gear require you to brake while you shift your weight forward to purposely lift and lock up the back wheel.
Under normal riding conditions a person should be able to do most of their stopping with only a front brake, when the roads get wet or slippery a rear brake becomes your best friend.