Switching Kiais!

[June1]

Hello, all!

 

Lately, I've really had an urge to update my kiai, but I don't think I can. It's, in my opinion, a bit weird to just switch after so many months!

 

After hearing one of my sensei's more different and interesting kiais (not that they're not already interesting) the other day, I'm interested in sounding more like that! For those of you out there who have done this, what was your kiai like before and what is it like now?

 

My kiai sounds like, "KYA!" but I'm thinking that I'd like it to be more like, "HAI!"

 

What do you think?

[senna_trem]

Well, from what little I know your kiai should not involve any blocking of the air, so that you get out as much air as possible in a natural you're-not-trying-to-make-a-word way. So that does narrow down the possibilities for noises...but yes, I like hai.

[DaChroniclez]

^^^OSU, i noticed you train kyokushin in B.C., did you come to the Vancouver Open last month?

[Beer-monster]

Try Hadoken

[pers]

Depending on the level of the karateka ,kia will develop as karate skills are developed ,kia should come from abdoman and not from mouth ! diferrent types of kia also will develop in time depending on the technique used and the speed of it ,sometimes one or two small ones followed by a bigger kia ,what it sound like depends on the person .It is really to focus your energy at the point of impact .

[Nick_UKWC]

Could anyone explain why you do this? not knocking it! (to many 'weird' things about Wing Chun to even consider it lol) but I would really like to know the idea behind it

[Beer-monster]

It does exactly what it says on the tin

 

Kiai is written from two characters ki = energy/breath/chi (whatever term you want to use, you know what I'm on about) and ai = harmony, bring together.

 

Where aiki means to harmonise energy, kiai is usually taken to mean bringing together energy.

 

To elabourate; its about focus, bringing together all of your energies, kinetic, mental, interna et,l at one spot or behind one strike. The act of yelling both expresses and amplifies this focus.

 

People do not exert or focus there strength in silence. A woodsman with his axe may well grunt and yell as he swings his axe into the tree. When an olympic hammer thrower releases the hammer, they often roar. Power lifters scream as they try to press that huge weight and raise the bar a few inches harder.

 

The act of making a sound when exerting energy helps one focus there mind and muscles behind the act - even in soft arts people who study internal martial arts often makes a soft, drawn out "haah" as they exhale and try to mould their ki.

 

The type of sound reflects the type of energy and focus of the task, so when punching and releasing a lot of power explosively, what better than a loud, lung boiling, explosive yell?

 

Try it yourself. Throw a few punches silently, perhaps against a bag or pad. Then throw a few more but when you exhale, give a small, sharp shout from your abdomen.

 

Feel it is your fist hits the bag and all your power is behind it.

 

Roar as you throw a flurry of chain punches as if the bag is your worse enemy.

 

I would be surprised if you did not notice an increase in power and focus, it may be small, but you'll notice it and so will whoever you hit.

 

But make sure you do hit them, and good. If you scream your head offas you miss...you may look an idiot.

 

But thats part of the fun

[Ted T.]

In western terms the kiai is used for:

 

1. The victory shout - the classical warrior holding his sword high over his fallen opponent and just letting loose.

 

2. The battle cry - pretty self explanatory

 

3. To enhance effort - the vocalization that accompanies a physical surge of effort. Often used to enhance the focus or "smashing" quality of a strike, one of the most common uses of a karate kiai. The emotion here should be that your enemy is now d-e-a-d.

 

None of these kiai's are useful without emotional committment or at least emotional involement. The lame kiai's of many dojo's the extended kiai's of the those showing off, the kiai on every move, all miss the point.

 

I had one girl, a lower ranked belt of 15 years old, who stopped whole rooms of tournament competators and spectators witht her kiai, and it wasn't just the volume.

[Abyss]

This is my first post here, but I've been lurking around for a while, reading the threads that interest me. I felt this was the first thread I could contribute anything useful to. Anywho...

 

The only time I ever force myself to kiai is when they are in a kata I am practicing, I find that if you throw a attack with enough "commitment" for lack of a better word they come out naturally. We were practicing some kicks against a padded "shield" another student was holding, every time I did a kiai I would manage to push that person off a few steps, if I didn't they just sorta stood there. I didn't force the kiai, it just seemed to follow the intent of the strike.

[June1]

Welcome to the site, Abyss! I'm glad you found my thread interesting!!