Switching Kiais!

[senna_trem]

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

 

If that comment was directed at me, no, I did not. I am too junior to be fighting at such a big event.

[June1]

People! What about your experiences in changing kiais? How have they evolved? I'd love to hear them!

[Killer Miller]

Kiai, Kiai, Kiai...

 

Kia is not a function that you do or initiate for any purpose - regardless of the philosophical interpretations of what it is. Kiai is the by-product or end result of a body action.

 

To contract muscles, slowly or fast, you exhale from the lower diaphragm. To relax these muscles you inhale. That's the way our body's work.

 

Now, to apply maximum contraction, we open the air way as much as possible. To apply maximum contraction combined with maximum speed of contraction we completely open the air way and exhale as rapidly as possible. However, to focus that contraction to a given point, we close the air way, then reopen it in order to inhale and relax prior to the next action.

 

What does this mean in laymen's terms? Let's say your natural Kiai sounds like "hey eat!" The "hey" represents the opening of the air way and rapid exhalation - the sound naturally made by your air way with rapid exhalation. The "eat' is the stopping of the rapid exhalation and the change in pitch, naturally made, when in the process of closing the air way at your focal point of a intended body action or technique.

 

So if you are to change your kiai, change it for what your body is naturally intended to do. No more and no less...

 

- Killer -

[karatekid1975]

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

 

My instructor does a kihap (kiai) that sounds like a really loud "HAI." Or maybe it's ..... It sounds like the word "Kite" without the "K." My kihap sounds like "hey." But when I get into a the "moment,"it's whatever comes out of my body LOL.

[jarrettmeyer]

The kiai is simple biophysics, and everyone should have multiple kiai's in their repetoire. The kiai should match the technique. In pinan nidan, there are two kiai's - one spear hand and one upper block. The kiai's wouldn't be the same because the kiai represent two different types of activity. They have different duration and pitch.

 

I also agree with the other posts that the kiai should be a natural outreach that occurs because you put that much energy into a technique. Walk up and lightly slap a 75 lb punching bag and kiai. You should notice that you sound like an idiot. Now set up everything for a punch forceful that you try to swing the bag enough to hit the ceiling, but try not to make a sound. You'll find yourself restricted in your core. Do the same thing letting the sound pour out and you'll find a much more dynamic strike.

[June1]

In pinan nidan, there are two kiai's - one spear hand and one upper block. The kiai's wouldn't be the same because the kiai represent two different types of activity. They have different duration and pitch.

 

This is really coincidental, because it's Heian Nidan that's making me want to change my kiai. When my sensei first performed it for us, he made the last kiai more stretched out and pronounced than usual. I've started practicing what I can remember and find myself naturally kiaing a low "HAI!" when I get to the nikute (spear hand)... just like him!

 

I fully agree with you, jarrettmeyer! Thanks very much!

[1st KYU]

Kiai, Kiai, Kiai...

 

Kia is not a function that you do or initiate for any purpose - regardless of the philosophical interpretations of what it is. Kiai is the by-product or end result of a body action.

 

To contract muscles, slowly or fast, you exhale from the lower diaphragm. To relax these muscles you inhale. That's the way our body's work.

 

Now, to apply maximum contraction, we open the air way as much as possible. To apply maximum contraction combined with maximum speed of contraction we completely open the air way and exhale as rapidly as possible. However, to focus that contraction to a given point, we close the air way, then reopen it in order to inhale and relax prior to the next action.

 

What does this mean in laymen's terms? Let's say your natural Kiai sounds like "hey eat!" The "hey" represents the opening of the air way and rapid exhalation - the sound naturally made by your air way with rapid exhalation. The "eat' is the stopping of the rapid exhalation and the change in pitch, naturally made, when in the process of closing the air way at your focal point of a intended body action or technique.

 

So if you are to change your kiai, change it for what your body is naturally intended to do. No more and no less...

 

- Killer -

 

hey, thats what my sensei's kiai is "hey eat" always wonderd why he did it like that.

[aes]

In the dojo I train at the standard kiai sounds like "us". We are allowed to change it if we want to and I would like to change it to something like "hai" but I find it very hard to teach myself to change.

[Killer Miller]

Your Kiai will naturally be whatever it will be depending on the correctness of your technique.

 

* Big Lunged and/or correct technique - "hey eat" or something similar.

 

* Coming from upper body muscles - "soup" "oosh" "hi" "hai" etc.

 

* Choking yourself, constricting blood flow from the shoulder area too tense or tight - "ip" "up" "eep" the canary song "tweet, tweet tweet, tweet tweet" etc.

 

Like I said, "your kiai is a by-product" of good or bad technique. You don't choose your Kiai, it just is...

 

- Killer -

In the dojo I train at the standard kiai sounds like "us". We are allowed to change it if we want to and I would like to change it to something like "hai" but I find it very hard to teach myself to change.

[ShotokanKid]

I recently switched my kiai from the old AAAAAAAIIIIIEEE!! to a kiai that a great teacher from the Philippines used. I only do this as a quiet kiai and i've heard my own sensei use this quietly. It goes something like this- ah-sho!