Kiai...good or bad?

[avxsk8erpunk]

this is what my instructor told me

feel your ribs and go all the way untill they meet each other, then press hard there(not un bone below it) it should hurt now kiai and press it at the same time it flexes it

[straightblast]

I believe that Most people on the street will not be expecting a loud Kiai, I have found that it works good in class but never have the unfortunate pleasure of doing it outside of class. I do not do it much but I get the flinch response needed to enter and I only do it when the opponent is breathing in.

[The BB of C]

The way I see the kiat, it's necissary. It circulates breath, transfers energy at point of contact. That way, you give the opponent whatever energy would have bounced back and created recoil otherwise by releasing that energy.

However, that loud, drawn out, obnoxious "KKKKKKKKKKIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTAAAAAAAAAAAAASD!!!!!!!!!" I see every time I watch an NASKA broadcast (http://youtube.com/watch?v=dN_Y51WNc5c), tournament video (

), or every time I go to a competition. That needs to not exist

[bushido_man96]

I do think that the kiai is beneficial, but not necessary. Like anything, though, in moderation.

BB of C is right, too. The kiai should only be brief. Anything else is just showing off...

[Zanshin]

I think most of us know that the word kiai means to unify or harmonise your inner spirit and so shouldn't really be used as the sound that you make.

I was always taught to use short vowel sounds A,E,I.

If you study some of the older arts you may come across specific sounds that are used during each stage of engagement, by both sides namely:

"Eeee" when initiating an attack.

"Yaaa" when receiving an attack (Ya of course meaning arrow)

and "Toe" when finishing a technique.

Apart from Ya, I have no idea what the others mean, but they are bound to have some significance.

[bushido_man96]

That is interesting, Zanshin. I had not heard that before. Very interesting. Makes sense, I guess.

[Zanshin]

Worryingly, I am a mine of useless information like this.

[bushido_man96]

Worryingly, I am a mine of useless information like this.

Bah, its not useless information. It is just a matter of finding who it is useful for.

[MMA_Jim]

Whenever you throw a punch, you should exhale to tighten your muscles in anticipation of getting punched yourself.

Breathing out your nose is the appropriate way to do this, as it allows your teeth to stay clinched should your opponent catch you on the jaw with his own attack. "Kiai-ing" is not a practical option. Regardless of what it MAY offer in terms of an attack, the fact of the matter is that should you be on the recieving end of a punch to the jaw the moment your jaw is open (i.e. kiai-ing) you're going to get knocked out.

Boxers dont kiai, and neither do thai fighters and for good reason. The WCL is a karate kickboxing league and even you dont hear them kiai. Granted they're all wearing mouth pieces, but they're wearing them for good reason.

The kiai in my opinion stems from the old karate adage "one strike, one kill" in that one is putting all his/her power into a single strike that ultimately defeats the opponent. If this is the case, your kiai is fine since you dont have to worry about a counter attack-however most fights are not decided with one punch

[bushido_man96]

Those are some good points, MMA_Jim. I can see pros and cons of both.