kiai.... LOUDER!!!

[TheHighlander]

My wife has started training with me and the kids, and while my wife's voice can be VERY loud (she's not on the board, so I can say that... ), her kiai's are pretty wimpy. It's just because she's newer and a little self-conscious like a lot of the newer students. The instructors keep harping on the importance of it, but to little avail.

As the highest ranking student in the beginner/novice class, I have been trying to kiai almost obnoxiously loud. It gets a few snickers and stares by some of the students each time, but the instructors like it. Some of the students are getting louder and more forceful, because they are thinking, "Well, I know I won't sound as crazy as THAT guy..."

[jaedeshi]

My wife has started training with me and the kids, and while my wife's voice can be VERY loud (she's not on the board, so I can say that... ), her kiai's are pretty wimpy. It's just because she's newer and a little self-conscious like a lot of the newer students. The instructors keep harping on the importance of it, but to little avail.

As the highest ranking student in the beginner/novice class, I have been trying to kiai almost obnoxiously loud. It gets a few snickers and stares by some of the students each time, but the instructors like it. Some of the students are getting louder and more forceful, because they are thinking, "Well, I know I won't sound as crazy as THAT guy..."

I commend you on trying to help your kohai progress.

[jaedeshi]

Hey just updating a little bit, she's starting to progress, her kiai has gotten a little louder... but it's not loud enough. and to say to tell him to forget about the kiai... i would probably be thrown out of the school ... he stresses soooooooooooooo much about it! he gives whole classes pushups if he thinks kiais are not loud enough! but it's all in good intentions. he tells us that it helps land everything at the same time, gives good power, and... is sometime's provacative, causing... fear the biggest improvement i've seen in her was during one of our random snowcone days during the summer... so i guess she needs a little motivation.. but we can't bring out the snowcone machine every week or.... you know... we'll have a bunch of chubsters walking around

I didn't think my suggestion would go over so well. I really wanted to state that kiai isn't about being loud for one.

The next thing that bothered me so much was that he stopped the group from progressing through your form because of one young student. It sort of puts her on the spot and that might not be the best method to help her progress. If it is a method that helps her improve fine put her on the spot a few times but not the whole session. There are others in your group that need their training as well.

[Okami]

Ok first lets look at what a Kia is. It means spirit. You do it for Three reasons, to clear your mind of the fear of attacking, to put your vital organs in their best defensive position in the body, and it startles the opponent. The is the same reason a lion roars when they attack.

Now tell all your RomperRoom students that you teach and I dont all this and perhaps you will motivate them to yell and get the air out. Have them make their Chudans tight and let all the air out, and then Kia. This is all done with a motivational speech that will make Melvin Milktoast kringe in terror, but little kids espesically the mean little kids I wind up with will love it.

Although some disagree with this one, dont actully say Keeyaaa. Use a one sylibal yell like Oie. This is because between the Kee and the Yaa there is an event horizon known as the point of kyo. Once you master this little trick of timing you can drop them with even a light punch or kick. You strike at the time of inhalation, or you can defend against it with a Kia...any question....now yell damit.

[tonydee]

I have never taught young children, so can't offer much insight. But, I agree that communicating the purpose and utility of the shout should help.

Kia ... means spirit. You do it for Three reasons, to clear your mind of the fear of attacking, to put your vital organs in their best defensive position in the body, and it startles the opponent.

Additionally, kia helps overcome inertia - getting you moving purposefully, and produces a strong tension through the torso and abs which - according to my Hapkido and Taekwondo Grandmaster - was measured to increase power by 30% in one study (not worth taking the percentage too seriously as it'll vary with technique, practitioner etc, but the general point stands).

Personally, I'd concentrate on the idea that you kia to get courage, and the more you can kia the stronger and safer you'll feel. Also work it from another angle... take a simple movement that can be learnt well enough to be safely performed at maximum power, such as a reverse palm thrust or elbow in walking stance, delivered into a focus pad. These are safer than a punch, where the body may inhibit power if the wrist is not strong enough. Get her hitting the pad in a stationary position, and putting all her effort into it, working up a rhythm and slamming it hard until she's short of breath. That will force her to concentrate on her breathing, and it will become sharper. As she focuses her will on battling on and striking as hard as she can, the desire to kia will manifest naturally, as it helps get that last bit of effort out of the muscles. Of course, such training might be a little intense for a youngen' .

One story that might catch her attention... when I was young and having a bad dream, maybe a monster attacking me, I'd wake myself up determined to kia in my sleep! Again, it's the way to be brave when something scary is happening, the way you make yourself do your best even when it's hard to get started....

Cheers,

Tony

[storyteller]

I know this has been kicked around for a while, but here's my take on it: I taught TSD in college and the toughest thing about it was getting a bunch of girls (and I am a girl, remember) to accept the idea that yelling out loud and in a somewhat scary way is okay.

The best we ever managed to do was to take everyone, from the third degrees all the way down to the noobs in sweats and t-shirts, put them in a circle and go around yelling one at a time. We did it in quick succession so that there was no time for people to chuckle at themselves or each other, and after a few trips around the circle, everyone's kihaps got louder...after that, it was never much of an issue.

[FushinRyu]

just one more situation! i have been noticing that some new boys that sign up to our school have really low kiais... i have been assuming that the reason is for their deep, low voices... but i'm not sure if that is the real reason... any ideas???

[TalkMartialArts]

Have you tried talking to her? Probably just shy, no reason to get bent out of shape and not get passed the first technique.

When I first starting at 8, I never was loud until years later. I was just shy, but some people don't do it, because they don't understand or see the connection.

Try building her confidence, teach her a bit more, and a good workout usually helps

[Blade96]

older topic, I know, but i wanted to tell my story about kiai's.....cause it might help someone else....

When i did kenpo for 2 months i never had to kiai. some of the brown and black belts kiai'd but i never had to. I was in kenpo for a few weeks then i started shotokan. The topic starter said his/her student had a very soft kiai.....I literally never had one. I'd just go through the moves and never ever opened my mouth or even tried to yell. The reason was lack of confidence. and the sempai teaching us would say "oh you're so quiet' and tell me I had to kiai doing heian shodan, its required.

what helpedme learn to kiai? as I learned things and found out i could do it I gained confidence. One reason i didnt kiai was that i didnt know all the kata and i felt kiai would draw attention to myself by yelling out. so i shut up.

What happens now? On friday (nov21) I went to my dojo and was working out with the other little white belt, training we're both little white belts and we've been training 2 months, so we were doing our kata Heian Shodan and when we kiai'd mine was the loudest there.

so i went from having no kiai to having a very very loud one.

Thought it might help someone who wonders why some people don't kiai....this is why I never had a kiai when i first started doing shotokan around September 10.

[RichardZ]

Grand post, Blade96. I often tell my students ot think of something they maybe afraid of, like spiders, snakes, etc. And then Kiai so loud that their voice would travel in hard sound waves. I tell them to imagine these sound waves moving to push away whatever fears them.