Problem with my kiai - Help!

[Do-gi]

Hi everyone,

I've been doing karate for about 14 months now, and I'm a green belt due to go for blue very soon. But I won't be allowed to unless I kiai.

I've never kiai-ed during regular training, ever. I've competed once, locally and, as I'm extremely competitive and was determined to win I kiaied, and achieved first place. I've never even kiaied in grading. For yellow and orange belt they weren't too fussed about it, and at my green belt grading I timed every move in my kata so that my kiai point would coincide with others, and then just opened my mouth. It fooled everyone, except my Sensei who was the only one who noticed this and I got a good long talking to.

This is worrying me sick, and I don't know what to do.

So. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can get over this?

Thanks.

Do-gi.

[JawD]

Two things I guess.

First, are you not for a reason? Does it not sit comfortably with you, are you embarrassed perhaps? Or something else?

We Kiai often. In Kihon we kiai every time we turn for example. In Kata as you say there are various points to kiai and in kumite we are expected to kiai (one step or five step we do and in sparring you're more likely to score a point if you kiai)

you likely know, but doing a kiai, the act of it itself is a release. Its a shout and importantly doing so will make you tense your stomach. An example is if you are doing one step and you attack your opponent and kiai, he blocks and counters, with a tensed stomach you can take his counter (if aimed there).

I use the kiai to increase the intensity of my move. Controlled aggression you might call it. If you see it as this, you can learn to use the kiai to your benefit.

If it is just that you are not comfortable doing it, just realise that everyone is doing it and no one really pays any attention to the kiai someone makes. Just remember, dont actually shout the word "kiai". I myself (I think!) sound more like "die" though thats not what Im saying, its just a yell.

[Wastelander]

Your kiai is important for a number of reasons, not the least of which is giving you a boost in power--a university studied tennis players, weight lifters, and martial artists, and discovered that vocalizations (grunting, kiai, etc.) increased power by about 7%. That 7% could be huge, if you needed it! On top of that, it helps ensure that you are breathing properly, helps you focus your intensity, and can actually unsettle an opponent.

When it comes to not wanting to kiai in front of people, it can definitely be helpful to remember that everyone else is doing it, as JawD mentions. In addition, everyone else is paying attention to what they are doing, not what your kiai sounds like! Stop thinking of your kiai as something you "have to do in kata," and instead think of it as "a useful tool." Practice your kiai every time you want to get extra power in a strike or block.

[Canadian77]

Why do you think you don't do the kiai? I'm still fairly new to karate so not sure how much help, but I wonder - do you not do it because you feel silly? Sometimes I find that a little bit. But I've found that if I really focus on using the kiai to give you that extra energy and oomph, it comes naturally. I find it works better if I get into 'character', so to speak - - really putting my heart into my kata. Practice helps too - - when I'm too focused on a fairly new technical aspect I tend to forget sometimes, but when I know the kata and really give it my all, the kiai just comes.

[jaypo]

Honestly, the masters that I've trained with/tested in front of gave "extra credit, per se" for the people that kiai'd loudest! It actually impresses them when someone lets out a loud kiai!

[Zaine]

In the first school I went we had to kiai during the basics (on 5 and 10). At first it felt silly but the repetition ingrained it in my head and the kiai became part of the routine.

So there's a few suggestions I could give you.

1) If you do basics in your class try to kiai at certain points.

2) When you practice at home, kiai.

3) If you don't do it because it feels silly, remember that you're in a place where absolutely no one is going to judge you for the kiai. It may feel awkward at first, but don't worry. You're not doing the kiai for anyone but your teachers and yourself and if they expect it, then do it. Like others have said, (and this is probably the ONLY place I would make this argument) everyone else is doing it.

4) If you don't think your kiai is good enough, remember to use your diaphragm when you kiai. It will give you better projection and generate that 7% that Wastelander was talking about much more effectively.

[SteyrAUG]

Hi everyone,

I've been doing karate for about 14 months now, and I'm a green belt due to go for blue very soon. But I won't be allowed to unless I kiai.

I've never kiai-ed during regular training, ever. I've competed once, locally and, as I'm extremely competitive and was determined to win I kiaied, and achieved first place. I've never even kiaied in grading. For yellow and orange belt they weren't too fussed about it, and at my green belt grading I timed every move in my kata so that my kiai point would coincide with others, and then just opened my mouth. It fooled everyone, except my Sensei who was the only one who noticed this and I got a good long talking to.

This is worrying me sick, and I don't know what to do.

So. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can get over this?

Thanks.

Do-gi.

My first concern is it doesn't seem as if your instructor has taught you how, when and why a kiai is done in the first place.

I find it's an area that many "teachers" don't have a firm understanding of. The are specific tones and vocalizations to be correct from one kata to the next.

The worst of course is a class of students shouting the word "kiai" itself. I have nightmares of a Japanese school where the students repeatedly say the English word "scream" rather than just doing it.

The two characters of the word "kiai" in Japanese are the same two used in "aiki" from "aikido" but reversed slightly changing the emphasis.

Most here are aware of "ki" that mystical energy we all use to float two feet off the floor, walk through walls and kill at distances of 20 feet with just an outstretched Darth Vader hand.

"Ai" roughtly translated means to harmonize or unify.

"Ki" and "Ai" brought together means basically to harmonize your "ki" only in the instance of Karate styles the "ki" is harmonized with the movement (Block, strike or kick) rather than harmonizing the "ki" with your opponent as in Aikido / Aikijutsu systems.

To simplify this long dissertation it's not all that much different from the vocalized exhales used by weightlifters to get them through that difficult lift. It forces the body to exhale, tightens the correct muscles and psychologically prepares the mind and a host of other things. This is why in military drill you will often hear guys in boot camp yelling "kill" during bayonet training. It's a pseudo kiai of sorts but done more to get your head into the game.

Specific vocalizations such as "Ei", "Ya" and "Ha" (and several others depending upon system) were found to be more effective than others and each one was useful for specific movements more than others.

Of course these are all things your teacher should have taught you before he expected you to understand and be able to apply them.

Sadly today this is almost lost "esoteric" knowledge (despite the fact that it was taught to us as white belts) and most people simply think the longer and louder they shout the better the kiai is even when doing so is actually counter productive to it's original purpose.

I remember watching some "master" black belt whatever who ended his dynamic traditional kata with a multi tone kiai that he sustained for over 30 seconds (think of the singers on Star Search holding a note for the judges) and he got a standing ovation from the entire room as if it was the best example of kiai anyone had witnessed anywhere. Personally for me, it would have been grounds to not move from white to yellow belt.

[Kusotare]

To simplify this long dissertation it's not all that much different from the vocalized exhales used by weightlifters to get them through that difficult lift. It forces the body to exhale, tightens the correct muscles and psychologically prepares the mind and a host of other things. This is why in military drill you will often hear guys in boot camp yelling "kill" during bayonet training. It's a pseudo kiai of sorts but done more to get your head into the game.

Actually it is

Fortification of the body is a happy by-product of verbal exhalation; however the primary purpose of "Kiai" is to gain advantage over an opponent by startling them and breaking their concentration / composure thus creating a weakness / opening (suki).

Also, Kiai's do not need to be oral...

K.

[SteyrAUG]

Actually it is

Fortification of the body is a happy by-product of verbal exhalation; however the primary purpose of "Kiai" is to gain advantage over an opponent by startling them and breaking their concentration / composure thus creating a weakness / opening (suki).

Also, Kiai's do not need to be oral...

K.

Well that is why I also mentioned this...

It forces the body to exhale, tightens the correct muscles and psychologically prepares the mind and a host of other things.

But the "startling / break your concentration" consideration of kiai is actually the least consideration. You could more effectively accomplish that goal by tossing your keys at your opponent. It is hardly the primary purpose of kiai.

And yes there are non vocalized kiai, but the OP is having enough problems with basic kiai, and the subject is so completely misunderstood by so many that I didn't think getting into advanced kiai concepts was useful at this point.

Now at advanced levels kiai is used to defeat zanshin but that isn't quite the same as "startling your opponent and breaking concentration." It seems like that when explained in simple ways, but there is a lot more going on.

But again, this really isn't going to be useful to the OP who has problems with basic understanding of the fundamentals of what kiai is, how to do it correctly and when to use it.

[Harkon72]

"Kiai" means "Unity of Spirit" when your body and spirit are one with your Karatedo.

When I Kiai, I scream with effort and focus. I did Pinan Yondan once; my wife was sat in the Dojo, at the second Kiai point; the hiza geri, empi, shuto uchi sequence, my Kiai was so Blood Curdling my wife burst into tears. I didn't mean to upset her, but this showed that my Kiai was correct.