Kiai

[RobertAslin2]

When you learned how to kiai, did your instructor teach you to actually vocalize "kiai"? Mine did, but never said it himself. In fact, as the years went on, none of the instructors I learned from said "kiai" when they did theirs. Theirs range from "HUH!" to "HAH!" to "AY!"

Mine goes back and forth from "HUH!" to even something like "TSUH!"

When I do kata, on movements where I don't kiai, I still exhale, either silently or with a "tss" sound.

Instructors, how do you teach the kiai and how do you vocalize it?

[Kusotare]

When you learned how to kiai, did your instructor teach you to actually vocalize "kiai"? Mine did, but never said it himself. In fact, as the years went on, none of the instructors I learned from said "kiai" when they did theirs. Theirs range from "HUH!" to "HAH!" to "AY!"

Mine goes back and forth from "HUH!" to even something like "TSUH!"

When I do kata, on movements where I don't kiai, I still exhale, either silently or with a "tss" sound.

Instructors, how do you teach the kiai and how do you vocalize it?

'Kiai' is the word use to describe the process of what you are doing and why.

Put very simply it is the compound of the word 'ki' - meaning ones spirit / energy or will and 'ai' meaning to converge or harmonise something.

In other words to 'kiai' is to focus and bring together ones energy at a given point.

The actual sound that you make can vary from system to system.

Most traditions don't really mind what noise you make - as long as it is suitable for the purpose.

Some schools however are more specific as to what is acceptable - typically sound like 'Yah' and 'Toe' etc.

As to how it is taught - think about an athlete / sports person that has to bring together all of their core strength and energy at one vital point (a pro tennis player serving for example or weight lifter). These events would usually be accompanied by a shout that emanated from contraction of the abdomen / diaphragm.

A martial 'kiai' is no different.

k.

[Lupin1]

I hate kiai-ing. :-/ I'm a quiet person and don't like making loud noises for seemingly no reason. I never understood the whole "screaming loudly means you have spirit" thing. Usually during a kiai I'll do more of a grunt or low "I". Just enough to release the tension-- like hitting a ball in tennis.

Most of the kids do the stereotypical "Hi-yah!" while most of the adults do an "I" or a "Ah".

[singularity6]

Being in Taekwondo, we call it a kyhap or kihap. Our school isn't big on this. We primarily only kyhap during forms or during 3-step/1-step sparring (to let our partners know we're ready.) The manner in which we do it is personal. Some of the students (mostly younger students, or students who started at our school at a young age) scream a horrendous battle cry. Some people say "HAP!" and I'll grunt out a "HUH" or "HAH," mostly depending on how I'm feeling.

[JR 137]

We had a group of yellow belts (6th kyu at that school) who kept yelling "kiai!" at the school I used to train at. My sensei was in a really bad mood one day (he was going through a rough divorce and custody battle). The guys kept doing it, unintentionally. 15 minutes into class, he got fed up and lined us all up. We stood in straight lines and did single kihon techniques to his count, kiai-ing as loud as we could for the rest of the class. About an hour and 15 minutes. Definitely one of my most memorable workouts. It looked like one of those mass workouts Mas Oyama used to run.

No one ever said "kiai" again. A classmate and I used to joke around in the locker room trying to get each other to do it just to get the reaction again. Neither one of us had the guts to though.

[LLLEARNER]

In my school I hear "ice" a lot. Mine is more of a "huh" or "hi".

My daughter will hiss like a cat when we practice at home.

[Wastelander]

We don't specify what kind of vocalization, provided the correct breathing and muscular contraction is occurring. Oh, and we don't let people say "kiai" as their kiai. Mostly it comes out as "huh" or "hah" variants, and some people (like me) also do more hissing kiai from time to time.

[Spartacus Maximus]

The kiai is probably one of the most misunderstood concepts in martial arts. It has been made into something more complicated and difficult than it really is because those who aren't familiar with Japanese culture and language define it completely differently.

The word itself is ki(breath or energy)+ai(from the verb "to join"). Simply put it means "a concentrated effort". In Japanese the expression is not limited to martial arts.

A kiai is not some kind of war cry and articulating any word is wasted effort. The sound that is made is not the kiai itself. The sound comes from releasing all ones strength and energy into whatever action one is doing.

Just yelling, screeching like a banshee with a torch stuck where the sun don't shine or making weird noises is not kiai. A real kiai is something natural that everyone does. If you have ever exhaled with a burst or grunted unconsciously while moving or lifting a heavy object, that is a kiai. Tennis players and other athletes are a great example of using kiai.

Kiai is just the Japanese word for "a burst of concentrated/focusssed effort".

[sensei8]

I really don't put much of an emphasis on the hows of kiai with my students, nor with those within the SKKA Student Body, nor whenever I'm conducting a seminar outside of the Shindokan circle.

I simply tell them, whomever it might be...just open your mouth and sharply exhale loudly quickly.

Once that's aside, then I'll teach them the finer points of kiai, which are quite minimum.

For me, the kiai, and the teaching of it, is the simplest thing to learn on the floor, minus bowing.

Humans have been vocally loud since birth; it, the kiai, is just that simple!!

[Nidan Melbourne]

When I teach a student to Kiai, I normally to tell them to do a short + sharp Kiai.

I used to yell "Kiai" when I was told to do so, but years ago it seemed to have developed to a "aisha" or something similar.