The KIAI
by
Collin Affleck
(May 20, 2000)
Noise
or Technique
The
kiai or “spirit yell” is far more than a simple yell it is a technique that
has to be practiced no differently that the technique that it accompanies. It is
said that a strong kiai can even be used to stun or intimidate an opponent,
preventing an attack. At one time, there was even a martial art known as
kiai-jutsu, which focused primarily on the use of the kiai (successful
application would require a truly exceptional fighting spirit). It is said that
a Karate master can defeat their opponent with only their kiai.
In order for your kiai to be perfected you should find a location that
you can practice your kiai and make it part of your daily training routine.
I have found the car a great place, you can practice on my way to and
from work or school.
Why
Kiai
The
kiai has several purposes:
- It
empties air from the lungs. This is good, because if you are struck after
executing a kiai, the chances of having the "wind knocked out of
you" are greatly reduced. Also, by getting as much air out of your
lungs as possible, it makes you a somewhat harder, denser target. Therefore,
if you are struck after a kiai, it should not hurt quite as much.
- It
should startle your opponent. Even a momentary pause or blink by your
opponent can be the opening your are waiting for. Use a kiai to help create
that opening.It should "psyche" you up. Think of it as talking to
yourself before the big fight. The kiai should get your adrenaline going.
- It
should also be used to focus your energy.
- It
should also be used to control breathing.
Proper breath control is critical to maximizing the potential power
of the technique.
A Proper Kiai
The kiai involves the tensing of the
diaphragm and expelling air from the mouth, making a short sharp sound.
The sound should be a one syllable sound like "I",
"HI" and "EE". You
want your kiai to be as short but loud as possible. However, a kiai should not
be confused with a yell. A well-executed kiai will not cause the throat to feel
to raw, as yelling would. Continued
careless kiais can potentially damage your voice or at tire you during a
strenuous training session.
The other
important part of producing the perfect kiai is good breathing patterns. A kiai
is usually appropriate in the middle of an exhausting practice session. This is
often when breathing becomes labored, and posture is poor. Your tend to use an
upper chest breathing pattern (thoracic), and stoop over in order to get breath
back. In fact, this gives the smallest lung volume possible, which doesn’t
leave much air to kiai on.
Instead, it is
useful to use a diaphragmatic pattern, which increases lung volume, and improves
recovery time. To establish diaphragmatic breathing sit up straight with
shoulders relaxed. Place your hands on your back at the bottom of your ribcage.
As you breathe, try to make your hands move in and out without raising your
chest and shoulders, or sticking out your stomach. The goal is to feel that the
diaphragm controls your breathing. This will provide more support and control
for the kiai, which means is has the potential to be louder.
Using good
breathing relaxed shoulders and good voice habits will produce an impressive
kiai without causing any damage to you.
When
to Kiai
The kiai can be used in several ways.
The first and most common is to at the focal point of an attack.
The second could be at the focal point of a block.
A third version is to kiai prior to the attack to startle your opponent
to create an opening. You can also
use the kiai to demonstrate spirit.
If the kiai is used in support of an attack the
purpose should be to generate more energy.
You should also use the kiai to focus this newly generated energy. In a Kata you will usually kiai on a finishing technique.
When the kiai is used to focus a block you should
have the same mental and physical focus that you would have in an attacking
technique. If the block is applied
in the proper manner with the proper focus it should have the ability to stop
the attack of your opponent. This
type of block is used most often in a where the defender is attacking with the
block. An example of this is seen
in Zen-shin-kotai where the soto-uke is used as both a block and an attack.
The kiai can also be used successfully to surprise
an opponent to create an opening. This
done by using the kiai to surprise the opponent, when surprised they will
“freeze” for a brief moment. You
MUST attack during the brief moment if you wish to utilize this technique.
The kiai is also used to demonstrate spirit. If witnessed, a proper kiai shows the fighting spirit in the
student. The student can also draw
energy from the kiai during a workout. The
kiai can help drive the student past the previous mental limits that existing.
Summary
A
quote by Master Funakoshi Gichin sums up why and how we kiai better that any
other text that I have read on the subject.
“When
you kiai, if it is a sound that comes only from your mouth, it has no value.
Unless kiai explodes out from your stomach joining the whole of your body
power and your spirit, it is meaningless."
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