To Kiai or Not to Kiai
By Bob Davis (Edited by Dan Blackmore)
29 July 2014
As a person that originally came from aikido, the first thing I noticed when I walked into a karate dojo was how loud it was! Exhalation sounds, foot stomping, and of course the kiai. The aikido dojo is pretty quiet except for the sounds of break falling (ukemi). Aikido and karate both use breath power; breathing and technique connected. In karate, you inhale as you step, and breathe out as you punch. In aikido, you breathe in as you accept an attack, and you breathe out as you throw, but there is no kiai. In my opinion, aikido and karate share some similarities: both use distancing, body shifting, and positioning as the founding principles of defence – to get out of the way of attack. It is only in their goals that they differ – aikido’s goal is to blend your energy with that of your opponent and then to bring them to the ground with a throw or control. In contrast, karate’s goal is to avoid your opponent and then to strike vital areas. It is interesting to note that, “The two terms kiai and aiki use the same kanji, but transposed, and can be thought of as the inner and the outer aspect of the same principle. Kiai is the expression or projection of our own internal energy, while aiki is coordination with an attacker’s energy.” (Wikipedia)
Coming from the aikido environment, I’ve come to ask myself why I need to kiai at all in karate. As long as my breathing, timing, connection, and body contraction are present as I deliver the technique, would I be delivering any more power simply by adding a “scream”? Is the kiai just a placebo? Try testing this theory on a heavy bag. In the first week, do 20 reverse punches on both right and left hands and kiai on each strike. In the second week, do the same 20/20 but remain silent with proper breathing. See if you notice any increase or decrease in power (movement of the bag), as well as which approach made you breathe harder and sweat more.
Some Sensei teach you not to make sounds with your mouth, nor with your hands (slapping your gi or your feet slapping the floor). From their point of view, making these sounds takes power away from your technique, wastes energy, and telegraphs your attack to your opponent. Breathing yes, sound no. This simply means not engaging the vocal cords as you perform technique. With all of the other components in place, such as timing, connection, and breathing, the kiai is silent, but still present.
The kiai is a very modern invention; our karate pioneers did not use it. The early Okinawans had to practice in secret, often in their houses or in graveyards. These practice sessions were virtually silent. Making any kind of noise would attract unwanted attention to a banned activity. As the ban on karate was lifted and practitioners came back out of the shadows, kiai were added to kata for demonstration purposes. The placements of the kiai in a kata were not rigidly set. It was felt that the kiai should be spontaneous and it was left up to the student to interpret each kata and kiai when they felt it was appropriate.
Kiai has become a required element for gradings and tournaments. When demonstrating kihon during gradings, you perform a combination of techniques and kiai on the final one. Kiai punctuates techniques in kata at specific points, usually twice per karate kata. While being judged for kata, you have to kiai in the proper places. For kumite events, you must kiai during attack or counter attack to bring attention to your techniques. Without kiai being present a competitor or demonstrator may be harder to interpret, or his/her spirit may be seen as weak to the casual observer.
So what is the purpose of a loud kiai? Is kiai useful? Sensei will use the kiai as a tool to impart many karate lessons to students. One of these lessons is proper breathing. We are told over and over to not hold your breath in karate. You breathe in when you half step and breathe out as you complete the full step, making kiai on impact. Secondly, the kiai is used for focus and connection. Kiai is used to focus breath, forward momentum, and hip rotation, all into a single point. By being silent, it is difficult for the student to learn how to focus the breath, and for the Sensei to know how the students are breathing. Lastly, Sensei will use the kiai to bring out your fighting spirit (Shin Gi Tai). Shin is spirit, Gi is technique, and Tai is physical fitness. While Gi and Tai develop rather quickly, Shin takes a while to develop. Occasionally making a loud kiai is somewhat cathartic as you perform kata or make good contact in a bout. Demonstration of technique would be incomplete if the karateka were holding themselves back during these moments.
Speaking practically, kiai can be used as self-defence. Kiai is described as an “energetic yell”. We are told that our kiai should be so loud and piercing that it startles your opponent. This can come in very handy when you have to defend yourself in the street. Imagine being downtown at a club or at a party and being grabbed by someone. A well timed offensive kiai may give you the upper hand by shocking and allowing you to attack first and get out of there. Kiai may be used defensively as well. Grandmaster Robert Trias suggests that kiai can temporarily harden the body and thus revoke an attack. He wrote: “The yell will reduce the effect of the shock from any blow or fall. One almost ceases to exist during the yell, with its suddenly induced tension followed by complete relaxation and little or no sensation of impact.” Whether the kiai is used offensively or defensively, making noise to draw the attentions of passers-by is important during a confrontation.
Back to our original question: Does making sound have anything to do with generating power? Kiai can be a useful tool in both learning and teaching to impart proper breathing, connection, and Shin Gi Tai to students. It can be used for self-defence and is a requirement for gradings and competitions. On the other hand, without the need to demonstrate or perform the art in front of others, is the kiai necessary? Other arts such as Aikido generate great power without the practitioner making any sounds. As well, there are concerns about kiai draining power and energy from technique, as well as draining stamina from the karateka. While the kiai does have its place, I see it more as a separate technique or tool for karate training and self-defence. I do not believe that silent karate is equivalent to weaker karate. Is making sound necessary to generate power? I do not believe so, but discover the significance of the kiai for yourselves as you train.
