Kiai: What It’s For & How to Do It
The kiai is used on our dojo fairly regularly. We use it during breakfalls, in Jiu-jitsu circles, during tests, etc. Students are often confused about how to do a kiai so hopefully this blog will clarify things a bit.
The concept of the kiai goes back to ancient Japan. Samurai warriors were renowned for their powerful kiai in battle – a startling battle cry that was reputed to paralyze opponents with fear. A warrior who could release a powerful kiai would rarely be viewed as weak or fatigued by his opponents.
The Purpose of Kiai
The purpose of the kiai is three-fold:
1. To focus your mental and physical energy. (More details about this in The Benefits of Kiai for Sharpening Focus & Form for Breakfalls.)
2. To startle your attacker/ opponent
3. To draw attention to your need for help (in a self-defense situation)
When you learn to kiai properly the additional focus that it gives you helps reinforce your technique. You also learn not flinch and freeze at sudden loud noises, making it easier for you to quickly assess the source of the noise, whether it poses a threat and whether any response is required.
Meaning of Kiai
The word kiai is made up of the Kanji characters “ki,” meaning energy or spirit, and “ai,” meaning unification. Many East Asian people believe a force flows through all things, known as “ki” in Japanese and chi (or qi) in Chinese. Kiai is taken to mean “the harmonizing of ki” or “unification of spirit.”
How to Do a Kiai
The sounds martial arts students make when sounding a kiai are varied, including “Hai-ee,” “Huusss” and many variations. The exact sound of the yell varies from person to person. I encourage my students to experiment to find the best sound for them. When I teach women’s self-defense classes, I teach them to vocalize using a word that helps bring attention to their need for help, like “Nooo!” or “Stop!”. Whatever sound you use, it should emanate from your hara (your lower abdominal area), not your throat.
As for timing, the kiai should be sounded:
1. At the moment of impact of a technique, whether it be a block or an attack
2. When you are taking a blow to the abdomen
3. Anytime you want to accentuate an action you are performing
When I’m training, I don’t necessarily limit my use of kiai to the appointed times. Oftentimes, when I get in the zone with techniques I’m very familiar with, I find my kiai just comes out as naturally as breathing.
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I've been training in Jujutsu for 6 months now…is a ok to use word like power pain strength in japanese when belting out a kiai?
As long as you can apply all the above points, it doesn't matter what you yell, but from my experience, it is best to use a word/sound that allows you to exhale in a slow, drawing way. Sounds that begin with the letter 'H', 'N','S', 'F', 'V', or any other soft consonants are the easiest to use. If you're going to use a words, it should be a simple, one-syllable word. When teaching self-defense classes, I teach women to vocalize using words like 'Stop' or 'No' to achieve this. Be sure to ask your Sensei what would be appropriate for your dojo.
Sensei Fairweather was telling about his terrifying sword sensei: he was trying to time is Kiai just right when doing a wrist lock, so that the internal muscles in his rib cage would be tensed as well and give him an extra powerful lock.
Also if you’re ever in trouble (an actual self-defense situation), the best thing to yell is “FIRE!”. Apparently it draws more attention than shouting “Help” or “Stop”. 🙂
Thanks for the excellent blog post (as always).
Thanks for your comments as always. Having taught women’s self-defense for the past decade, the can say that the use of “Fire!” in certain contexts makes sense. When you’re in a very public place and people are in a ‘group think’ mentality in which they all assume that someone else is “taking care of you helping you.” However, if no one visible is around and you yell “Fire!” and someone calls the authorities upon hearing that, they may go out looking for an actual fire rather than a woman that was attacked in an assault and perhaps is lying unconscious.
I teach women to yell “Stop!” “No!” or “Let me go!” because these are strong verbal directives to your attack that assert your position without being a victim. I discourage the use of “Help!” because it makes you feel like a victim and also gives that same message to your attacker placing him in a position of dominance (what a man usually wants from attacking a woman).
At the end of the day, the most important part of yelling is tone, I try to get women to yell in the most beast-like, ferocious voice they can muster, which can be enough on its own to freak out a would-be attacker (80% of attacks on woman are disrupted just by making a ton of noise). The psychological effect of this type of yelling is undeniable (I’ll give a demo on Sunday since I’m teaching the Shorinji Kan Class. 🙂