Anyone who has ever witnessed karate fighters in action will attest to the fact that they are a loud group. The yells of “kiai” sound throughout the dojo, can be confusing to the casual observer.
Let’s see what can be learned about this mysterious shouting.
Karate fighters scream because it is an element of the martial art’s practice, and it is thought to aid in attacking and defending by focusing their energy to give their kicks greater power, as well as acting as a battle cry to stun the opponent. It makes enemies aware of how confident they are of their victory.
What Do You Call A Karate Fighter’s Scream
The kiai is a martial arts yell that is employed in a variety of styles, including karate. It is supposed to be derived from a reversal of “aiki,” which is made up of the first four letters of “aikido,” another martial art that employs the kiai.
The aiki is created by combining two Japanese “kanji,” or letters: “ai,” which means “joining,” and “ki,” which means “spirit.” The kanji for “ai” can be broken down into what are known as three radicals. The words “connect,” “mouth,” and “one” are among them. The character for “ki” depicts a pot of steamed rice and is meant to signify “energy.”
As a result, aiki refers to the balance of spirit and energy. When kiai is reversed, the notion of harmony between spirit and energy remains, but there is a higher emphasis on “mouth,” or giving voice to such harmony. As a result, the kiai arose from the aiki, and many martial artists regard it as the “yin” to the aiki’s “yang.”
The phrase is also used in Korean martial arts, however, it is referred to as “K’ihap” since the Korean Hangul script differs from the Japanese in pronunciation. The Korean Hiragana alphabet, on the other hand, does not provide the same visual depiction of the concept.
Karate Fighters Types of Scream
There are four different forms of kiai that karate fighters utilize during the fighting:
Attacking shout – This is the loudest and most vehement cry. It’s meant to make the enemy lose focus and give the attacker’s body the courage and momentum it needs to overpower them. This shout isn’t described with a specific word. It could be anything the fighter thinks is appropriate. In Japan, however, “ehy!” appears to be the most popular expression.
Reacting shout – This is a more powerful and aggressive shout than the attacking shout. When an opponent’s intentions are disrupted, it’s intended to discourage them. The goal is to produce a hollow “exhalation,” which the Japanese call “toh!”
Victorious shout – This is a joyful taunt used after you’ve defeated your opponent. Why not let him know he’s been beaten and make him grovel in front of you if you’ve dealt him a lot of blows? The Japanese use the sound “yah!” for this, although it can be modified to anything that makes you shout with excitement.
Shout “Shadow!” – This isn’t actually a “shout” at all; rather, it’s a mental, physical, and spiritual dedication to the shout as if you were making one. It’s a strange idea that entails mentally mixing the other three scream types and acting as if they were vocalized (when, in fact, you remain silent).
How Do Karate Fighters Scream
- They correct their posture. They lean their pelvis forward slightly while keeping their spine aligned, then relax and let their body rest on their lower abdomen.
- They correct their breathing. They breathe in through their nose and exhale through their mouth. This is also useful practice for almost everything else in life. They breathe deeply and from the bottoms of their lungs, thus their breath is felt in the stomach rather than the chest. Then they push air out of their lungs from the bottom and exhale explosively.
- They become more vocal (unless adopting a “shadow shout”). For the shout, they make a vocalization using the back of their throat. It should sound natural; a well-delivered kiai has a “vowel” quality to it. It’s worth mentioning that they don’t have to shout “kiai” or make any kind of “k” sound unless it feels natural.
- They get loud. Many new kiai users sound more like mice than lions at first. They’re not screamin’ like extras in a horror film, but they should be imposing their presence on everyone else. They should defy whoever advised them to “be silent and not create a scene,” and instead be loud.
- They let the kiai pulsate. They regard their yell as a weapon rather than a vocal instrument. They drive it up through the abdomen and direct it at their opponents through the mouth. It should have a strong impact and be able to pulse – it doesn’t have to stay at the same tone or volume all the time.
Benefits Of Karate Fighter’s Screaming
- It’s a full-fledged berserker show. The Vikings’ shock troops were the berserkers. There was no armor on him, only a drive to murder and an attitude to match. As the berserkers surged toward them, shouting their lungs out, their opponents typically left the battlefield. Similarly, a continual kiai might have the same effect.
- It might be helpful with getting some assistance. Screaming might grab the attention of passers-by and get them to help, or at the very least encourage someone to make a helpful call to the police, if someone is in a street fight or an unexpected confrontation.
- It may give the impression that the fighter is insane. Sure, it’s probably not very beneficial at home, but who wants to attack a mad guy in a fight? An opponent might give up before they’ve even started.
- If Fighter is fighting “to the death,” every blow should be accompanied by a kiai. Originally, a kiai would have indicated a desire to kill. As a result, a fatal strike should have a kaia.
Downsides of Karate Fighter’s Screaming
- It may cause them to become overconfident. Although berserkers are renowned fighters, many of them died on the battlefield. A guy without armor could be easy prey for an armored attacker who held his cool.
- It could irritate their opponent. Instead of intimidating an opponent, they may enrage them, causing them to fight harder than they otherwise would.
- They may become fatigued as a result. Screaming and fighting both require oxygen and energy. Screaming consumes energy that may otherwise be used to fuel punches and kicks.
- It removes the “aspect of surprise.” Getting the initial blow in while the opposition is unaware of the fighter’s presence is a significant advantage. They can’t yell at someone and expect them to be unaware of their presence.
Why Other Fighters in Combat sports Don’t Scream
Despite the numerous advantages of the scream, which can be used offensively or defensively, many kung fu schools and other combat sports such as boxing, and wrestling have largely abandoned the practice.
Part of the reason for this is due to the various attack stances employed by these fighting styles. While karate and other traditional Japanese martial arts use short, sharp attacks, boxing and other more western sports use longer, more drawn-out blows that don’t match with such a shouty motion.
Conclusion
A kiai is a spiritual shout that functions similarly to a lion roaring before attacking. This temporarily ‘freezes’ the prey and re-energizes the lion. This can mean the difference between a lion eating or not eating. It also helps you absorb hard shots by squeezing the air out of your lungs while fighting. If you’re hit or kicked hard in the solar plexus, this keeps you from losing your breath. When utilized offensively, it might give your technique more power.
One of the benefits of karate is that adequate breathing is the starting point for all techniques. When it comes to karate and combat, the sounds of a kiai come from the tightening and relaxing of the right muscles of the body while doing techniques and breathing at the same time. They are an Outcome of the appropriate form, not a distinct purposeful sound made just for the sake of making a sound. Because of the mechanics involved, the resulting kiais will sound different if you use different ways.
Making a kiai on its own is possible, but it requires additional skills such as understanding your enemy’s mindset and employing the kiai in the same way that an animal would use a roar to frighten and distract. Alternatively, it can be used as a battle cry to aid promote breathing during a stressful situation when one could otherwise lock up and hold their breath.
