Kiai

[mystic_kendoka]

i was jus wondering about kiai's in a match... i can understand y kiai's are important in practice and training, but is it necessary in a tournament match? coz im entering the ABKF(belgian) tournament in late november... is it necessary to yell the target ur hitting or does it not matter as long as you yell SOMEthing? coz its pretty annoyin having to yell all the time... :dead:

[Haggis]

If you understand that it is important to have good kiai in practice and training, how is it any different from a match? If anything it is more important to implement the good kiai that you learnt at training.

[xvikingx]

A good strong kiai could be a deciding factor in a match. I recall doing jigeiko at a dojo I visted with someone who was no doubt better than me. He was still mukyuu but still was cetainly better than me. (I am not very good) I just blasted him a strong kiai and he gave me the advatage. Because I had a strong kiai he assumed I was stronger. I don't know how this would work against more experience kenshi but it certainly gave me the advantage then.
Kiai shouldn't be "annoying", it should be a weapon. Use it to give yourself strength. Use it to scare you opponent. If your nervous, make your kiai louder. If you feel you are losing, make your kiai stronger. Your spirit is your first line of defence. If it is weak from the get go, you have already lost. Remember it is not just yelling. It should come from your gut with feeling.


Also I would suggest reading the other threads about kiai. You can find them by searching kiai or selecting from some of the "similar threads" listed below. Good luck in the tourny. Tell us how it goes.

[Nagi David]

But you don't have to yell between strike if you don't want to...

[goshawk]

plus a question, we don't have to yell the target we hitting necessary as long as we yell something right? cos it sounds weird...:p

[mystic_kendoka]

im not sure but nobody i kno really yells the target it self but just yells... cant really understand wat it is he's yellin tho...

[Neil Gendzwill]

Once more, with feeling - you have to kiai, and you have to kiai the name of the target. If you don't, you risk losing the point.

[tnagpal]

Once more, with feeling - you have to kiai, and you have to kiai the name of the target. If you don't, you risk losing the point.

My understanding is that calling the target is similar to playing pool, to show that you didn't accidentally score kote when you meant to hit men. It's about precision!

[goshawk]

saw some of my sempai didn't yell target name that he's cutting, some of them just go "waaaaa", so was just wondering... but it makes sense of the precision though

[Twobitmage]

saw some of my sempai didn't yell target name that he's cutting, some of them just go "waaaaa", so was just wondering... but it makes sense of the precision though

My senpai/sensei (not sure which term to use) yells "SURIYAAA!"

I think my parents said its a japanese cuss word but im not sure, can someone translate it?

[A P]

By yelling out whatever you have to yell out could be a benifit in many way, So

don't think that it so think stupid. Althought I can understand that you get

tried from all the yelling that you have to do.

By yelling whatever out could cause your opponent to:

1.) lose concemtration.

2.) lose timing.

3.) get scare.

4.) spaceout.

5.) shut their thought of planning.

So! Yelllllllllll! WHATEVER you want to yell. :devious:

[Neil Gendzwill]

By yelling whatever out could cause your opponent to: [snip]

Kiai is not about your opponent, it's about you.

[Fantasia]

Kiai is not about your opponent, it's about you.

Then you're wasting half of the potential of your kiai.

[sjp]

Then you're wasting half of the potential of your kiai.


You really think so ?

Neil is correct.

If you are young/inexperianced in Kendo then perhaps you might be thrown by someones strong kiai.
However a more experainced kendoka will absorb it or let it pass by whilst retaining his composure. You wont make him twitch or move or open for your attack.

[mystic_kendoka]

so, it doesnt matter what you yell as long as you yell it at the same time as you're hitting and stamping? so i dont have to yell men/kote/do?

[xvikingx]

so, it doesnt matter what you yell as long as you yell it at the same time as you're hitting and stamping? so i dont have to yell men/kote/do?

No, you have to yell the target you intend to cut.

[A P]

So yelling is only for scoring then????

And how is kai related tp ourself??? I don't understand Neil....???

[Neil Gendzwill]

Kiai isn't just yelling, it's a focussing/projecting/whateveryouwanttocallit of your energy, your spirit. Done properly it gives you energy, makes your attacks sharper, and helps with your seme. The bit about calling the point name is incidental, although required in a match. Mainly you just need a few years of practice under your belt to understand it. All I can say is, don't dismiss it out of hand.

[midnightdawn]

It is ABSOLUTLY necessary in a match. To score a point, your footwork, hit and kiai all have to match up, along with the strike being done correctly to score a point.

I'm not sure if it's necessary to say the body part you are hitting. For some reason, I *think* I remember somebody telling me that if you are a lower level fighter (maybe shodan but definatly mudansha) that some judges look down on not yelling out the correct name of the attack. (I could have confused that with something else than kiai maybe...).

But at any rate, Kiai is very important!

Ki Ken Tai Ichi!
SPIRIT, sword, body as one!

[A P]

Hummmmmmmmm!!!!

I guess you are right Sjp. I think that it work mostly on beginner and the

expreraince kendoist will just let it by...

Thanks for bring out the good points.