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Health & Fitness

Why is everyone Yelling?!!

It is taking a bit longer for me to organize my thoughts on the third level of Kata training article so I am writing a short blog on Kiai (pronounced” kee eye” not “kee uh” like the car).  Someone once asked me why do they yell so much in karate classes?  My response was very short and simple it gives more power to the technique much the way athletes grunt and yell when competing or lifting weights. 

Well that is the short answer now here is a bit more detail. The short translation of Kiai is spirit shout or energy shout. One of our most neglected methods of defense is our voice.   Often times when a person is in a situations that is causing them stress or fear they lose the ability to speak or can barely speak.  Generally they will have a shortness of breath or very shallow breathing. Kiai can be expressed in words.  A person who is confronted and is able to speak calmly, confidently, with spirit and energy can raise doubt in the attackers mind.  Most attackers would prefer easy targets not someone that is going to cause them trouble.  They definitely don’t want someone that can yell loudly for help drawing attention to the situation at hand.  This is part of the fighting without fighting aspect of kiai.

Another use of kiai is a forceful shout combined with a blow of some sort.  The shout briefly causes a pause in the attacker’s movement just long enough to land a powerful blow and gain better position to finish the aggressor. The repeated training not just in yelling but deep diaphragmatic breathing (Fukushiki Kokyu) combined with a strike helps traditional karate students develop power and speed.  When the situation require them to defend themselves they are familiar with using maximum force when executing technique.

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Train Traditional Karate with Darrell Kretz at the Martin Luther King Recreation Center on Monday and Wednesday evening. For more information call 379-4148 or visit traditionalkarateschool.com

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