Kiai, Most traditional martial arts use a kiai or kihap (Korean). The kiai is usually defined as a spirit yell although some traditionalists will define it differently. When teaching the kiai we usually explain the reasons for it as: 1. The kiai will make your strikes, punches and kicks stronger. Sometimes when teaching this concept I will use Olympic power lifters as an example. They have found that if they let out a strong yell when trying to lift very heavy weights they can, in fact, lift more. You can watch them do this the next time a power lifting competition is on TV. 2. The kiai helps focus your mind on the fight or flight mode. Let's say you are getting into your car, thinking about going home, greeting your family and having a nice dinner. Just as you open your car door someone appear between the vehicles with bad intentions. At that moment, you need to flip the switch from Mr. NiceFamilyGuy to Mr. KickYourAss in a matter of mili- seconds. The kiai is one way to do this. The more you practice this the more it becomes an anchor. An anchor is a sound, smell or physical action that brings your mind instantly to a certain thought or feeling. 3. The kiai forces you to breathe. Stress can cause you to hold your breath. Think about the situation above when getting into your car. As soon as you see that guy your heart rate is going to skyrocket. Your body needs oxygen and lots of it. But holding your breath is restricting your Oxygen levels, right when you need it most. So at that moment the kiai can give you the O2 you need and maybe remind you to breathe and breathe deeply. 4. The kiai helps protect you from getting the wind knocked out of you. If you are hit in the abdomen area when breathing in (Yin), the chances of getting the wind knocked out of you are high. If you are breathing out (Yang) and you get hit (kiai-ing) you have a better chance of absorbing the blow. Some styles of martial arts practice a tension kata or exercise (Sanchin). When practicing this the student should learn to make the inhalations short and the exhalations long while tensing the abdomen. We have found another use for the kiai during our adrenal stress response training. We have found that using your voice (kiai) helps break the tunnel vision that accompanies an adrenal dump. That is why it is important to practice using your voice with a strong exhalation anytime when practicing adrenal stress drills or self defense training. While I am not a big fan of traditional self defense training for use on the street the ancients have some great insight into real fighting.
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