"KIAI"
“Kiai” means “scream” and “combative spirit” in Japanese. It’s a fundamental aspect of Karate. You obtain it with a fast contraction of the diaphragm, which is followed by the emission of a “dry” scream. It isn’t a normal scream – the sound comes from the abdomen, not from the throat.
It has three goals:
a) To show your will to fight. To help the karateka find the right mental spirit for combat. Besides this, it is considered an extra in competition, because it demonstrated to all including yourself that your actions are assertive.
b) To intimidate your opponent. It causes in him hesitations that allow you the perfect timing to attack. An ancient martial art called “kiai-jutsu” developed the use of “kiai” as an arm to stun the opponent.
c) The contraction of the muscles in your belly. It increases the power of the strikes and also the resistance to your opponent’s attacks.
Like everything in life there’s the good ones and the bad ones. Here goes an example:
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