Interesting and controversial subject , isn't it !
Tomoyose sensei told me once, it's okay to kiai only after the strike …and so it goes !
Personally I do not , and never did kiai in the katas , except for some low level grunts here and there when I get really psyched up ! I did however use it extensively when fighting in the tournaments of the sixties ! I agree with Bill Glasheen that our system relies on surgical strikes , but I am not sure that they were meant to delivered with minimal effort; not judging by the way I have seen the Masters perform kata and break wood [ sokusen] ---i.e., Nakahodo-sensei ; Shinjio-sensei ; Yonamine -sensei etc. ! In a real fight you wear shoes ; your shokens and fingertips , if they surface at all under the chemical dump , may be absorbed by heavy clothing , and even if they connect exposed pressure points , there is never any guarantee they will stop an adrenalized maniac in his tracks ! You will be charged and hit by one or more assailants in spite of your best moves !
But a few observations :
1] < The most terrifying sounds of the world big game hunting are the close snarl of a man -eater and the shrieking trumpet of the charging bull elephant > { Peter Hathaway Capstick } …former big -game hunter and master of adventure writing !
2] < In the same manner the roars of two posturing beasts are exhibited by men in battle . For centuries the war cries of soldiers have made their opponents' blood run cold .Whether it be the battle cry of a Greek phalanx , the "hurrah" of the Russian infantry , the wail of the Scottish bagpipes , or the rebel yell of our own civil war , soldiers have always instinctively sought to daunt the enemy through non violent means prior to launching the physical conflict , while encouraging one another and impressing themselves of their own ferocity ! > { Lt. Grossman -On Killing }
3] < The yellers could not be seen ! Men spoke later of various units on both sides being " yelled " out of their positions > { Battle tactics of the civil war …Paddy Griffith }
4] Watch the movie "ZULU" and observe the chilling " yells" rituals by the warriors directed at the British under siege and witness the paralyzing 'roaring charge' at the outpost !
5] Pantazi-sensei using an effective kiai to rout opponents !
6] Jason -san making the back row jump up disoriented with a breaking kiai !
7] My imposing student John Scott at a dan test in Rhode Island , flooring his opponent[ the legs went out from under him like he had been shot] during sparring with a blood curling yell , without as much as touching him !
8] Human beings are said to naturally have a tendency to freeze and stop breathing when facing deadly threat , because our ancestors were once prey to larger and stronger animals better at detecting movement than shape ! Related to protective stillness , breathing patterns alter during extreme stress ! Fear causes the holding of breath , not breathing out , and that is why in combat your lungs are on fire and your energy goes fast , and you don't last long ! Listen to Tracy-sensei when he says you will quickly collapse if he puts you up against his "redman" drill , even if you fancy yourself lasting a grueling two hour workout under simple conditions !
9] Witness the very successful ' model mugging' training method : you are told to shout " NO " each time you strike with a technique ! They explain that shouting propels you into action , frightens the opponent , slows down his reaction time by as much as a second ! It also enhances your strength by psychological focus and it tightens your chest so you can better absorb the blow !
10] Forget the kiai for a moment but go back to breathing :< drop into a boxing gym instead of a dojo and you will enter a world of pure physical conditioning beyond 95% of all dojos ! Fighters whaling each other with blows that will make you wince! They absorb the most powerful blows and smile at you ! How do the boxers breathe ? Given a multi-million dollar business you would think trainers would have heard of Uechi breathing and studied it for incorporation into the development of a super fighter !
11] I'd like to hear from the fighters ! How about from you David-san ? I know you took up boxing !
How about you Gary Khoury-san ? How do you breathe when you fight those tough tournaments ? what are your observations of the Uechi tournament fighters in Okinawa !
How about champion Roy Bedard ? Roy - san are you out there ?
12] Good point by Scaramouche on the animals ! However , according to lt. Grossman { On Killing} - in the animal world < The fight-or - flight dichotomy is the appropriate set of choices for any creature faced with danger OTHER than that which comes from its own species . When we examine the responses of creatures confronted with aggression from their own species , the set of options expands from fight or flight to include posturing and submission. This is the application of animal kingdom intraspecies response patterns ! When the fight option is utilized it is almost never to the death ! Piranhas and rattlesnakes will bite anything , but among themselves piranhas fight with raps of their tails and rattlesnakes wrestle ; this process being vital to the survival of the species >
Outside their own species , we have a totally different story !
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Van Canna