Kiai


Kiai is a Japanese term used in martial arts for the short shout uttered when performing an attacking move.
Traditional Japanese dojo generally use single syllables beginning with a vowel. The concept has become a notable part of Asian martial arts in popular culture, especially in martial arts films, in writing often rendered in variants such as Hi-yah!, Aiyah!, Eeee-yah!, or Hyah!. Contrary to popular belief, a kiai is usually not the word kiai itself.
The term is a compound of ki meaning "energy" or "mood," a, an emphatic marker. The same concept is known as K'ihap in many Korean martial arts, such as taekwondo and Tang Soo Do, ki being the energy and hap meaning to join, to harmonize, or to amplify, based on the Korean reading of the same characters; its Hangul spelling is :ko:기합|기합.
In the board game Go the term describes fighting spirit.

Use in martial arts

Students of Japanese martial arts such as aikido, karate, kobudo, kendo, or judo use kiai to startle an opponent, intimidate, express confidence, or express victory. In kendo, for example, a point is only given by the Shinpan if the hit is accompanied by a strong, convincing kiai. A kiai can also be used in addition with tightening the core muscles to prevent damage to the stomach. The physical aspects of a kiai are often thought to teach a student proper breathing technique when executing an attack which is a common trait adopted by many other foreign martial arts and combat sports.
This is especially useful for longer series of attacks such as kirikaeshi, Kakari geiko and uchikomi geiko.
Mental imagery techniques are used to teach the martial artist to imagine starting a kiai in the hara or dantian; from a physiological perspective, this means the yell should start in the diaphragm, not the throat.