i cant yell kiay!!!!!?

Question

HI everyone, i have had 6 karate lessons and i have a biiiiiig problem saying kiay. somehow when i have to do it, i feel numb, lose concentration and feel really ambarrased. i have tried yelling it in the car and at home alone, it seems ok. but in the class - i just cant do it, i can do everything else really good, i remember the moves quite fast and i have done lots of other sports before wchih help me in karate. but kiay is like a complex for me and i know if i dont feel comfortable doing it i wont do it and will eventually quit and i really like karate except for this part. i know what it is for and i know it is important i just feell kind of hopeless. help!!!!!!!!!! anyone in the same situation? should i quit?

sorry, i mean "kiai", yes it is japanese. doesnt matter the word, it is not like a dog goes bow wow, or whatever. it is just making any sound (which is lets admit it - unnatural9 makes meel so scared. i guess this is the point and therefor i lose, but how do i learn it?

i do breath out, i know it is importnat and it feels good, i feel better, but it comes out as some kind of hysterical ghhaaa, which puts me off yelling anytzhing else againt until the end of the class. are there any sensei here?

Answer 1

Try screaming the following.....

a. Hi-Yaaaa
b. Chop Chop
c. Banzai
d. Mu-Shoooo
e. F'tang f'tang
f. Huiiii
g. Chow-fun
h. Wan pa tan!
i. Du mao mae!!
k. Dinky Dao
l. Shazaam!!
m. Ooo-Rah
n. Fix bayonets!
o. Ramming speed!

jl

Answer 2

Yes,sometimes kiai is really hard,mostly because you don't want other people to notice you (it can feel embarassing)-but you've also written down that you remember the moves quite fast and that you really like karate (and I'm just guessing here but-you practice at home right?) which means that you're doing a good job.And if you're doing a good job you have nothing to be embarassed about when you kiai-in fact,when you kiai,it improves your accuracy and your power.I know that a kiai may seem really hard but all I know that tou can do is keep trying.Practice your kiai.And in class,well,maybe one week you do one kiai per class,then the next week two,then three,maybe that would work-and don't give up karate,it gives you a lot of really great benefits.
P.S. Maybe you should talk with your sensei-that usually helps me.

Answer 3

You are facing a very common challenge. You will overcome this in time.
The kiai as a clear yell is not a natural action, but the kiai as a grunt when you do something strenuous is totally normal. Almost everyone will tighten their tummy and use their breath (holding or pushing out) when doing something that requires a lot of strength or power. So you and your body know what to do naturally.
The problem is that holding your breath in a fight can be very dangerous. This is why you are being taught and pushed to yell out loud. There are other benefits as well. A short list includes: possibly scaring your opponent, alerting people around you that you are in danger, improving cardiovascular control, improving focus, improving the "shime" or impact timing of a technique, and so on. But probably the biggest factor in a kiai in the early years of training is to learn to tighten your tumy and breathe out all of your air so that if you are hit at the same time you do not get the wind knocked out of you. Have you ever had the wind knocked out of you (ie: fall off a swing)? Can't do much while you are sucking for air, right? Imagine this happening in the middle of a fight... it's not a good place to be in.
So, for your safety, and for your future growth, keep practicing. You will get it eventually. (I am sure your sensei will not kick you out or tease you too much for not doing a good kiai, so it is just one more thing you will be learning and improving in your training. There is no rush. Keep enjoying karate and get as much as you can from it. Good luck!)

Answer 4

As I am sure you are already aware, the kiai is a yell done in martial arts to add power to your strikes. There are some who believe that there is power in a warrior's yell and that a kiai could stop a battle before it escalated any farther. In any case, yelling "kiai" isn't the only way to express your yell.

The dynamics of the yell comes from proper breathing. As a martial arts instructor, I have my students yell on their powerful strikes to get them used to breathing properly. We do not say 'kiai'. In fact, the yells in the class are as varied as the people in it. Try a simple test:

Punch a target without yelling. Just hit it as hard as you safely can. Then, punch it again while combining it with a gutteral yell. "Hut!" is used a lot in Taekwondo classes and perhaps you might have some luck using that as your yell. Feel the difference in the power output. Now mind you, do not focus TOO MUCH on the yell. Just let it rip as you hit your target. Don't do it too early (before you hit the target) or too late (after you hit the target), but instead yell WHEN you hit the target.

Anyway, hope that helps you out. Don't let something as inconsequential as a yell cause you to leave an activity you find wholesome and fun. If the instructor forces you to say 'kiai!' in particular, maybe you should find a school that better fits your personality as a student. After all, our job is to fit the martial art to you, not you to the martial art.

Answer 5

Sounds like you just have stagefright. It doesn't HAVE to be that word. The term "kiai" is just the Japanese/Korean term for the yell that you're doing. Maybe you could try a different "word" that feels more comfortable to you. I've heard anything from what sounds like "ice" to "utsa" to "itsa" to "eye" to "iya". Pick one. Maybe that will help. But don't quit. Also, you could try doing it at home while you practice your moves, or kata, to kind of ease you into it.
I saw your addition to your question, and I decided to add to my answer.
First, yes I am a former instructor. I am no longer because I moved out state.
Doing a kiai is going to feel unnatural to you for awhile just because you're not accustomed to it, so it will sound somewhat deranged to you. But, remember, the other students around you are quite possibly going through the same feelings, and thoughts you are. The more you do it, the more you'll feel comfortable with it. As I mentioned, if you try doing it while at home practicing, you'll become more comfortable with it, and the way you sound. After awhile you'll even come to realize that nobody really pays much attention to everybody's kiai, just because it's normal, and half the time, you're all doing it at once anyway. You'll be okay, I promise. Just don't quit.

Answer 6

When I was younger I studied Tae Kwon Do and I thought the same thing at first. Don't quit. I wish I never did. It helped me in so many ways. Remember, you've only had six lessons. Just focus on the movement and technique. As you progress you become more comfortable and eventually you will let out a yell that will surprise you. For me, it happened when I was sparring with another student about two months into my studies.

Answer 7

I think alot of people are missing the point. You know what the benefits are, you just have a problem shouting in front of a bunch of people.

This is all to do with confidence, and yelling is actually a very strong confidence builder. It helps to lower your inhibitions and be a more confident person by being able to shout out loud in a room full of people. We are told to encourage students to yell in class, not primarily for breathing etc. but to help them build confidence. After that we teach the other benefits of yelling.

Your problem is a common one and it will just take time to get used to it, just remember that everyone else is yellin too.

Answer 8

"ki ai" is the name for what you're doing.

What you want is to rapidly expel the air from your lungs, using your diaphragm to force the air out. The sound isn't the purpose, it's the result.

I used to yell something close to "hungh!"

It doesn't matter what you yell, but I'd avoid anything with a "th" sound. You'll know why if you try it and get hit in the mouth at that particular moment.

You don't have to deliberately make a noise. Just breathe out as hard as you can, and you'll probably make a noise anyway.

Answer 9

I share your feelings, I feel absolutely ridiculous screaming, yelling or whatever. I think keeping my mouth open to scream at my opponent is an invitation for a broken jaw.
I understand many of the reasons for it, I just cant bring myself to do it.

Answer 10

My kids used to do Tae kwon do, and they had to say this keiya or what my wife and i use to think as key up.

It is to enrgise you and is not a pointless thing. You focus and release the energy in greater amount when you say words... any words.

Say whatever you want to say and slowly this step will pass, but dont give up.