Kiai : the Key to Stress Relief

Have you ever heard a karate yell? It’s called a kiai. Kiai ( 気合, /ˈkiːaɪ/) is a Japanese term for the short shout or battle cry uttered when performing a focused or attacking move in martial arts such as aikido, karate, kobudo, kendo or judo.

In its original language, Kiai (Japanese for “unification of will”, and pronounced like the words “key” and “eye” in rapid succession) mainly refers to focus or intensity. The term is a compound of ki (Japanese: 気), meaning “energy” or “mood” and a(u) (Japanese: 合, infinitive ai), 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, harmonize, or amplify.

In some teachings, it is believed that the shout releases your inner energy and allows you to use more force behind your blows. In the board game Go, the term describes fighting spirit.

The kiai has become a notable part of Asian martial arts in popular culture, especially in anime and manga, often rendered in variants such as Hi-yah!, Aiyah!, Eeee-yah! or Hyah!

Keep in mind, a kiai is usually not the word kiai itself. Martial arts practitioners are supposed to come up with their own kiai. Traditional Japanese dojo generally uses single syllables beginning with a vowel, such as “eei!”, “aah!”, or “ooh!”

There are no firm rules for kiai except that the yell should start in the diaphragm, not the throat. This has an added benefit of tightening the core muscles to prevent damage to the stomach in a fight.

In fact, the physical aspects of a kiai are often used to teach a student proper breathing technique when executing an attack. This technique has been adopted by many other martial arts and combat sports. In reality, strikes synchronized with exhalation are the strongest regardless of sound; it’s just that the kiai encourages proper breathing during a strike.

There are many uses for the kiai. Expanding on a list by the Karate Nerd, here’s when you could use it:

When you want to channel your energy.
When you need to kickstart your fighting spirit.
When you’re attacking or countering an opponent.
When you do a kata (practicing your martial arts moves).
When you want to audibly demonstrate your power.
When you want to startle or intimidate your opponent.
When you need a confidence booster.
When you need to mitigate a little pain.
When you are doing a deadlift (or playing tennis).
When you need to breathe.
When you find yourself in a real self-defense situation.
When you want to express victory.
When you want to relieve stress.

“And then finally, whenever you’re nervous… the louder you yell, it causes your mouth to open wider, and all of the butterflies literally fly out of your stomach and it will create a calming experience for you.” ~Kyoshi Kimber Tyree, Kimber Martial Arts

So there you go, yelling to reduce stress is not limited to sports fans or to those participating in primal scream therapy. Whenever you are stressed and feel like you need to release some of it, a karate yell can give you a sense of relief.

The kiai is a great way to relieve stress in a controlled manner when you have pent-up anger or nervous energy brewing inside you. By purposely tightening the core muscles and then letting go, the kiai can provide a feeling of relaxation in the muscles that are tensed due to hard work or stress.

Here are a couple of YouTube videos that demonstrate how it’s done:

HOW TO “KIAI!” | Karate’s Battle Shout — Jesse Enkamp