From: sog@craycos.com (Steve Gombosi)
Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts
Subject: Re: Too Silent, Too Vocal
Date: 12 Sep 92 03:28:03 GMT
Organization: Cray Computer Corporation

In article <JON.92Sep11170534@zeus.med.utah.edu> jon@zeus.med.utah.edu (Jonathan Byrd) writes:
>In article <13543@pogo.wv.tek.com> roberts@pogo.wv.tek.com (Robert Stroud) writes:
>
>i definitely agree with robert that the psychological effect of good
>kiai can make a lot of difference.  of course the difference is not
>just dependent on quantity.  even if you can kiai constantly, it is
>not necessarily the best thing to do.  i've fought kenshi who kiai-ed
>almost constantly, and the overall effect was lessened.

I'd say that they were "yelling", but they didn't have kiai.

>i also fought one kenshi whom i heard kiai loudly only once.  when i
>sparred (i can't call it a fight) with this man, i was full of spirit
>and kiai.  at one point, we came to a swordguard-to-swordguard impasse
>(tsuba zeriai) and our noses were only inches apart.  to show him i
>wasn't intimidated, i yelled right in his face.  before i finished, he
>drowned me out with a scream that made me want to run home and hide
>under my bed.

I'd say that he was yelling and that he *did* have kiai - in spades.

I think we're confusing an internal state/process and one of its external
manifestations. If you look at the kanji for "kiai", you'll see the 
same two kanji that make up "aiki". You'll see the kanji "ki", which means
so very many things in Japanese that it's impossible to translate
accurately into English, and you'll see "ai" which means (among many
other translations in Nelson's):
	join together
	unite
	add 
	combine

Not a peep about "yelling" in there anywhere. "Kiai" is a lot of spirit/energy/
strength/determination/etc. accumulated in one place. The yell is a
side effect. Don't confuse the bang with the bullet.
Some people have incredible kiai and don't make a sound. Some people 
sound like World War III and don't have any kiai at all. 
If you face someone who makes your knees turn to jelly everytime you *think*
about attacking him/her, you've experienced "kiai" - whether your ears
registered anything or not. If you *have* kiai, the shout will happen
all by itself if it's appropriate. It'll erupt without any real effort
on your part.

>i have concluded that kiai not just a part of each technique, but is
>in some sense a technique in its own right.  the target is not the
>enemy's body, but his spirit.

Like he said.


>(setq gnus-musashi-mode t)
>
>the first cut is with the eyes; you must somehow perceive the
>opportune moment to breach the enemy's defenses.

Sometimes the eyes are enough all by themselves. Ever noticed the "look"
that high ranks always seem to have? Take a really good look at photos
of Ueshiba, Kanazawa, or Otake when they were executing technique. They'd
slay you with their eyes before the technique even started...if 
somebody who looked like that came after me, I'd head for the next county
as fast as I could go.

>the second cut is with the spirit; make your enemy consider, even for
>the briefest instant, the possibility that he might lose.

>then comes the sword.

My observation of *really* good people is that 1,2, and 3 all happen at once.
There is no gap between perception, intention, and action. Or, as Yamaoka
Tesshu used to say:

	Shin, gi, ittai! (Mind and technique are one).

>(setq gnus-musashi-mode f)

Steve