| Hector, one of the heroes of the Trojan war, | | | | 1. Rally the troops. The Kiai is supposed to |
| had such a fearsome war-cry it would drive | | | | instill courage and ferocity in a |
| whole armies back, Medieval Irish warriors | | | | full-frontal assault.Projected into an |
| were known to instill fear in even the | | | | opponent, the kiai can paralyze the mind |
| toughest most disciplined English troops. The | | | | momentarily |
| druids used a low-droning sound to un-nerve | | | | |
| the Roman legions in the battle field, and | | | | 2. a sudden un expected shriek causes the |
| G.I.'s returning from the pacific after world | | | | mind to "look for" the origins of the sound- |
| war 2 tell of a paralyzing Battle-cry that | | | | thereby distracting him/her for a moment thus |
| the Japanese used during bayonet charges. | | | | creating an opening |
| | | | |
| Oriental B.S.? Martial-arts fantasy or just | | | | 3. the Kiai is a spontaneous expression of |
| proper psychology and physics applied at the | | | | individual courage and ferocity, in essence |
| right moment? | | | | the kiai should ( or is supposed to ) psych |
| | | | you up. |
| In one form or another, The Kiai or spirit | | | | |
| shout has been touted to be an effective | | | | 4. Conversely - when the opponent is |
| psychological weapon in the battle field or | | | | expecting a Kiai and it is not delivered - |
| in one-on-one combat. Whether you are a | | | | the effect is the same - the mind is |
| believer in this or not, the Kiai, when | | | | expecting the battle-cry and is occupied with |
| executed properly is supposed to achieve the | | | | the expectation - thus distracting the |
| following: | | | | opponent again. |
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