DArnold
Purple Belt
If a Kihap adds power to a move then why not Kihap on every move??
Kihap
- Thread starter DArnold
- Start date
Great question, I do not believe it gives more power, I believe it just helps get you mantally ready for battle. I also believe it is a way to help keep the judges from falling a sleep during competition.
myusername
Brown Belt
As a guess would it be because to continuously kihap without break would mess up your breathing and lose you power? Surely your quality of Kihap would suffer after a continous assualt on the voice box?
Personally Kihapping is a struggle for me! I'm only a white belt and it always sounds strange and forced when I have to kihap! Though it is far from my intention my kihaps sound slightly sarcastic and fake. I'm probably just too self concious about doing it so it actually messes up my technique a little when I have to. Hopefully that will pass though as I progress.
Personally Kihapping is a struggle for me! I'm only a white belt and it always sounds strange and forced when I have to kihap! Though it is far from my intention my kihaps sound slightly sarcastic and fake. I'm probably just too self concious about doing it so it actually messes up my technique a little when I have to. Hopefully that will pass though as I progress.
There are so many reasons. Here's a few....
- It slows you down. It takes time to inhale, pressurize and exhale. If you do that on every move you get slowed down to that pace
- It makes you predictable
- The yell loses its focusing effect if it's ubiquitous
- It loses its surprise and shock value
- You lose half of every movement (a discussion for another time)
- You get fixated on which movements are for generating and forget that each can also alleviate or receive
- Even if it added power, which is open to debate, not every move is supposed to be a power move
- It becomes easy to hit you on the inhale because it's blindingly obvious when you are inhaling
- It makes it difficult for you to shift gears and hit or block on the inhale
igillman
Purple Belt
We were told that you kihap in sparring to let the judges know that you just tried to score a point. I have seen people kihap before they make the move which is amusing as it just lets the other person know that you are about to kick.
With the right type of kihap you can scare the opposition a bit which helps out mentally when sparring.
Other than that I have not found it helpful and sometimes even distracting particularly when you stutter on it before kicking.
With the right type of kihap you can scare the opposition a bit which helps out mentally when sparring.
Other than that I have not found it helpful and sometimes even distracting particularly when you stutter on it before kicking.
dancingalone
Grandmaster
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This is a great teaching opportunity and I can't wait for your own answer to the question, Mr. Arnold.
From my perspective, kihap is a tool to help you focus your energy, kinetic or even the more elusive ki, into your target. I think of it like a manifying lens while might help you capture the sun's rays in order to make a fire. The sun's energy was always there, now you're just refining it into a smaller target than before which creates the desired output. It's the same with a kick or a punch when you kihap. You actually don't need to kihap if you have sufficiently mastered whole body movement and the concept of intent, and even for beginners it's probably self-defeating to use on each and every move.
newGuy12
Master of Arts
Yes, me too!
I can only say this -- if I were to kihap with every single move I would be wore out before too long!
In hyung applications Ki-happing every move would get really old and annoying quickly.
I've also seen a few sparring matches where the person would ki-hap everytime they'd kick, and as tellner said the attack was blatantly obvious and very predictable.
And I would imagine the ki-hap'er would exhaust quickly if they did it on every move, as Newguy inferred. I know I put power behind my ki-haps; come from the toes. I would surely exhaust quickly.
And if you yelled with every move soon you wouldn't be able to yell at all. Screaming and yelling will take a heavy toll on the vocal folds
I don't really see the ki-hap giving more power, but again this is debatable. Aside from the purpose of regular breathing, and by chance inflicting fear into an opponent(similar to the way battle screams were echoed across the battlefield before the battle had started had started).
I wouldn't worry to much about it.
I've heard blantantly sarcastic ki-haps like "DIEEE" and at a recent torunament "OHHHHHHHHHHH" every time the guy thought he landed a point.
I've also seen a few sparring matches where the person would ki-hap everytime they'd kick, and as tellner said the attack was blatantly obvious and very predictable.
And I would imagine the ki-hap'er would exhaust quickly if they did it on every move, as Newguy inferred. I know I put power behind my ki-haps; come from the toes
. I would surely exhaust quickly.And if you yelled with every move soon you wouldn't be able to yell at all. Screaming and yelling will take a heavy toll on the vocal folds
I don't really see the ki-hap giving more power, but again this is debatable. Aside from the purpose of regular breathing, and by chance inflicting fear into an opponent(similar to the way battle screams were echoed across the battlefield before the battle had started had started).
I wouldn't worry to much about it.
I've heard blantantly sarcastic ki-haps like "DIEEE" and at a recent torunament "OHHHHHHHHHHH" every time the guy thought he landed a point.
FearlessFreep
Senior Master
I watched one of those "fight science" shows (on Discovery? or another Sports channel?) where they added power sensors to a stack of bricks and had a guy breaking them with his head. He did it with and without a kihap and the difference was significant.
A lot of people just yell when the kihap and it's just coming from the throat and it can intimidate I guess but it doesn't add and practical value. I good kihap is really just a good breath... and maybe you are loud on it as a mental reminder, but it should come from your diaghram, not your throat, and when it does that it tightens your core muscles which adds stability (and therefore power) to your strike.
I think the volume of a kihap is partially just a training tool to remember to coordinate your strike impact with your breathing (as my instructor says "It let's me know you're still awake" : ) but I've trained with some good fighters who just exhale and if you're close you'll hear the hiss of breath.
Bu tI suppose you can't kihap on every move because you can't breath that fast A mean, do you kihap on the jab or the reverse punch?
A lot of people just yell when the kihap and it's just coming from the throat and it can intimidate I guess but it doesn't add and practical value. I good kihap is really just a good breath... and maybe you are loud on it as a mental reminder, but it should come from your diaghram, not your throat, and when it does that it tightens your core muscles which adds stability (and therefore power) to your strike.
I think the volume of a kihap is partially just a training tool to remember to coordinate your strike impact with your breathing (as my instructor says "It let's me know you're still awake" : ) but I've trained with some good fighters who just exhale and if you're close you'll hear the hiss of breath.
Bu tI suppose you can't kihap on every move because you can't breath that fast
A mean, do you kihap on the jab or the reverse punch?
I find that usually in a form, the Kihap is some type of finishing technique or the last in a sequence. If done properly, it can increase energy delivered.
the point about it being used to alert the judges of a point I'm not so sure about.....First off, the judges should be paying attention anyway. Second, it seems to me like a lot of people use it as more of a diversionary tactic. To trick the judges into thinking it was a point or make a technique look and sound more powerful.
the point about it being used to alert the judges of a point I'm not so sure about.....First off, the judges should be paying attention anyway. Second, it seems to me like a lot of people use it as more of a diversionary tactic. To trick the judges into thinking it was a point or make a technique look and sound more powerful.
When you watch an XMA exhibition, and the participant kiups on every move, what does does that do to the effectiveness of the demonstration or of the technique? To me, it makes the kiup as mundane as the technique, and it quickly loses effectiveness.
The kiup is supposed to be placed around the technique that, theoretically, is supposed to finish the job, and therefore requires the most power and element of surprise.
A good kiup requires a lot of energy, and kiuping everytime, in addition to removing the element of surprise and power, would quickly tire you out.
The only exception I can think of when we do this in our class is doing yup chin (knife hand strike-reverse punch) where we kiup on every punch.
The kiup is supposed to be placed around the technique that, theoretically, is supposed to finish the job, and therefore requires the most power and element of surprise.
A good kiup requires a lot of energy, and kiuping everytime, in addition to removing the element of surprise and power, would quickly tire you out.
The only exception I can think of when we do this in our class is doing yup chin (knife hand strike-reverse punch) where we kiup on every punch.
Laurentkd
Master Black Belt
You would think not- but if I recall correctly it seems this self-cheering got big because of seeing fighters do it in the Olympics!
When we free fought, we sometimes lunged forward a little bit before a sliding side kick to mentally throw our opponent off balance. We only did this after we established that we could knock them back, and only once in a while.
If you do it every time, they understand it and it won't work. The kiup is the same way. Do it too often and the opponent isn't startled anymore.
If you do it every time, they understand it and it won't work. The kiup is the same way. Do it too often and the opponent isn't startled anymore.
- Thread Starter
- #17
Not really as the idea you state and tellners guesses are off the mark.
I studied Kendo for 2 years and they Kihap on every move.
Every white belt struggles with Kihapping (the self concious thing is the number one reason)
You should think of it as a technique that needs to be practiced. It is no differnt than a punch or a kick. I teach my students that by blue belt they need to be able to stop someone with a Kihap!
Anyone know why they Kihop on every move in Kendo?
newGuy12
Master of Arts
Surely this is not true as stated -- if it WERE true, then in all one-steps, there would be only the block (or parry, or avoid), and then only a SINGLE counterstrike. This is certainly not the case, though.
In my mind, TKD techniques can levy GREAT power, but as in American Kenpo thinking -- not every strike is a "major" strike. There are "minor" strikes as well -- strikes that do not seek to end it, right now.
Please do not let this thread die until the question is answered. My interest is piqued.
