Similar question to the zanshin/mushin one: (how) are kiai used in your cma? What’s the Chinese for it?
Same as in JMA.
Unless you’re competing in one of those karaddy tournaments you see on ESPN, then you kiai all the time as if you’re trying to pass a pineapple through your rectum…
that is an unpleasant visual.
Yes, and all of your forms end in a dramtic pose with your hands shaking.
I must say, those karaddy tournies make for great entertainment when they air around 2 am.
I was uncomfotable using a kia when I wa sstudying Issin-Ryu in my younger years. Naturally I just kind of clenched my lips tigher and did an inner: Mmmmmnnnnnpppphhhh when I needed that extra boost.
I understand how my sensei argued that kia can break an aponant metally, but I wanted my technique to do that.
Now I kind of still do what I esed to do but no longer clench the lips. I’m much more calm and relaxed fighting. I make sure the tongue is on the roof and the teach are clenched but not too tighjtly – just right. I send that extra power boost and focus to where its needed when insides I’m doing Mmmmmmnphhhhh. That’s usually the point I transition from deflection to hitting. Or breaking through outright.
CMA
Hi, Heh, Ha and Huhn are used in Taiji depending on what direction you want to issue in.
each sound affects the body and issuing of power differently. If you hold your breath, you drive with the parking break on. The sounds are a guide, and they can become almost subaudible when mastered. not simply used to upset your opponent-alot of american second generation karate guys never quite got the gist of this.
Hung Ga uses sounds but we dont simply kiai or yell. The sounds are very exact and the execution comes along with particular breathing methods. I only know the tiger ones so far but ive seen a little of the crane sounds demonstrated as well.
There are also various tones that we use in Chi gung training and strength training which vibrate different internal organs. The sounds are hard to master and i still cant do it properly but i can certainly feel the effect they have.
Ive also felt the effect these sounds have on various structures particual tiger grips and some striking concepts and the effect can be staggering to say the least.
I only wish i understood it enough to explain it 
Although I must look and sound pretty wierd when i train, growling and clawing away:rolleyes:
In CLF (and a lot of CMA) there is not just one universal “kiai”. There are different sounds for different strikes. This, from what I understand is about different methods of issuing energy.
In kung fu its northern vs. southern, again
In northern styles there are is no shouting. The breath is normal and steady, as in a runners pace. The strikes and movements are rapid and frequent, and moves very broadly.
In southern styles, shouting is used because of the shorter and more abrupt compact power that is produced. Shouting in a sharp burst from the tan tien(diaphram) collapses the lungs and hardens the abdominal wall producing a very sturdy brace for the impact. Hybrid styles usually tend to include the shouting.
Don’t get me started on the tournament yelling. I just saw the US Open AGAIN on ESPN. The BS shaking and grimmacing reminded me of the winner at a cement eating contest. And whats with all the karate guys doing wushu elements in forms? Whats the deal? At least a wushu guy won for his efforts. He powdered his hands so they would smoke when he kicked them. The kicker,pardon the pun, was that he added elements from the karate guys routines. If my eyes rolled any further back; they would go full circle. :rolleyes:
My Sigong once told me about a style of qigong solely based on using different sounds to connect to different organs. It’s called ‘6 Healing Sounds Qigong’ or something like that. Not part of our style anyway. Quite interesting that you use different sounds in some MA as well…
I wish i coulda done some Wushu elements in my old Karate tournament days. The most acrobatic i got was doing Unsu or Kanku Sho as i studied Shotokan 
david
I remember in my first year of TKD, I felt weird and uncomfortable when I had to kiai.(If you thought Karate was bad, you should here some of the yells in TKD) My second year, I only used it as a way to psyc myself up when sparring.
A lot of ppl in TKD would yell “US” when sparring…it was weird.
Yeah…
I still remember when I was in tkd!..All the guys were shouting something like ASSSSSOOOO! when kicking. To me it sounded like " asshooole" ! … Imagine a room full of guys shouting that all the times! 
sometimes I **** when I overexert, does that count?
I said f.a.r.t
He said F A R T and his name is sticky fingers!
EEEEWWWWWWW!!!
It’s strange the new types of kiais they come up with in open tournaments like that shown on ESPN. Besides the people who stand there yelling and shaking for half a minute before the form even starts, like they’re giving birth to Godzilla Jr., they yell way too much, and too long after every strike. Also, some of them have kiais that just sound like “aaassssaahhh!” I think that might have started in the early '80s with Ernie Reyes Jr.
There is a husband/wife team who runs a highly successful kenpo karate school in L.A., and after each forms competition, their voices are ruined and hoarse for a couple days afterward because they really emphasize the meaningless over-screaming. I would imagine over time this type of training would cause irreversible damage to the body.
it’s funny watching forms competitions… the focus and intent needs to be there for only momenteraly. The shout doesn’t even need to be loud (it can also be silent), yet everyone shouts away! No wonder they’re hoarse after performing!
david
yea, there was this cat who came to our kung fu school once, and he walked through the place saying “oos” to everyone.
“oos, fellas, oos!” wtf is that?
i do the hhuumpphh with the mouth closed, teeth touching, toungue at roof but just to train the dan tien. i may do it in fighting only to distract my opponent, but that’s it.