To Kiai or Not to Kiai?

Ninjas don't kiai, so why should Shotokan practitioners?

Since the majority of my training is outdoors in local parks I don't kiai when practicing my kata. At the appropriate points in the kata I will internalize the kiai sometimes, or "grunt" kiai other times, but I tend to focus more on imagining the technique being effective, which means they are performed with sufficient force emanating from the core that a kiai isn't necessary (in my opinion).

I do believe though that a kiai/shout/yell/scream has it's place in a self defense situation. Anything which increases the "attack and self preservation" mode is certainly beneficial.  It also has the added advantage of alerting those nearby that something bad is happening which hopefully will cause them to assist, or at least call the police.

For kata though is a kiai necessary? I think the answer really is the underlying intent of the kiai - to yell just for the sake of yelling like you see in some "extreme karate" kata is nonsense in my opinion. A kiai incorporated into a finishing technique makes perfect sense though.  Since I view kata a a series of smaller interrelated techniques I will sometimes use an internal kiai when breaking the kata down into smaller sections as well, finding it helps punctuate the ending technique. I also "grunt kiai" sometimes working heavy bag combos - 1,2 - kiai/3!

A suggestion: practice your kata with the kiai added at different points.  Does it reinforce that section of the kata as being an integrated series of techniques ending in a finishing blow? Don't overdo it though - you don't want to become one of those "extreme karate" practitioners!

Well, that's all for now...