Kiai for Kote

by Barbara

I was always wondering about the right kiai for the kote. With men and dou it's easy, as it's only one syllable. But what about 'kote'?

I've heard about all sorts of different ways. People yelling 'kote!' (with different stress, some on ko, some on te), people yelling only 'te!'. Which is correct to do?

Thank you for your wonderful guides.

Answer: Nice question. And you’re very welcome!

Kiai is something we have differently. Here is what I was told.

The end of the kiai should rise. So when you say kote, the stress falls on “te”. Ko is not very important but we have to shout “te” loud and long.

Once you become more advanced, a shout of “men” should be “mennnnnnn” in stead of “meeeeeeen”. Make “me” short and “n” long.

The point here is that we yell as if we are squeezing all the kiai out.

How long do we shout?

Until we show our zanshin.

Hope this helps.