Kiai, Kiaijutsu, and forms of Kiai

Could anyone enlighten me regarding these terms, and how to practice them, techniques, etc.

Maybe post a link to audio/video?

Kiai is just a yell you do when performing a technique.

A proper kiai is not made with your vocal chords, that would eventually wreck them. You make it by producing a sound in the bottom of your throat, passing a lot of air past the flaps in your throat.

In my martial art there is a kiai for attacking, a kiai for defending, a kiai for counterattacking and a kiai for just generally demoralizing someone.

I have used kiai in a judo competition and it worked great, believe it or not. Kiai don't work too well in competition against people who know you're probably going to do it. But if you come accross as an extremely silent fighter and all of a sudden let loose a booming kiai next to their face, it'll shock them.

Good kiai also have the benefit of making you move more properly. Some will argue this with me I'm sure, but good kiai will just make you feel more relaxed and natural when you're doing a technique. Just seems to help with the flow of things for some reason.

Note, real kiai are nothing like you see in those stupid XMA extreme martial art shows on TV. You don't sit there and scream for 2 minutes like those children do. It's much louder, much more powerful and you do it while performing a technique (or before you perform one in the case of a duel, etc.. see "7 samurai" katana duel for an example of that)

I know the traditional Kiai of (in very weak terms) "shouting" when punching/kicking/etc. but I foudn out recently there were varieties of kiai, and I saw a few websites, but they did not really go into it. Can anyone explain to me, for example, a silent kiai, and the varieties of kiai and how to perform them?

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I know the traditional Kiai of (in very weak terms) "shouting" when punching/kicking/etc. but I foudn out recently there were varieties of kiai, and I saw a few websites, but they did not really go into it. Can anyone explain to me, for example, a silent kiai, and the varieties of kiai and how to perform them?

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A silent or "swallowed" kiai ( "fukimigiai") is often used as when blocking, and the "yelled" kiai when countering. Both are intended to tense the muscles at the moment of impact, and assist in proper breathing control when executing any technique.
HTH.