James,

I don't really Ki-up in the sparring component but I do in the pattern component. I think that I should start though. In a sparring match, you want the judges to be watching you and counting your hits, not your opponents. I think a well placed Ki-up here and there will bring their eyes back onto you. Ideally, if you make a yell everytime you are certain you just scored a hit, then it makes the counting easy for them.

Yes I do Kia or Kihap when I score in a tournament. It is ingrained in my training, I really don't have much choice at this point.

I do not try to Kia or Kihap during a lull in the moment. I do not find it useful against trained fighters.

I find the Kia also helps to call attention of the judges to the point. Some inexperienced judges have to be scared awake sometimes before they call points. Especially the corner judges.

I would say the opposite is the case. I'm used to using a ki-up when making a technique with full force. I find that if I am training for light contact, or control, then I forget to ki-up or one that doesn't carry any emphasis, just enough to get me out of being yelled at by my instructor lol. Same goes for a tournament. Also, I find the mouth guard makes it difficult to vocalize.

Laura

you could try making the noise with your throat rather than your mouth. its what i do and i barely have to open my mouth, then again after 10-20 kiais i can barely talk.

I don't really kihap...its more like "ergh" when I attack.

Doesn't making noise alert someone of an impending attack?

Hehe...

I remember a student I once had. She was competing in a competition and was fighting an opponent who liked to clinch. Probably scared of getting kicked. So she clinched all the time. Didn't matter what you did. Didn't matter if she was the attacker or defender. After each kick, she clinched, effectively preventing my girl from kicking.

So, at the break, I told my student to shout when attacking and keep on shouting when the opponent clinched. And when in a clinch, to fake as if she's moving out to kick accompanied by a very loud shout within ear-shot of the opponent. This would make the opponent not so inclined to clinch.

And what did my student do? She kept yelling INTO the poor girls ears. Putting her mouth within inches of the poor girl and yelling INTO it. She got a few penalties for that.

At the next break, I had to tell her "No more yelling. No more yelling!"

I do.. I yell as loudly as I can in all my competitions. At the begining and end of my form, during the free spare comp each time I punch or kick, and a most definate loud ki-up when breaking!