Aspects of Breathing in the Martial Arts

Part One: The Fundamentals

Roberto Delicata
[email protected]
Wolfson College Taido Club
Wolfson College, Linton Road, Oxford. OX2 6UD. UK
7th December 2002

Introduction
The role of breathing in the martial arts is complex, and extends far beyond
the physical act of oxygenating the blood. In this essay I will explore some
of the aspects of breathing as they apply to the martial arts, both as a combative discipline and as a promoter of health and longevity.
The wealth of breathing techniques championed by martial arts instructors
is almost as diverse as the styles that these instructors practise. As a karate
student well conditioned to exhaling strongly whilst punching, I was duly
reprimanded for doing so in a Shaolin kung-fu class. Why are you breathing loudly?, I was asked. If you breath loudly, your opponent will know
that you are about to attack!. Whilst I cannot fault the logic in this, the
justification for audible breathing is equally as convincing. I use this to highlight the fact that there is rarely a single right way to do anything in martial
arts. For much of this essay I favour the discussion of principle over technique, since the principles of martial arts are, in general, more uniform than
the way they are implemented within particular styles. Where I do descend
into discussion on technique, it should be borne in mind that a method is
being talked about, and not the method.

Breathing techniques
At a very basic level, karate students are taught that breathing plays an
important role in the correct execution of technique. Inhalation should take
place through the nose and exhalation through the mouth. Inhalation is usually performed in the transition between stances or positions and exhalation
proceeds whilst the technique is performed. If a sequence of techniques occur in quick succession, the exhalation is usually spread over the number of
techniques involved. One master, Kenko Nakaima, professed that breathing
(during kata training) should be natural, exhaling with a sharp hiss when
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striking. He went on to add that, in combat, the breathing should be undetectable. Yoshio Itokazu of Goju-ryu also believed in this principle. The
apparent contradiction between the techniques that are trained, and those
that are applied in combat mirrors the difference between karate-breathing
and kung-fu-breathing mentioned above. Eiichi Miyazoto, also of Goju-ryu,
discussed breathing technique at greater length:
Inhale slowly through the nose using the lower abdominal muscles, and in the same way gently ease the air out through the
mouth with a guttural hiss. This sound is coincidental to the
breathing and should not be made on purpose.
Shoshin Nagamine taught that a defensive technique should be executed with
inhalation, whereas an offensive technique should be executed with exhalation. These views are all joined by a common thread: they teach the what,
but not the why. The rudiments of correct breathing are oft stated but rarely
explained. In all of the examples above, the teachers advocate that exhalation
should accompany an offensive technique. Why is this? One fundamental
reason is that if you are hit in the chest while your lungs contain air, you
are likely to become winded. Emptying your lungs avoids this danger. It is
also said that the purpose of kihon (basic training) is to unify the mind and
body with the breath. This is most clearly seen in kiai, of which I will have
more to say later. In some way then, karate is underpinned with the belief
that exhalation whilst performing a technique binds the intent of mind and
body: a strong, powerful exhalation promotes the execution of a strong and
powerful technique
Many of the Okinawan styles advocate breathing from the abdomen rather
than from the chest, not just while training but all of the time. The Japanese
phrase, bu no chikara, is used to describe the hidden strength that is thought
to result from this. It is believed that such abdominal breathing engages the
tanden - the centre of the bodys intrinsic energy, or ki. The tanden is located
just below the navel and is important in internal martial arts such as tai-chi,
and in styles of karate that teach kyusho-waza (techniques performed to the
bodys vital points). The Koju-ryu employs muscle breathing exercises that
help to harden the body internally and allow the body to take a blow on any
surface without damage.
In Taido, there are four methods of breathing that relate to the four scenarios experienced by a person being attacked. Each breathing technique is
made up of two components: inhalation and exhalation. Both the inhalation
and exhalation can be performed at two speeds, quickly or slowly. The four
methods are therefore as follows:
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Method
1.
2.
3.
4.

Inhalation
Fast
Fast
Slow
Slow

Exhalation
Fast
Slow
Fast
Slow

A fast inhalation is carried out when a possible threat becomes apparent

- the taidoka inhales quickly in preparation to move. A slow inhalation is
conducted when there is no apparent threat, but the taidoka still needs to
maintain a state of awareness and readiness (zanshin). A fast exhalation
indicates that a perceived threat is real and marks the transition into a defendable position such as kamae. Conversely, a slow exhalation marks a
continued state of readiness, even though there is no immediate threat.
It should come as no surprise that fast breath is used to match a fast action,
and a slow breath is used to match a slow action. This can be experienced
by trying to perform your favourite technique at full speed and power, whilst
breathing slowly. Deliberate and controlled breathing also promotes a state
of readiness and calmness - If you can control the breath, you can control
the mind (think about the difficulty of acting rationally when the body is
struggling for breath). Similarly, if you can control the mind you can control
the body (think about the conflict between mind and body that arises when
you are in the middle of a gruelling run) . Moreover these breath-mind and
mind-body relationships are transitive: If you can control the breath, you
can control the body. The ability to control the body is a core principle in
martial arts.

Kiai
The breath can be used to mirror the bodys intent. A strong, powerful
exhalation promotes a strong and powerful technique. In addition, the use of
abdominal breathing can reinforce the bodys resolve and the ability to strike.
The natural extrapolation of these principles results in the performance of
kiai. The physical act of kiai involves tightening the muscles of the body
(including the diaphragm) on impact, and exhaling forcibly to produce a
shout. Kiai literally means spirit convergence and is a state of being which
is meant to express a harmony between the body and the mind. In his
autobiography, Funakoshi recounts a tail of the karate master Matsumura,
who once defeated an enemy using only his kiai. The physical shout of the
kiai can be used to scare the opponent, something that Musashi states as
being of great importance:
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The difference between a half-hearted scream intended to scare

the enemy off and a resolute shout is the difference between bragging and making a commitment to attack.
It is also said that the act of kiai causes the throat to harden - in defence
against a strike to the front of the neck.
Although the use of vocal kiai is championed by the majority of martial
arts, it is by no means universal. Kaneshima, of Tozan-ryu, believed that
the kiai shout is not necessary for karate training, and is in fact, a waste of
time. Indeed, some schools teach that the use of kiai marks a weak point in
the martial artists attack, since it causes the body to become tense. Many
higher graded sensei refrain from performing an audible kiai, preferring to
give an introspective kiai on impact; strong but subdued. It is an unfortunate side-effect of competition karate that more value is ascribed to the
physical shout than to the internal aspects of kiai.

Mushin
The principle of mushin, or no-mindedness is important to zen martial arts
such as karate. When fighting in a state of mushin, the body reacts to stimuli without the intervention of the mind; thoughts do not cloud the bodys
intent and the body acts freely.
The principle of mushin may appear too esoteric for some, but it is, in fact,
completely natural. While you are reading this, you are not thinking about
reading it, you are merely reading it. As soon as you think about reading, it
becomes much more difficult to read - the mechanics of intentional reading
inhibit your ability to read. It is the same with martial arts - when confronted by an enemy (and all the attendant fears), the intervention of mind
can only be a hindrance - inserting thought where your best guide is instinct.
Mushin is sometimes experienced during the practice of meditative sitting,
or zazen. People sitting for the first time often find the sitting uncomfortable
and the mind remains extremely active. The process of breathing deliberately, and in particular the counting of the breaths, helps to focus the mind
on a single activity. This is often called one-pointed attention. The same
principle applies in martial arts - intentional breathing can be used to focus the mind. Once the mind is focused on a single thing it can make the
transition from one-pointed attention to no-pointed attention - the state of
mushin. If this explanation seems unclear, it is because no-mindness is not
something that can be easily described, but can only be experienced.
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Conclusion
In this essay, I have touched on a few aspects of breathing in the martial arts.
A closed mind can never learn; only an open mind can be free. The pursuit
of freedom; freedom from fear, prejudice, conflict and a multitude of other
restrictions to which we are necessarily bound, is a lofty goal for any martial
artist to aim for. As with life itself, a martial art has nothing to do with
the goal, and everything to do with the journey. Breathing, a vital action
that is for the most part performed entirely unconsciously, helps us along
this path by allowing us to control the body and the mind. The application
of techniques such as kiai can fuse the bodys power, intention and resolve,
into a single point. Breathing can also help to promote the calm, lucid and
free state of mind that can lead to mushin. In this way, the act of intentional
breathing helps to draw together many disparate threads in the practise of
martial arts.

Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Sensei Lars Larm and Sensei Tim Steel for their comments
on this essay.

References
[1] Mark Bishop. Okinawan Karate - Teachers, styles and secret techniques.
A & C Black (Publishers) Ltd., 1989.
[2] Gichin Funakoshi. Karate-Do - My Way of Life. Kodansha International,
Ltd., 1975.
[3] Miyamoto Musashi. Book of Five Rings. Charles E. Tuttle Company,
Inc., 1994. Translated by Stephen F. Kaufman.
[4] Shoshin Nagamine. The Essence of Okinawan Karate-Do. Charles E.
Tuttle Company, Inc., 1998.
[5] Geir Stre. Karate Kata Training. Talman Co. - New York, Paul H.
Crompton Ltd. - London, 1994.
[6] Robert Twigger. Angry White Pyjamas. Phoenix, 1997.