In karate, the kiai is a short, quick yell that karate-ka let out before or during a move to sharpen their technique and startle an opponent.
Martial arts masters could go on forever about the purposes of the kiai, but the general agreement is that it helps to channel the body’s internal and external power into a single directed burst.
If you’ve ever watched tennis at any level, you’ve probably realized that the tennis equivalent of the kiai is the grunt. Tennis players grunt. A lot. There are lots of different grunts in tennis, and women tend to out-grunt the men.
For instance, any match between Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams usually turns into a symphony of interesting audibles.
Sharapova’s grunt is particularly distinct; the vicious high-pitched screech every time her racquet hits the ball makes her sound like a pterodactyl in heat (or at least what I think a pterodactyl in heat would sound like, and anyone who has proof to the contrary should take it up with me).
Williams, on the other hand, expels a grunt that begins guttural but ends sharp and screechy, bringing to mind visions of a Xena-like Amazonian woman about to snap her poor opponent to bits.
I sat in the sun on Tuesday, doing primary research for this by watching the Oregon tennis teams at practice.
And I came to the conclusion that the ancient Japanese martial arts masters were right: The kiai – and by extension the grunt – functions as a focus point through which athletes channel their concentration. In tennis, it also serves another purpose: It helps the player get into a rhythm.
For instance, the consistency and volume of Francisco Gallardo’s grunting is a direct correlation of how far into The Zone he is.
Gallardo’s quick, short hiss of ‘heaa’ comes upon contact with the ball. But he doesn’t start the grunt until he’s gotten into a steady back-and-forth rally with his opponent. Then, the grunt comes on every return, and falters when he mishits.
Compact but muscular, 5-foot-6-inch Eric Pickard, on the other hand, is the little man with the loudest game. And I mean that literally.
Pickard’s grunt is a “huhhh” on the backswing, and an “uhhh!” upon contact that resonates through the air and drowns out the noises that anyone else makes on-court.
The rhythmic “hea-UH!”, “hea-UH!” that emanates from Pickard’s court every time he winds up and smacks the ball into oblivion is the most kiai-like grunt I’ve ever heard from any tennis player, and it always sounds more as if Pickard is engaged in hand-to-hand combat than actually playing a racket sport.
But if you’re talking grunt replication, Ceci Olivos of the women’s team takes the cake. The girl makes the exact same sound – or a very, very close variation of it – every time she gets ready to hit the ball.
Olivos’ grunt is more of a hiccup-like noise than an actual grunt. And it’s evident that it is almost purely for concentration purposes. Her short cry of “heah!” comes as she’s cocking back her racket, right before she actually hits the ball. And it kinda trails off every time she flubs a shot.
Clearly, cultivating a unique grunt is as much a part of tennis as a wicked backspin or a bullet-like serve.
So in this case, Shakespeare was completely wrong. This is a tale told by a budding sports journalist whose contention is that the tennis grunt is full of sound and fury and signifies plenty if you’re willing to spend some time deciphering what it says about its owner’s game.
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