Why do martial arts fighters shout while fighting?
It’s a way of channeling agression and focusing it through their limbs to make a more forceful blow. Many martial arts include some kind of mystic religious types of things. They talk about your center and balance (not just physical) and through overcoming doubts in their minds it allows them to do things that many people might not find possible (I’ve seen a guy bend metal rods with his neck. I’ve seen people break concrete blocks with their forehead). It’s basicly a way to focus and to get extra power. It’s a way to block out distractions. In response to the person saying I didn’t mention the Ki or Chi… even if I mentioned it, that wouldn’t let people know what it means. I provided an explanation that makes sense to anybody. I may not have said the word but I explained what it means.
I don’t know that there’s ever been any scientific explanation, but I know from direct empirical experience that under some circumstances, it is possible for a very short time to exert greater strength if one’s effort is accompanied by a loud vocalization. This isn’t unique to martial arts, though it seems that many of the martial arts have fine-tuned this principle to a greater degree than is usually found outside of martial arts. I have very little experience with martial arts, but I have found this principle to be quite useful in much more mundane work basically almost any task that requires a very short burst of strength.
