Dune: The Spice Ki-ai

Lately here at Dojo Rat we've been exploring martial themes in popular movies, and this is a great example; Paul's fight with Feyd (played by Sting) in "Dune".

For those not familiar with the series of novels by Frank Herbert (a local writer from my corner of Washington State) here's the plot in a nutshell:

Paul Atreides is heir to a noble family that is sent to the desert planet Arrakis (Dune) to investigate the conspiracy to manipulate the most valuable commodity in the Universe: the mysterious "Spice", which allows users to fold time and space.
There are betrayals and double-crossing, giant "Sandworms" and a native resistance army of "Fremen" which aid Paul in his fight against the enemy Harkonnen clan.

Paul appears to be the long-prophesied messiah of Fremen legend, and the movie climaxes with this fight between Paul and Harkonnen Feyd-Rautha (Sting).

Author Frank Herbert is brilliant in his knowledge of desert culture, the occult and martial arts. Film director David Lynch distanced himself from this project after release, as aspects of this dark film were controversial and mostly appealed to followers of the book series.

What brings this video to Dojo Rat is the fight scene above. Not so much for the techniques, but for the Ki-ai which Paul uses to explode Feyd at the end of the fight.
As martial artists, we are taught to use the Ki-ai shout as a sign of intent, strength and intimidation. A weak Ki-ai sounds pathetic, a strong ki-ai takes years to perfect, and may change in subtle ways depending on use.
I read an account of an Aikido expert somewhere in the wilderness of Norway who was attacked by a moose. With no other choice, he let out a huge Ki-ai. Allegedly, the moose was dazed, staggered and briefly fell over.
I believe it. I have used the Ki-ai in similar ways. One time I was training for my first Black-Belt test and was running through some farmland in a California town. As I ran by one farm, three big dogs came out on the road and began to chase me. Well, there was surely no way for me to outrun the dogs, so I turned, stood my ground and let out the most vicious Ki-ai I could.
The dogs stopped in their tracks, turned around and ran back to the farm. The same thing happened on a dark rainy night walking down a street in Portland.

It seems clear to me that we cultivate Ki, or "Chi" for health and strength- which makes it available for use in stressful times. The Ki-ai is a great example of an expression of true intent and can be a valuable tool.

You can read more about "Dune" at this Wiki link.

The Power Of Ki-Ai

I've been thinking about how to put this post together for days now. For readers familiar with Dojo Rat, you know we have touched on the esoteric and somewhat occult aspects of the martial arts. I really wanted to introduce this post with a video of the Knife-fight scene between Paul and Feyd in the movie "Dune". If you haven't seen it, I can hardly describe it, except that Paul uses his voice -- a "KI-AI" to literally blow his opponent apart. Very Sci-Fi. Unfortunately, that video has been removed from the net, probably do to copyright issues.
The thing is, there really is something to it. Check out THIS ARTICLE, which talks about Master Mas Oyama in Tokyo. Remember, this is the guy that killed Bulls with his bare hands. (considered an animal rights violation by today's standards). This is a first-hand account of the power of the Ki-ai.
My mentor and senior instructor under Tae Kwon Do master Tae Hong Choi was very good at a deep, powerful Ki-ai. I myself sing a little, and play guitar. I actually trained in a church choir when I was a kid, and I'm pretty barrel-chested. I picked up that deep, from-the-gut Ki-ai and actually used it. I used in tournaments to accent my points. I always used it starting sparring matches, to judge my opponent's reaction. And I have used it twice to back down dogs that were chasing me. The first time, I was in California helping a girlfriend move. I went through a farm district on a light run, and found myself being chased by three dogs. They'll chase anything that runs. I couldn't outrun them, so I turned and let out a huge Ki-ai and stood my ground. The dogs turned and went yelping back to their property. It happened again several years later with two dogs in a suburban neighborhood.
Master Uyeshiba of Aikido was an expert in The Kotodama, or "Sacred sounds". The highlighted link explains some of this. Uyeshiba was said to have used it to disappear and reappear behind his attacker. When asked, he said "you can't use this too many times", refering that it took immense ammounts of energy to perform this feat and drew from prenatal Chi/Ki. I believe The use of sacred sounds goes back into antiquity, perhaps to Ancient Egyptian Hermetic theory. Of course, we know now that EVERYTHING is in a state of vibration. Water, rocks, glass, plants and animals. Everything. Now, If you can shatter a glass with an opera note, just what is happening?
Why not shatter a spirit?
Why not shatter an ego?
Why not shatter an attacker's aggression?