Ibuki
息吹
Forceful breathing in Goju-ryu and Kyokushin karate: a loud, long exhalation with a tightened trunk, typical of the kata Sanchin.
Quick Facts
Term typeTraining method
LanguageJapanese
Formnoun
Pronunciation[ee-boo-kee]
Alternative Namesforceful breathing
Readings and romanizations
Reading (kana)いぶき
Hepburn romanizationibuki
Word breakdown
息ikibreath
吹fukito blow
Definition
Ibuki (息吹) means “breath”: iki is breath, fuki is blowing. In karate it denotes forceful breathing, in which the practitioner inhales through the nose and exhales long and loudly through the mouth, with the abdominal muscles drawn in and the trunk tightened. Ibuki is typical of the Goju-ryu and Kyokushin schools. It is practised mainly in the kata Sanchin and Tensho, where breath governs the rhythm of the movement, and it also serves to calm down after demanding training.