Kime
決め
In karate, the instant tensing of the body at the right moment of a technique, focused in the abdomen. Literally “decision”, from the verb kimeru.
Quick Facts
Word breakdown
Definition
Kime (決め) is a noun from the verb kimeru, to decide, to determine. In karate it denotes the power and focus of a technique, specifically the instant tensing of the body at the right moment of a punch, kick or block. The tension is concentrated mainly in the abdomen and lower abdomen, which the Japanese call hara or tanden. A technique without kime looks like a mere movement of an arm or leg. In other arts the word has a different meaning. In judo it appears in the name kime-no-kata, translated as “kata of decision”, and in some other budo it denotes an attack on a sensitive point.
In practice
Kime is practiced mainly in kihon and kata: the technique is performed quickly and relaxed, and only at the moment of impact does the body tense for a very brief instant. Immediately afterward the practitioner relaxes in order to follow up with another technique. Kime is often combined with an exhalation or with the shout kiai.
Relations to other terms
See also
A short energetic shout in Japanese martial arts. It tightens the trunk, supports the exhalation and in kendo is a condition for a strike to be scored.
Hara腹The belly, in martial arts chiefly the lower belly as the body's center of gravity. The point below the navel is seika tanden, the Japanese counterpart of the Chinese dantian.