Kime is where mind, body and spirit meet with intent, from the core of your being, to the point of delivery. It plays a crucial role in combat and at the same time indicates a spiritual inner process. So what does all this even mean? Kime is a word with a big meaning, so big that it’s hard to explain or even understand. This is probably why few people are able to get into the mindset of using kime. It takes practice, power, dedication & maybe even a lot of meditation to get to be able to open up your kime. Kime is not just power, focus, acceleration or doing something rapidly. Kime is more the energy & spirit which can give you the ability to perform what you do at a high level.
Kime needs a huge concentration on your spirit, mind and physical body – when you can master these in combination you could use the power of kime to hit a particular point, if you are a fighter. Kime is like a ‘Qi’, an energy. In this case it can only be ignited and maintained from within one’s mind with the subconscious of physicality.
Being able to use Kime you must go trough high quality training:
Spiritual training – learning about insight and balance in your own feelings & healing, creating a calmness and understanding of existence within and universal.
Physical training – high activity that enhances physical fitness and overall health & wellness, with the outcome of strength, flexibility & acceleration.
Technical training – Repeating & mastering the motion of what movement you want to channel Kime through. For example a focused & perfect punch in martial arts.
Mental training – Using specific methods and techniques to improve performance by developing self-confidence and creating a positive mind-set through goal setting, positive self-talk & visualisation.
When using the kime in performance you must use the knowledge of all 4 training categories at once. This should give you the ability to be relaxed, concentrated/focused & have the perfect timing. Most people are good at one or two of these areas, but you need all three! When it’s time to bring out Kime you need to switch from relaxation to contraction just before impact/movement. If you tense your muscles too early, your technique decelerates. If you tense your muscles too late, you’ll hurt yourself. At the point of impact the whole body should tense up as strongly as possible and the lungs emptied of air sharply at the point of contact. You need to coordinate your relaxation and contraction just right!
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1357034X06070885?journalCode=boda
http://www.traditionalshotokankarate.co.uk/kime.html
https://shotokantimes.com/2019/06/11/kime-remarks-misunderstood-concept/