Can you describe what kokyu ho is.

I'll go u one better... here's a pic form Karl Friday's book.
http://neijia.com/KokyuHo.jpg

Also variously called reiki-no-ho and more accurately kokyu-tanden-ho.

Basically, the idea is to use your dantien/tanden to come under the person's power. Essentially, the same idea with all internal skills... fang sung, use the dantien, use the ground, use the mind to will the force (yes, Luke, use the Force), use the breath to augment etc. etc. etc.

^ I call that a seated powerclean Okay, that's a little different...

or is that more an exercise of leveraging with a cooperating partner who maintains a wrist-grab in order to complete the waza? kidding

there's a simplier and less etherial way of thinking about kokyu-ho that spans breathing principles from all fighting Arts: inhale when receiving momentum, exhale when transmitting it.

Thanks for the link.
So would you say that this is using your center of gravity to get under the persons base of power and break their root?

Ed,

Synchronizing the breath cycle with the movement has little to do with it. You can be holding your breath and still make it work.

Chris,

Think of it this way.... the triangular base of the seated posture provides 3 points (knees and feet) and 2 edges (shins) of contact with the ground. Force acting on the structure is directed to the ground and bounced back - internally - thru your structure into their structure. Changing the vector of the GRF is what causes the other person to uproot...all by themselves.

So the harder they push, the more they uproot themselves - depending on how well you can hold your structure and redirect the GRF thru the holes in their structure.

So, no, Ed, you don't need a cooperative uke to do this, although having one in the early learning stages helps.... simply because the opposite is also true. Even if I as uke am grabbing, if I can find a path vector under your power to your "holes", I can easily uproot you.

Sometimes, there is a pin/hold down at the end when you uproot the other person.... if you lose the connection with the ground whilst pinning, or cannot maintain your structure and the ground path, the person being pinned on the ground can also uproot you - if they know how.

Does that make sense?

So what does this have to do with qi/ki? I'll let you guys figure that one out...

If it's not too much of a derail, I found this video pretty interesting (the top/down camera shots of body movement):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y8XMWG4Leo

Shimada sensei states that "Ritsuzen (standing meditation) is 80% on the inside and 20% on the outside."

I dunno harlan.... I feel Shimada is... TOO "external". For comparison, have a look at this video and tell me what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZdtM5p6ZkA&mode=related&search=

And while you're at it, you might want to casually ask your teacher about Toumei na Chikara...