Suwari waza kokyu ho is an exercise well known to all Aikido practitioners. It is often misunderstood. Like any Aiki movement, it must respect the vertical axis, as shown in the video:
If this exercise is turned into a test of strength, it is obvious that the physically stronger person will prevail. This is how one of my long-standing friends used to choose his teachers in his youth. He would attend seminars, manage to hold the teacher in kokyu ho, and then apply a straightforward yet powerful grip. Very often, the teacher was unable to move, thereby demonstrating that they were opposing him and had not understood how to apply the ten-chi principle.
