OK, let's start with something simple. You teach aikido. How many people do you have to work with to have them keep their shoulders down and relaxed. It's very common - among not only beginners, but guys with a bit of muscle bulk to do a few predictable things: They lock their shoulders up - thus coupling the shoulder with their torso - and, the hold their breath - and then try to muscle their way through it. And, you, as I'm sure you do show them how to ....lower...relax...release the shoulders, in order to let the - whatever you call it - ki, power, energy, path - travel through their arms - rather than being blocked at the shoulder point. And it's that decoupling of the shoulder from the torso that allows the .....[insert ki-ish word of your choice] to flow.

It's the same with the feet and toes. coupled toes to feet are the same as coupled shoulders/arms to torso. If you stand feet flat on the floor, you're feet - under the pressure of your body are coupled to the floor. The flow of energy is blocked - at least enough to not allow for the power (directed, transformed energy) to move out of the body and into the ground.

By creating a point - big toe, other toes, one of two points on outer ball, and one on heel - take your pick - you decouple the body from the floor - creating a drain channel for the energy - which, at that point, has been transformed from energy into power.

Also, in the case of getting hit - rather than the vibrations of the hit remaining in the body - they can quickly be discharged into the ground.

I hope that helps. Let me know if you could explain it. I'm still working on a good model to explain the cones and decoupling. I'm getting there. LOL.... and I appreciate you're helping me pick this apart.