Archive for the “push hands” Category

Hey All,

As some of you know, I also do some Taiji (or Tai Chi) push hands. While some may know of ‘structured’ pushhands, I’m referring to a more free-form or dynamic type. This has no set pattern or structure. I like to refer to this type of pushhands as ‘free-form pushhands’.

In ‘free-form pushhands’, it is still in a constructive and playful manner. The goal from an intellectual standpoint is to understand how your body takes on imposed forces (caused by pushing and pulling), and how to apply forces on your partner at the same time. From a physical standpoint, your objective is to take your partner off balance or control your partner.

As you ‘play’, you start to find that there is no truly ‘fixed positions’ and that the positions found in various taiji forms are merely reference points. You also start to understand (sometimes subconsciously first) that there are ‘preferred’ body mechanics. These ‘preferred’ mechanics, allow you to redirect or neutralize imposed forces, and help you to general forces with less effort.

But one of the most amazing things you will find is that during a 5 minute ’round’ of pushhands, you must control your breathing and your mind. If you don’t relax your breathing and calm your mind, you quickly exhaust yourself before the round is finished.

When pushhands are done properly, it’s more than about ‘shoving’ it’s about sticking to your partner, playing with control points, and understanding your weaknesses. To make pushhands truly work for you, you must remove your ego. Both you and your partner must become ‘students’, because you will always learn something from each session, regardless of how long you’ve played at pushhands.

If you ever get the chance, try it, you might find that you like it.

Until Next time,
Keep Training, Keep Praying, Keep Learning,
Chuck