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Gigante
10-09-2001, 12:29 PM
I asked this question once before, but when I tried to check if someone had answered, I could not locate the topic. Perhaps it was deleted?

So I ask again, what is "pushing hands" ?

Best regards,
Gigante.

Kaitain(UK)
10-09-2001, 12:42 PM
post on the Wing Chun forum and the Taiji/internal arts forum - you'll get a better idea from there

"If ignorance is bliss, why aren't more people happy?"

Shaolin
10-09-2001, 12:44 PM
It's when 2 kung fu guys play patty cake. :mad:

Pain is weakness leaving the body.

Kaitain(UK)
10-09-2001, 12:50 PM
you seem very angry :)

nice profile - your rational calm mind shines through in much the same way as it does in your post - a strange departure from your usual posts

Something biting you?

"If ignorance is bliss, why aren't more people happy?"

honorisc
10-09-2001, 02:14 PM
An exercise in using T'ai Chi Ch'uan techniques and principles of nullifying force and issuing Strength.~

Very some such, perhaps might have been, likely say some, some not.

Gigante
10-11-2001, 11:50 AM
Thanks for your replies !

Braden
10-11-2001, 04:41 PM
Gigante - it's a two-man drill/exercise from taijiquan. It forms the basis for an understanding of the most important postures/energues in the art (along with short movement application practice) as well as creating a foundation for sensitivity skills (following, leading, yielding, rooting, etc). Done traditionally, it is a cooperative rather than competitive exercise at the beginning level. Practitioners train in a seamless cycle of pushing and yielding movements, powered by shifting of the weight and turning of the waist. The goal is to learn how to use a new way of using your body that is specific to taijiquan, rather than using all your muscular power to push the guy over, as you would if you were competing (ie. trying to win). The idea behind this is that, by cooperating in such a manner, you both can learn some new body mechanics which will be superior after they have been developed for some time. There are 4 basic techniques in pushing hands, which represent the 4 most important energies in taijiquan. They are "modular" concepts which can be used equally well for a variety of techniques, and the are "reactive" in the sense that what your opponent does dictates what your body does. Da lu is an "add-on" to pushing hands that encorporates the next 4 most important energies, "the four corners." In a nutshell, these are energies you can use to compensate for a failed attempt at using one of the primary energies. At even more advanced levels, all manner of attacks can be encorporated into pushing hands, and it can become very much like free sparring. This is not done early, as the competitive nature can steal the long term gains from the practitioner as I mentioned above. But it is still important in teaching proper structure, as things like the positioning of the elbows is very important to defend against for example, strikes to the floating ribs. And of course the best way to learn this is to have someone slapping your floating ribs when you raise your elbows.

I hope this answered some of your questions. I am not a taiji practitioner so undoubtedly I've made some mistakes that someone else is welcome to correct. :)