Video: Response / Push Hands Exercise of the Pre-Heaven Power Method

[suddenflower]

This video shows Master Wei-Chung Lin, a disciple of the YiZungYue School and the Chief Instructor of the Chinese Taoist Martial Arts Association in Skokie, Illinois, practicing the response (or fixed-step free-form push) hands exercise with students.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egflLAo_LGg

[mawali]

Great video presentation!

I am always amused by the lack of actual instruction in such venues.
How does one actually excel in tuishou instead of having to learn someone's form, which, by itself, is useless. No doubt, taolu is great for performance!

[Baxian]

suddenflower,

Thank you for posting. The method is different than what I have seen. Is is a different style from Yang or Chen, (the only push hands I have seen)?

Baxian

[suddenflower]

suddenflower,

Thank you for posting. The method is different than what I have seen. Is is a different style from Yang or Chen, (the only push hands I have seen)?

Baxian

I think the major differences between response hands and Yang Tai Chi free style push hands are as follows:
(1) The practitioners do not precede the free style interaction with a fixed pattern of push hands movements,
(2) The practitioners do not assume that the opponent will not strike or punch suddenly. When it happens, the training requires that the practitioner should still be able to protect him/herself from the attack. In many Yang style Tai Chi push hands trainings, it seems to me that this may not be a concern.

However, overall speaking, they are very similar.

[woliveri]

Interesting, but take a look at these as a contrasting view. Tony is over 70 in these videos. Wu Style Taiji.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M8Na...=1240028791.05

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gCAP...=1240028791.05

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfsvT...=1240028791.05

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV_AL...=1240028791.05

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu69d...=1240028791.05

`

[mawali]

Great wolvieri,

Now that is real functionality in training! I wish more teachers were like Tony Sifu .
It is one thing to do tuishou by the number or alphabet but at some point you have to add word, make sentences or do multiplication (function).

[suddenflower]

Interesting, but take a look at these as a contrasting view. Tony is over 70 in these videos. Wu Style Taiji.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M8Na...=1240028791.05

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gCAP...=1240028791.05

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfsvT...=1240028791.05

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV_AL...=1240028791.05

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu69d...=1240028791.05

`

The videos in the links you posted are not fixed-step free style push hands training. The differences (between response hands and Yang Tai Chi fixed-step free styleI push hands) I referred to are about this kind of exercise for sensitivity training. Of course, the ultimate goal of Tai Chi training is for combat situations and the videos you referred to address this aspect of Tai Chi.

[woliveri]

What do you mean by Fixed Step? I'm not clear on this training method and it's purpose.

I do notice that the teacher's stance in the original post's video is always the same. Right foot forward, left back. Not sure if he's doing that for the camera or what?

[suddenflower]

What do you mean by Fixed Step? I'm not clear on this training method and it's purpose.

Fixed step free style push hands training disallows the feet of the practitioners to move. The objective is to force the practitioner to yield or neutralize the opponent's attack by moving his/her body rather than getting away with footwork. In a competition, the one moving his/her foot first loses the match. It is a popular training in Yang or Cheng Man-Ching style Tai Chi.

I do notice that the teacher's stance in the original post's video is always the same. Right foot forward, left back. Not sure if he's doing that for the camera or what?

This is just his preferred side since he is right-handed. Of course, one needs to practice both sides (right foot front or left foot front) during training.