PUSHING HANDS

Pushing Hands (Tui Shou) is a partner exercise, which involves the practicing of the drills such as 7 stars, 4 direction or single pushing hands in a playful and enjoyable manner this is a gateway for the students to experientially understand the martial aspects of the internal martial arts (內家 nèijiā): leverage, reflex, sensitivity, timing, footwork, coordination and positioning will all be developed.  This results in a  free-flowing movement developed with training; as a beginner all movement are done square, as you advance the movements become round until you can preform exercises  with eye closed then finically with stepping  movements with eyes closed using application.  Pushing hands works to undo a person's natural instinct to resist force with force, teaching the body to yield to force and redirect it. Push hands allows students to learn how to respond to external stimuli using techniques from their forms practice. Among other things, training with a partner allows a student to develop jing (listening power), the sensitivity to feel the direction and strength of a partner's intention. In that sense pushing hands is a contract between students to train in the defensive and offensive movement principles of their martial art: learning to generate, coordinate and deliver power to another and also how to effectively neutralize incoming forces in a safe environment.

Basic Pushing hand drills

Fixed and moving
single and with a partner

4 direction
5 Elements
7 Stars
8 Gates
9 palaces
Fu yang
Reeling silk

Fixed step

Single hand pushing hands
Push absorption training

Free form

Fixed step pushing hands
Restricted step pushing hands
Moving step pushing hands

---

Pushing Hands

Pushing hands - competition

Pushing Hands fixed step

Pushing hands - competitive style

---

Reeling silk

The image showing the hand pattern is example of how the hands move when reeling silk

The offensive and defensive nature of reeling silks whether done in a slow or fast manner integrate all the aspect of tai chi hence full use of techniques learnt are applied, this allows your imagination to expand during  practice with all shapes and sizes whether a powerful opponent or oneself.  The application and replication of form during the function of combat validates the effort to continue to cultivate strategy and tactic to the point of supreme confidence.

---

 When training Reeling silk as a beginner you get to understand and use of the 4 major Powers Pang, Lu and An. Then Ji when you progress to the next stage of reeling silk which includes an attack of either the head or waist.

The advantage of training Pushing hands in Tai Chi Chuan is to develop your defence energy through the use of circular force, timing, and movement.  These are enhanced during training and as you train and develop in Tai Chi.