Push Hands-- Respecting the Opponent

 

Push Hands-- Respecting the Opponent

 

Tai Chi is a comprehensive martial art originating from traditional Chinese martial arts that has both internal and external characteristics. Tai Chi Push Hands is an important practice method that trains sensitivity and use of gentle force, living up to the Taoist concept of softness overcomes hardness.

 

In Master Wu's Tai Chi Push Hands, there is an important concept called "respecting the opponent." One should always have respect for the opponent's strength and abilities. This attitude not only embodies the characteristics of gentleness found tai chi chuan,  but also employs wisdom when facing the unknown.

 

Military men have a saying, ‘I do not presume to own the field, but rather consider myself the trespasser.

I dare not advance an inch, but would rather withdraw a foot.’

There is no greater disaster than to underestimate the enemy

If I do, I risk losing all……. Lao Tzu

 

Tai chi chuan make use of internal energies, without the need to use strong force.   In push-hands practice we make use of eight variations, or expressions of internal energy, namely ward-off, rollback, press, push, pluck, split, elbow strike, and shoulder strike. Push hands training is the practice by which we can develop the eight energies and make them useful. Each of the eight energies has its own expression and characteristics. For example, ward-off energy is the action of supporting an opponent's force, while diverting it harmlessly away from your center. Rollback energy is the action of following an opponent's force, until it is spend and neutralizes. Press energy transforms an opponent's force so it becomes difficult to release. Push energy makes an opponent's stillness begin to move. Pluck, or pull energy causes an opponent's force to continue in a new direction. Split energy divides an opponent's force diagonally, Elbow strike is an action of using the elbow's momentum for attack or defend. And, shoulder strike is an action of using the body-weight to attack or defend.

 

Training Tai Chi Push Hands while maintaining a healthy respect for your opponent can not only improve your martial arts skills but also cultivate a peaceful mindset and respect for others outside of practice. It should be well understood that the eight energies are used by the arms in tai chi push-hands practice. However, these energies are not generated by the arm muscles. In fact, these energies are only available when the arms remain relaxed and empty of any clenching force. By relaxing and yielding, the arms may borrow force from outside sources such as gravity, momentum, force from an opponent, etc.  When this borrowed force is incorporated with the proper body structure, internal energy can applied with surprisingly power results.

 

Each posture in the tai chi form is designed to cultivate and express one or more of the eight internal energies. The energies of ward-off, rollback press, push, and shoulder strike all have postures of the same name within the form, indicating the body shape that can best deliver that type of energy. The energies of pluck (or pull), split, and elbow strike are hidden within other posture within the form. 

 

Before you can borrow energy you must yield. If you want to borrow money from a friend, you must first be humble and patient, ready to accept what is offered. The same is true in push-hands practice. If you want to borrow your opponents’ force, or use gravity to help you move, you must first relax and yield to the energy.

 

Professor Cheng Man Ching’s saying "to lose is to gain an advantage" is difficult to understand at first. It embodies the concept of yielding to borrow energy from an outside source. Being humble and patient is also a form of respect to your opponent. When someone comes to your house unexpectedly, you welcome them warmly and invite them in. It is the polite thing to do. In push hands practice, when your partner wants to come into your space, even unexpectedly, you can invite them in. This kind of moral cultivation seems risky. It seems to go against your better judgment.

 

However,  by opening the door you have avoided conflict and now many other doors are open to you.  You wouldn’t want to be trapped on your doorstep fighting off an intruder. Letting your opponent into your space is only a problem if you are trying to keep them out. Stepping back gives you many more options. And if you are greeting and unwelcome neighbor you can walk them right through the house and into the back garden.

 

Sitting back into the back leg and relaxing the arms, you are prepared to make use of the eight internal energies. Even if you sit back to the limit and can not yield any more, because you are relaxed, you can still step out the back door, unharmed. If an armed intruder should enter your house, it is very risky to stand your ground. Invest in loss, by giving up the house and you are in a much better position. Invest in loss is all about yielding to acquire a better position.  This is a form of refined mental cultivation.

 

By being relaxed and yielding,  you can make use of the energies of ward-off, rollback, press, push, pluck, split, elbow strike, and shoulder strike. Relying on these eight internal energies, and not brute force. Even when you are very powerful, you are polite. By yielding you train your legs to become very strong and stable. By yielding you encourage your partner to stretch forward and open the body with all the joints connected. Both players get a lot of benefit in the exchange. As your partner loses his balance forward and his energy wanes, you can use ward-off energy and borrow power form the ground through the legs to push him back into balance.  When an opponent presses against you, you give up space, sit back, relax your shoulders and elbows, sink your weight and turn, causing the phenomena of rollback and press. This is not about using force, but about feeling his force and following it without changing its speed or direction. The opponent is losing strength and losing balance at the same time. If he pushes harder he loses balance faster. If he tries to regain his balance, he loses his strength faster. As his strength is used up, you can add a small amount of borrowed energy to redirect his force so it no long poses a problem. This is a quality mentioned in the tai chi classics called using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds. In self defense, you might be tempted to let him fall. In push hands practice, you would catch his balance and set him back to a safe position. 

 

Push hands training is teaching you to not contend with your opponent directly. If you are pushed, you yield. If you are pulled, you follow. If his force is hard you must be soft. If he moves quickly, you also respond quickly. Tai chi is yin yang boxing. Within relaxing and yielding you need to keep a small amount of connection and stability.

 

When your opponent wants to retreat, you can support his intention and send him back. With a relaxed elbow and shoulder, you can borrow press energy. If he retreats too quickly and loses balance, you can catch his balance to prevent him from falling back, using pull energy. If you have a strong desire to win and dominate the opponent, you will find it hard to make friends and you will not be good at training yourself and others. It is through playful challenge and cooperation that you can get the best push hands training. If you are always careful because you do not want to lose, you will never approach your limits and go beyond. Having a coach that is eager to help you improve is more valuable than a whole team of competitors. 

 

When I coach my own student, I use press energy to allow him to train the relaxation of his shoulders and elbows, so that when he retreats, he can also retreat to his limit. Using press energy toward me, the student is training his ability to relax and dissipate force. With a small amount of cooperation both players show respect for each other and the process. Through their exchange both players get a chance to work on relaxing and yielding skills. This is Master Wu's Push Hands Secret of Respecting the Opponent.

 

On the surface, it seems like you are always yielding, but in reality, you are training your leg strength, stretching ability, flexibility, softness, sensitivity, breathing, and the skill of interacting with others in the process of push hands. At times it seems like you are at a disadvantage, but you are actually creating conditions that make it easy to gain control, right at the moment when power is available.