Basic Principles of Push Hands (Tuishou) Practice
Push Hands (Tuishou), a kind of a Tai Chi practice with a partner,
is based on nine, out of thirteen, basic Tai Chi forms.
(Ta Lu includes all the thirteen basic forms.)
An apprehension and a realization of Tai Chi principles in the thirteen basic forms is
a basis of Tai Chi practice and it’s a key to achieving a quality and an efficiency of Tai Chi.
Push Hands is a “conversation” without words about a level of a realization of the principles.
Good partner is like a mirror for us.
Push Hands (Tuishou), a kind of a Tai Chi practice with a partner, is based on nine, out of thirteen, basic Tai Chi forms. (Ta Lu includes all the thirteen basic forms.) An apprehension and a realization of Tai Chi principles in the thirteen basic forms is a basis of Tai Chi practice and it’s a key to achieving a quality and an efficiency of Tai Chi. Push Hands is a “conversation” without words about a level of a realization of the principles. Good partner is like a mirror for us.
With a help of the Push Hands techniques, he can show us how we fulfill Tai Chi principles, where we make mistakes and what kind of limitations we have (a lack of a balance, the blocks, etc.)
With a help of Push Hands, our leading teacher has a possibility pass on to us the experiences which are hard to explain by means of words. A teacher has a chance to diagnose our blocks and he can help us to relieve them. He can also assess our achievements and progress in fulfilling Tai Chi principles or direct our individual practice.
Push Hands can be a very interesting method of exchanging the experiences between people cultivating different Tai Chi styles.
In our tradition good manners are crucial in the Push Hands practice :
- If we have not met our partner before, we introduce ourselves before starting doing an exercise
-Push Hands serves as an exchange of the experiences not as a competition.
It does not aim at defeating a partner. We do not try to prove anything forcefully. Because of that fact, we totally respect a level of our partner’s abilities, possibilities and experiences. Together with our partner, we specify the level on which we will exercise:
-Push Hands without steps or with
-Push Hands on one hand
-All basic techniques
-Full Push Hands
-Free Push Hands, etc.
-Ta Lu
-Dynamics of the practice
- We are bound to an unconditional principle of helping and looking after beginners or a person who has less experience than us. When we notice that our partner has some difficulties when doing an exercise, we should go on to practice on a lower level.
We can also point at a particular problem and try to explain it.
-In case of problematical situations, all the obscurity will be explained with our leading teacher.
These principles are binding in the frames of our tradition and agree with the rules obeyed at most international meetings.
Tomasz Nowakowski
February 2007 Austria
*Shapes of Balance (English Blog)*........*Refleksje o Taichi (Polski Blog)*
