The concept, function and training procedure of Push Hands:
Push Hands is a practice of Tai Chi routines with combative elements. It draws on the actual combat experience of traditional Chinese martial arts. It is organically combined with the routine movements and physical use of Tai Chi. Without any protective gear, it uses the methods of grabbing, throwing, and falling in the boxing frame to conduct confrontational combat. Through the practice of Push Hands, you can experience the internal strength of Tai Chi more deeply and practically, and you can also train the tactile sense and reaction of the whole body. This is also the transition stage and training method from “practice” to free-hand combat in the process of learning Tai Chi. Push Hands exercises that conform to the boxing theory and are well-trained can regulate the central nervous system and improve the functions of organs throughout the body.
The study of Tai Chi generally goes through three links: practice, push hands, and free-hand. Push Hands is the middle link between practice and free-hand. Practice is “body” and free-hand is “use”. Without Push Hands, “body” and “use” cannot be combined.
Zhaobao Tai Chi has three links and three levels of training. The three links are boxing, pushing hands, and free-hand fighting. Boxing practice is to practice form, pushing hands practice is to practice intention, and free-hand fighting practice is to practice “-“, which are three levels. Form is the body, intention is the system, and “one” is the use. Form and intention are yin and yang; “one” is the unity of form and intention, that is, Tai Chi. “Form, intention, one” and martial arts have different meanings at different stages. The two complement each other and rise with the tide.
The initial appearance of Zhaobao Tai Chi’s push hands is very simple: two people hold hands, including yin and yang, step up and down, turn and circle, and wait for an opportunity to attack the opponent with boxing movements. But as the skills are further improved, there are different requirements and special training for each aspect, which can be divided into three stages. The process must be completed through the training of the “three elements”.
Training of the three levels of intention in push hands
Zhaobao Tai Chi push hands training can be divided into three stages, containing three levels of intention.
- The first level of intention – training of “not being controlled by others”
In the first stage of pushing hands, the stage of “familiar with the moves”, the first level of intention “not being controlled by others” training must be carried out. “Not being controlled by others” means “giving up oneself and following others”, “being soft when others are strong”, and “moving with others”. This is the entry-level skill for entering the gate of Tai Chi. It is trained when the boxing frame is initially practiced to make the body relatively soft and flexible. It requires that when pushing hands with others, you should not collide or break away from the opponent at any place, and change according to the size, direction, speed and virtual and real changes of the opponent’s force at the contact point, so that the opponent’s force will never fall on the center of gravity of your body (the term is “not being controlled by force”). The training of this level of intention must be based on the initial skills of the boxing frame. The body must be able to change, and your first level of intention will be useful. Otherwise, you want to be free of force, but you will always be unable to control yourself, and the result is that you are still under force everywhere. Once you are under force, you will collide or throw away the opponent’s force point. This is throwing and pushing. This is also the key reason why many people cannot enter the gate of Tai Chi. Therefore, the training of the first level of mind is crucial. Here, if you can practice the body to rotate freely and the mind does not lose to the opponent (i.e. the moves are familiar), you have achieved the relative unity and balance of yin and yang in the initial kung fu. Losing and pushing can be regarded as a pair of yin and yang. The balance of losing and pushing is the balance of yin and yang, which is Tai Chi. At the same time, the initial unity of body and mind in this small range is the unity of boxing and pushing hands at this level. Body and mind are yin and yang, boxing and pushing hands are yin and yang, and the unity is Tai Chi. If the learner cannot understand this principle at this stage, it will be difficult to enter the middle level of kung fu.
- Second level of intention: “controlling people” training
After the first level of intention is acquired, push hands will enter the second stage, which is the training of understanding strength. At the same time, it requires the second level of intention – “controlling people”. “Controlling people” means that when pushing hands with the opponent, on the basis of not being subjected to force, you should always be attentive and find the opponent’s center and center of gravity through the contact points of both parties to control the changes of the opponent’s center and center of gravity. The key is that your intention is always ahead of the opponent. As soon as he moves, I will find his center of gravity. Through the contact points, I can always control the opponent’s source of force, center of gravity and the heel of the supporting leg. This means that the purpose of “controlling people” has been achieved, that is, “I follow the opponent’s back”. The boxing frame practice at this stage has made the body have a light, flexible and uniform sticky strength. It is reflected in pushing hands, that is, the body turns More flexible and agile, the body can naturally control the opponent in any way it wants. At this time, the boxing stance and pushing hands, the body and the mind are united at a higher level, and the yin and yang are balanced at a higher level, forming a higher level of Tai Chi. If a scholar reaches this state, he has entered the middle level of Kung Fu.
- The third level of mind – the training of “releasing people” The third level of mind is another sublimation after the second level of mind. With the ability of “not being controlled by others” and “controlling people”, it is necessary to “release people”. Not only “not being controlled by others”, but also “controlling people”, and even more “releasing people” , which is the third level of intention. At this stage (push hands at the stage of the spirit), you can release the opponent as soon as you touch him, and you can release the opponent as soon as you touch him; at the same time, your fist has been trained to the whole body, and the body has excellent overall strength. If a student can reach this stage, he will enter the superior skill of Tai Chi push hands. At this time, the mind is thinking and the body is moving; the body of the fist frame and the intention of push hands are combined to a higher level and higher quality. The unity of yin and yang on this basis produces a higher level of Tai Chi, reaching the realm of “there is a punch”, “no attack or defense, just one move”, “the offender will fall down as soon as he is attacked”, leading to the “Way of the unity of the whole body”, laying a good foundation for push hands to enter free-hand fighting.
The training of the above three levels of intention, starting from the fist frame and ending with free-hand fighting, is mainly for push hands. It roughly reflects the change process of the three stages of Wudang Zhaobao Tai Chi push hands. However, at different stages of kung fu, there should be corresponding things to enrich, improve and perfect it.