Tai Chi Chuan - Oil and Vinegar

Tai Chi Chuan – Oil and Vinegar

Oil and Vinegar make for a great salad dressing, and yet they are hard to mix!

I encountered a push hands experience recently that reminds me of two paths in the art. You can’t really say which is “better”. They are both trying to employ ultimately the same principles down the road. But the short term objectives couldn’t be more diverse.

In my world, the push hands form itself is a tool that helps you explore the principles that surround “stick and follow”. A break in the form is a break in principle.

In my world, the root is really what you use in pushing. You don’t directly use it to block or prevent your partner from pushing you. If the partner is blocking you such that they take that pressure down into the ground (good!) but they let pressure build up at the point of contact (not very good!) then I consider this a poor use of the root. We don’t block our partner, even with the root.

I hold high the principle that you don’t let pressure build up; that you let the partner go where they want to go. Invite them in. In a real fight – and push hands is a precursor to a real fight – you most likely wouldn’t want that pressure to build up. In a real fight, the opponent would simply take their fist and hit you. Your ability to “root” in that moment would hardly matter. OK, unless you have the ability to take full punches – and some do – this is not a great direction to move towards.

In my world, one shifts from back to front to back to front. The outer shell of the form is honored. Maintaining less than 4 ounces of strength at the point of contact is key. So you HAVE to shift. Sure, I might force a movement into the partner’s space as a test to see if they respond, but mostly I am looking for a flaw in their form which gives me the signal to push. This means that the energy of the two bodies goes in a new direction such that one body is stable, and the other topples. A push is the logical conclusion of the use of the energetic connection between the two bodies.

I am also trying to understand non-doing within the context of push hands. No mind. Emptiness.

I don’t move my feet. Yes, I think fixed foot push hands is a great way to give oneself a handicap such that you really really MUST use those hip joints.

So how does my world differ from others?

Some use the root to block movement, some play a free form game that does not really use the push hands form, some settle on the front foot and work very hard to stay there even if that means running into a force, some like to go after you to Attack! Attack! Attack! Do! Do! Do! in order to get a push. They feel free to move their feet a bit as in a real fight.

It is always a good, if frustrating, experience for me to push with such folk. The initial shock is one of “they are doing this wrong”. But really the issue is that my skill set has not yet risen to a level where I can deal with their skill set on MY terms. Often these players have skill within the parameters of their practice. Often this equals good rooting and being very responsive to the opponent.

I believe that playing a game where principle overrides winning is a crucial and an important way to train and gain skill. I also appreciate those who take this game seriously enough that winning keeps the pressure on. It is a martial art. We are not just hugging trees here! Finding that edge is very tricky. Can you be in the game totally, yet give yourself some space to just be, within that game, totally?

When I encounter the aggressive player, usually what happens is that my greatest deficiency comes to the fore. Ouch! And that is REALLY not fun.

So…

To my fellow players who like a competitive game, you might try to explore a total commitment to the push hands form itself, with non-doing, never putting pressure on the partner, and never moving your feet. You will definitely learn a thing or two by giving up winning. And where does that push come from anyway?

To those of us who are mostly “drilling” to deepen the principles of tai chi and push hands, it’s good to play the game with those who love a good wrestle. You have to REALLY be on your toes and look for new ways to employ principles. Fast! And you have to be really clear when you break the principles as you get caught up in that urge to win. Also, you may lose a lot!

Ironic reminder here: Just because you knocked someone off their feet doesn’t mean you won. You may be using force. In my world, you just lost!

For today, I find it satisfying to work mostly on the principles. In the future, I hope these principles feel functional, where winning by using the principles is truly an organic possibility.

Yep, we have to shake it up sometimes to mix oil with vinegar to find a good combination that tastes good.