Pushing Hands

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Pushing hands

For the 1992 movie, see Pushing Hands (film).

Pushing hands, Push hands or tuishou (alternately

spelled tuei shou or tuei sho) is a name for two-persontraining routines practiced in internal Chinese martial

arts such as Baguazhang, Xingyiquan, T'ai chi ch'uan

(Taijiquan), Liuhebafa, Ch'uan Fa, Yiquan. It is also

played as an international sport akin to Judo, Sumo and

wrestling, most notably in Taiwan, where the biannual Tai

Chi World Cup is held. *[1]

1 Overview

Pushing hands is said to be the gateway for students

to experientially understand the martial aspects of the

internal martial arts (內家 nèijiā): leverage, reflex, sen-

sitivity, timing, coordination and positioning. 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. Health oriented t'ai chi schools may teach push

hands to complement the physical conditioning availablefrom performing solo form routines. Push hands allows

students to learn how to respond to external stimuli us-

ing techniques from their forms practice. Among other

things, training with a partner allows a student to develop

ting jing (listening power), the sensitivity to feel the di-rection 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.

2 History

Pushing hands is said by t'ai chi's Chen family to

have been created by Chen Wangting (1600–1680), the

founder of the Chen-style t'ai chi ch'uan, and was origi-

nally known as hitting hands (da shou) or crossing hands

(ke shou). Chen was said to have devised pushing hands

methods for both empty hands and when armed with a

spear. Other Tai Chi schools attribute the invention of

pushing hands to Zhang Sanfeng.

In recent history pushing hands has become a partof modern competitive Chinese martial arts, especially

those devoted to internal arts. Within this context, push-

ing hands is not an exercise to develop skill but a com-

petitive sport.*[2]

3 Training pushing hands

In t'ai chi ch'uan, pushing hands is used to acquaint stu-

dents with the principles of what are known as the“Eight

Gates and Five Steps,”eight different leverage applica-

tions in the arms accompanied by footwork in a range

of motion, intended to allow students to defend them-selves calmly and competently if attacked. Also known

as the “13 original movements of tai chi”, a posture

expressing each one of these aspects is found in all tai chi

styles. Training and pushing hands competitions gener-

ally involve contact but no strikes.

The practitioner on the right demonstrates how péng can be used to resist a push

The three primary principles of movement cultivated by

push hands practice are:*[3]

• Rooting - Stability of stance, a highly trained sense

of balance in the face of force.

• Yielding - The ability to flow with incoming force

from any angle. The practitioner moves with the

attacker's force fluidly without compromising their

own balance.

• Release of Power (Fa Jing) - The application of

power to an opponent. Even while applying force inpush hands one maintains the principles of Yielding

and Rooting at all times.

1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strike_(attack)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_martial_artshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Sanfenghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen-style_t%2527ai_chi_ch%2527uanhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Wangtinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_martial_artshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martialhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrestlinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yiquanhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%2527uan_Fahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liuhebafahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%2527ai_chi_ch%2527uanhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xingyiquanhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baguazhanghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_martial_artshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_martial_artshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neijiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pushing_Hands_(film)


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2 3 TRAINING PUSHING HANDS

The Eight Gates (Chinese: 八門; pinyin: bā mén):

P'eng (Chinese: 掤; pinyin: péng) - An up-ward circular movement, forward or backward,

yielding or offsetting usually with the arms to

disrupt the opponent's centre of gravity, often

translated as “Ward Off.”Peng is also de-

scribed more subtly as an energetic quality that

should be present in every taiji movement as a

part of the concept of “song”(鬆) -- or re-

laxation -- providing alertness, the strength to

maintain structure when pressed, and absence

of muscular tension in the body.

Lü (Chinese: 捋; pinyin: lǚ ) - A sideways, cir-cular yielding movement, often translated as

“Roll Back.”

Chi (simplified Chinese: 挤; traditional Chi-

nese: 擠; pinyin: jǐ ) - A pressing or squeezingoffset in a direction away from the body, usu-ally done with the back of the hand or outside

edge of the forearm. Chi is often translated as

“Press.”

An (Chinese: 按; pinyin: àn) - To offset withthe hand, usually a slight lift up with the fin-

gers then a push down with the palm, which

can appear as a strike if done quickly. Often

translated as “Push.”

Tsai (Chinese: 採; pinyin: cǎi ) - To pluck orpick downwards with the hand, especially with

the fingertips or palm. The word tsai is part ofthe compound that means to gather, collect or

pluck a tea leaf from a branch (採茶, cǎi chá).

Often translated “Pluck”or “Grasp.”

Lieh (Chinese: ; pinyin: liè) - Lieh meansto separate, to twist or to offset with a spiral

motion, often while making immobile another

part of the body (such as a hand or leg) to split

an opponent's body thereby destroying posture

and balance. Lieh is often translated as“Split.”

Chou (Chinese: 肘; pinyin: zhǒu) - To strikeor push with the elbow. Usually translated as

“Elbow Strike”or“Elbow Stroke”or just plain“Elbow.”

K'ao (Chinese: 靠; pinyin: kào) - To strikeor push with the shoulder or upper back. The

word k'ao implies leaning or inclining. Usu-ally translated "Shoulder Strike,”“Shoulder

Stroke”or “Shoulder.”

The Five Steps (Chinese: 五步; pinyin: wǔ bù):

Chin Pu (Chinese: 進步; pinyin: jìn bù) - For-

ward step.T'ui Pu (Chinese: 退步; pinyin: tùi bù) -Backward step.

Tsuo Ku (simplified Chinese: 左顾;

traditional Chinese: 左顧; pinyin: zǔo gù) - Left step.

You P'an (Chinese: 右盼; pinyin: yòu pàn) -Right step.

Chung Ting (Chinese: 中定; pinyin: zhōngdìng) - The central position, balance, equilib-rium. Not just the physical center, but a condi-

tion which is expected to be present at all times

in the first four steps as well, associated with

the concept of rooting (the stability said to beachieved by a correctly aligned, thoroughly re-

laxed body as a result of correct Tai Chi train-

ing). Chung ting can also be compared to the

Taoist concept of moderation or the Buddhist

"middle way" as discouraging extremes of be-

havior, or in this case, movement. An extreme

of movement, usually characterized as lean-ing to one side or the other, destroys a prac-

titioner's balance and enables defeat.

The Eight Gates are said to be associated with the eight

trigrams (Bagua 八卦 bā guà) of the I Ching, the Five

Steps with the five elements of the Taoist Wu Hsing (五行 wǔ xíng); metal, water, wood, fire, and earth. Collec-

tively they are sometimes referred to as the “Thirteen

Postures of T'ai Chi Chuan”and their combinations and

permutations are cataloged more or less exhaustively in

the different styles of solo forms which Tai Chi is mostly

known for by the general public. Pushing hands is prac-

ticed so that students have an opportunity for “hands-

on”experience of the theoretical implications of the solo

forms. Traditional internal teachers say that just training

solo forms isn't enough to learn a martial art; that with-

out the pushing hands, reflex and sensitivity to another's

movements and intent are lost. Each component is seen as

equally necessary, yin and yang, for realizing the health,

meditative, and self-defense applications.

Czech students push hands

Pushing hands trains these technical principles in ever in-

creasing complexity of patterns. At first students workbasic patterns, then patterns with moving steps coordi-

nated in different directions, patterns at differing heights

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliveness_(martial_arts)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-defensehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yin_and_yanghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Hsinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoisthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_elements_(Chinese_philosophy)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Chinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagua_(concept)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigramhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist#Middle_Wayhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhisthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_languagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_languagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_charactershttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_charactershttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_languagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_languagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_languagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoulder_strikehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_languagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_languagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_languagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_languagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_languagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_charactershttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_charactershttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_charactershttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_languagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centre_of_gravityhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_languagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_characters


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(high, middle, low and combinations) and then finally dif-

ferent styles of “freestyle”push hands, which lead into

sparring that combines closing and distancing strategies

with long, medium and short range techniques. These

exchanges are characterized as “question and answer”

sessions between training partners; the person pushing is

asking a question, the person receiving the push answerswith their response. The answers should be“soft,”with-

out resistance or stiffness. The students hope to learn to

not fight back when pushed nor retreat before anticipated

force, but rather to allow the strength and direction of

the push to determine their answer. The intent thereby

is for the students to condition themselves and their re-

flexes to the point that they can meet an incoming force in

softness, move with it until they determine its intent and

then allow it to exhaust itself or redirect it into a harm-

less direction. The degree to which students maintain

their balance while observing these requirements deter-

mines the appropriateness of their “answers.”The ex-pression used in some Tai Chi schools to describe this is

“Give up oneself to follow another.”The eventual goal

for self-defense purposes is to achieve meeting the force,

determining its direction and effectively redirecting it in

as short a time as possible, with examples provided of

seemingly instantaneous redirections at the highest levels

of kung fu by traditional teachers. Pushing hands also

teaches students safety habits in regard to their own vital

areas, especially acupressure points, as well as introduc-

ing them to the principles of chin na and some aspects

of the manipulative therapy or tui na also taught in tradi-

tional Tai Chi Chuan schools. At a certain point, pushing

hands begins to take on aspects of qigong (chi kung), asthe students learn to coordinate their movements in attack

and defense with their breathing.

4 See also

• Chi Sao

• Ching

• Dantian

• Neijia

• Silk reeling

• Taijitu

• Tao Te Ching

• Wudangshan

5 References

[1] “World Tai Chi Federation”. World Tai Chi Federation.World Tai Chi Federation. Retrieved 31 January 2016.

[2] http://www.patiencetaichi.com/nature_of_push_hands_

competition.htm

[3] Patterson, Jeff. “Understanding Tai Chi Push Hands”.

nwfighting.com. Northwest Fighting Arts. Retrieved 12March 2014.

6 External links

• Tai Chi Classics A translation of the Tai Chi Clas-

sics, which deal with the application of Eight Gates

http://www.scheele.org/lee/classics.htmlhttp://nwfighting.com/tai_chi_pushing_hands.htmlhttp://www.patiencetaichi.com/nature_of_push_hands_competition.htmhttp://www.patiencetaichi.com/nature_of_push_hands_competition.htmhttp://www.cttaichi.org/english/about01.phphttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wudangshanhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_Te_Chinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taijituhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_reelinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neijiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dantianhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jing_(TCM)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chi_Saohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qigonghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tui_nahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manipulative_therapyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chin_nahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acupressurehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_fuhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distancinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparring


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4 7 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

7 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

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