How to Guard Your Garden

Rikugien

Jason Socci, WTBA Taijiquan Instructor, helps me show you Single Pushing Hands.

If you did the one-arm push-ups, you might be ready. It’s pretty straight forward. Use it right away on your brother or roommate or spouse.

(Keep in mind this is basic, foundational work. Later I’ll show you how to add more drills to this one.)

Hurry-up: relax.

Then watch the following video.

Wrist Ward-Off for Taiji Practice

YouTube Preview Image

This is the core. So much more can be built on it.

Briefly, Single Pushing Hands, with pressure, offers…

  1. a delightful revolution
  2. real ward-off experience
  3. internal Taiji punching knowledge (this one’s sort of hidden)

Do it until it becomes boring (or your mind fetters with boredom…that’s right this will help you change masks) and your limbs tire. Then deeper experience will trickle into your body.

But there’s a lot to say, and I wonder what you want to know?

Tell me.

5 Responses to How to Guard Your Garden

  1. Chris | Martial Development says:
    5 May 2009 at 1:25 pm

    I hope you will elaborate on the statement at 3:40 that “you will not feel as if you have been tricked into being pushed away”.

  2. Rick Matz says:
    5 May 2009 at 1:39 pm

    Great post. From what I’ve seen of the Taiji landscape, systematic teaching of push hands is in the minority. You gave a good, solid explanation.

    The Wu style as I’ve been learning it has 12 types of push hands beginning with a basic exercise that is very similar to what you’re showing, and ending up with free style.

  3. S.Smith says:
    5 May 2009 at 3:38 pm

    Mr. Matz, structured pushing hands is complex to teach, difficult to learn, but, in the end, simple to do once one gets it. It’s good to hear support for foundations.

    Chris, I am reluctant to verbalize my flippant statement. But I’ll give it a go…

    It seems to me that agreements created in push hands create a submissive role. Lots of YouTube videos of Masters pushing students show…

    Masters change speed or “load” right before the big shove. It’s all over that site, so no need for links.

    This may not be your experience…yours might be more articulate or profound, but here’s what I see (and avoided experiencing too much): when people are “pushed out” they seem to experience a question like…why can’t I relax more? Or amazement: how does that Amazing Guy control me so well (and therefore push me away)? Both suggest inner failure where, perhaps there is none.

    I’ve felt teachers of pushy hands “load” their push. It’s even weirder when they teach “please learn to hop backward, so I don’t hurt your legs.”

    Did you know that goes on?

    It’s bad form (impolite by agreement) to punch them when they “load”, but it’s better self-defense. And it’s taught in Taiji self-defense forms like 2-Man Cannon Fist.

    Plus it’s terrible self-defense to push people. You give them a running start for their second attack! Pushes should resemble (not metaphorically, but really resemble) punches or real attacks.

    I don’t want to remove my reflexive actions. I want to understand them and use their intrinsic power. The bit I demonstrated has that potential.

    Finally, before I say too much, the above methods (WTBA Style) include concepts articulated by Mr.Blauer’s SPEAR.

    That I like.

  4. Chris | Martial Development says:
    6 May 2009 at 12:58 am

    here’s what I see (and avoided experiencing too much): when people are “pushed out” they seem to experience a question like…why can’t I relax more? Or amazement: how does that Amazing Guy control me so well (and therefore push me away)? Both suggest inner failure where, perhaps there is none.

    Yes, absolutely. I have been in that position many times, and provided a simple solution, which was subsequently ignored due to its apparent lack of mystical connotations. People are entitled to learn at their own speed, but this can be extremely frustrating.

    One of my teachers had a very direct response to this phenomenon. He would say, simply, “You are not entitled to ask me that question,” and put them back to work. :)

    It’s even weirder when they teach “please learn to hop backward, so I don’t hurt your legs.”

    I have never seen that taught as such. I have seen pressure exerted such that a student was forced to pop up, essentially because their legs could not withstand the challenge. This is a real skill.

    Hopping around is obviously not ideal, but it can be the best of all available alternatives.

  5. Francisco says:
    9 May 2009 at 8:00 am

    First thank you for your comment on my blog

    Excellent points on pushing, your statements of being aware of your structure and your tension is most important.I also like to add relaxing as you push until you feel as if you are not pushing and let the structure and principles do the work.