the rum soaked fist: internal martial arts forum

An article from Shanghai, which I translated for you - enjoy:

The Borrowing of Strength in Tai Chi Chuan

https://taichi-philosophy.blogspot.de/2 ... i-chi.html

All the best

Martin

Interesting from the article:

"- Keep the center.

"If the other attacks me with big strength, I can not let it hit my center. I would fall if it hits my center. So I have to go along with him and neutralize so that he can not find my center. By sticking to him, he will lose his center. Then I apply my own strength and will beat him."

Moving away is not borrowing force in any case. Actually when the incoming force moving towards the axis of your body. That force is reduced by your body weight and you can use the rest of that force to shift your body weight in the direction of the incoming force (following without any strength). And you can redirect that force with very little strength.

Yeung wrote:I can not let it hit my center.

What if your opponent

- punches on your face, or
- pushes on your neck?

Yeung wrote:"If the other attacks me with big strength, I can not let it hit my center. I would fall if it hits my center. So I have to go along with him and neutralize so that he can not find my center. By sticking to him, he will lose his center. Then I apply my own strength and will beat him."

this might be partially right in the context of pure push hands
in actual fight for example it might be more beneficial to strike someone on the side of the body to rotate and off-balance him.

johnwang wrote:

Yeung wrote:I can not let it hit my center.

What if your opponent

- punches on your face, or
- pushes on your neck?

It’s the same. Center = Centerline.

johnwang wrote:

Yeung wrote:I can not let it hit my center.

What if your opponent

- punches on your face, or
- pushes on your neck?

Is your question directing to me or to the quote from the article?

If you align the incoming force with your block and the centre of your mass then the incoming force needs to be bigger than your mass before shifting your body or turning it. Practitioners of push hands should learn that in their first lesson.