As for tai chi guys needing to get out more, they should bring in more. Organizers of PH competitions should go out of their way to include Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestlers, as well as Judo and Sambo players, in their tournaments.
I agree, but I think it'd be better to just call it a wrestling competition, and even allow striking. However, that's in terms of competition. Not everyone will or ought to compete.
Hey, when I see examples of Chen push hands done by "masters," it looks completely different from any competition that I've seen. I don't think it's a question of level. I think that two relatively evenly matched competitors will have to struggle to win. Imo, that doesn't mean that they corrupt their form; it's that they illustrate their true form. And, almost inevitably, it looks similar to what everyone else looks like.
In 1990, when I first heard of the Chen village push hands tournaments, I was told that it would illustrate the superiority of "real" tcc and internal strength. When I saw videos of Chen push hands, they were like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XALpOmuQR88&t=226s
I naturally expected to see something similar at a competition. That didn't happen. There was nothing wrong with what I saw, but it was not special. Moreover, the competition looked nothing like the practice. At best, there was a back and forth once or twice and then they grappled. Why don't the masters grapple that way? I'd really like someone to explain when this form of push hands started?
A better example would be this old one of CXW "pushing" with someone competitively (?).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pip97t50XbE
My point has nothing to do with the skills involved. My point is that competition ruins a practice that has value on its own beyond winning or losing. If an elderly person is learning tcc, for ex., is it even worth it for him to go past the form?