Recent Push Hands

[origami_itto]

You're all still a bunch of jerks but I wanted to share some recent video I took of some push hands exchanges to give you an idea of how my progress has been with the Dong material lately.

Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL_7wzP ... LZD0bnIG9L

This is a video of me working with Brandon in November.


And this is us last weekend


I think it shows a clear progression resulting from the work I'm doing in my standing and with Alex's qigong and simplified form. Still a long way to go but feel pretty confident I'm on the right road at least. There has been a total of about 60 minutes of partner work between the day the first video was taken and the day the second video was taken.

[everything]

I like it man. Any “coaching points”? What you worked on? What is a current challenge? I’m not working any PH, but will file it in a corner of my head haha

[origami_itto]

I like it man. Any “coaching points”? What you worked on? What is a current challenge? I’m not working any PH, but will file it in a corner of my head haha

A coaching point I was trying to give him is to not get in his own way. There's a point where I have my wrist in front of my heart trying to give him a push and he kept going around it. I had to work to get him on my center so he could do something. I gave it to him a couple times and it started sinking in.

Currently I'm working on getting more into my legs and keeping the tailbone flexible and open. It is like any other thing, you "fix" one thing and that exposes something else. Sometimes it REALLY HURTS as the body basically tears itself apart and puts itself back together slightly differently.

The biggest revelation I've had in recent years, which honestly I'm almost afraid to speak I feel it's so precious, is a better understanding of yielding. What I have learned is that what I thought was yielding is running away. We yield to accept the energy and meet it with our own to join. Then their pushing you is like your forearm pushing against your elbow and your pushing them is like your shoulder moving your arm.

[windwalker]

kudos in showing your work...

Nice practice

some thoughts come to mind..

This speaks to "joining".

So, we see a lot of promoters now, what is thebiggest question?

As soon as two people fight each other, they have already regarded each other as opponents first, and this state has nothing to do with Tai Chi.

So what is the first thing to do in Taijiquan?

It means that as soon as you meet and take over the other party, you will immediately become one with him and feel every move of the other party

The fluctuation of the other party's air must be within the range of my perception.
It is very clear in the theory of boxing:

"People don't know me, I only know others, and heroes are invincible, and they all come from this!".

Therefore, there is a very good word in Taijiquan called "Tingjin" . Why is it not called "Mo Jin", but let us "listen to Jin"? What is "listening"?
Just so that you don't put your mind on your own sense of touch, because it is impossible for your sense of touch to listen.



This word is really used very cleverly, and it has a feeling similar to Zen.

The Zen master said to listen to the cloud, and Yun obviously read it, so how could he ask me to listen?

In fact, it is to keep you from being attached, and listening to the cloud is to let you feel the state of the cloud.

This is a very important thing in boxing practice. If you can understand the concept of Wuji,
you have already started practicing boxing.

You said it is convenient or not, I think it is very convenient, but too many people do not start from here when they practice boxing.

Google translate for non native speakers, it does a pretty good job..

[origami_itto]

kudos in showing your work...

Nice practice

some thoughts come to mind..

This speaks to "joining".

Thank you, yes. Looking upward it is higher and higher, looking downward, deeper and deeper.

[Doc Stier]

You're all still a bunch of jerks...

C'mon now, don't be that way. I for one have always totally respected your right to be completely off track on numerous thread topics here. LoL Luv ya, brother!

[origami_itto]

You're all still a bunch of jerks...

C'mon now, don't be that way. I for one have always totally respected your right to be completely off track on numerous thread topics here. LoL Luv ya, brother!

Pease Park, July 29th! Come on down.

[Bao]

Improvement for sure. Quite visible. You don't collapse or give up your space as easily.

Exactly how do you mean your practice with "standing and with Alex's qigong and simplified form" should translate into improving push hands skills?

[origami_itto]

I don't understand the question.

The result comes from the condition. Conditioning comes from the exercises.

Release, integration, freeing blockage... the intellectual stuff is easy, but it's like counting the girls you'll kiss before you even get to the party. With the right conditioning used properly it just does the go go gadget unbalancing. Like pulling up to the party with cocaine and cash falling out of your pockets. Why bother counting? The girls will kiss.

So I just work on getting to the state and keeping it. It vanishes so easily.

[everything]

this analogy is just too hilarious. ok, back on topic ...

[everything]

What I have learned is that what I thought was yielding is running away. We yield to accept the energy and meet it with our own to join. Then their pushing you is like your forearm pushing against your elbow and your pushing them is like your shoulder moving your arm.

this is a really helpful description

[Bao]

I don't understand the question.

The result comes from the condition. Conditioning comes from the exercises.
...
So I just work on getting to the state and keeping it. It vanishes so easily.

So how to deal with, or interact with, an opponent is not important. Building conditions and maintaining them are.

Got it.

IMHO, both aspects are important, but I guess YMMV.

But sure, keeping a certain mind-body state is probably the most important thing. One of my teachers used the word "integrity", that you must always keep it intact. I like this way of expressing it. You can also say that your balance, structure and mind all have a specific integrity. The problem is to keep it all when dealing with outside force. You still need to understand how to interact with force to be able to keep your own integrity, or to maintain certain conditions. I can't really see how you could separate the aspects of interaction, but again, YMMV.

[origami_itto]

I don't understand the question.

The result comes from the condition. Conditioning comes from the exercises.
...
So I just work on getting to the state and keeping it. It vanishes so easily.

So how to deal with, or interact with, an opponent is not important. Building conditions and maintaining them are.

Got it.

IMHO, both aspects are important, but I guess YMMV.

But sure, keeping a certain mind-body state is probably the most important thing. One of my teachers used the word "integrity", that you must always keep it intact. I like this way of expressing it. You can also say that your balance, structure and mind all have a specific integrity. The problem is to keep it all when dealing with outside force. You still need to understand how to interact with force to be able to keep your own integrity, or to maintain certain conditions. I can't really see how you could separate the aspects of interaction, but again, YMMV.

Everything can be isolated. We work on what we need to work on, and you are inserting sentiment and statements into what I am saying.

What I have done since last time I worked with opponents is those exercises, solo. That doesn't mean one should never work with opponents. Stick with what I'm saying not what you want me to say.

When it comes to this stuff it's easy to get it muddled because there is a lot of crossover effects.

The more one speaks the less accurate it becomes.

I like integrity, it's close to what I am working specifically "integration" so integrating the proper interface between the feet and the earth, proper energy in the legs, proper release and alignment in the tailbone, proper expansion of the spine, proper seating and alignment of the shoulders and then letting the arms just shut up and go home.

Keeping that integrity/integration is 95% of everything in my opinion. Like light speed though that last 5% can be a real challenge.

So getting the base conditioning in, then maintaining a correct use of it. Correct physical and mental posture that does not hold tension that would break that integrity. Either can tank you.

So like there's a part where he's pushing with everything he's got and I'm just kind of lightly keeping him at bay. I'm not doing anything there other than not letting him put his strength on me. How? I don't know man, fang song?

Learning to use it better is then the next thing, but in my experience if you maintain the integrity of your integration and proper mental posture then it's largely self working. Like an abacus. Force comes in, spends itself, and then you can respond, basically.

You can get better with it. Like there's a spot where I have him stuck but my improper movement can't budge him, so I send a pulse up from my foot to uproot him.

Largely though it isn't about "an opponent" so much as it is about working with the energy itself. The opponent is just a medium. Could also be a chair, a door, a dog, a refrigerator, a girlfriend, an auditorium.

[Bao]

Largely though it isn't about "an opponent" so much as it is about working with the energy itself. The opponent is just a medium. Could also be a chair, a door, a dog, a refrigerator, a girlfriend, an auditorium.

IMHO, you are absolutely correct that it's better to get rid of the word "opponent". But personally, I am a bit allergic to the word "energy". I see it as working against/with a moving object. It has movement, a structure and balance. It is that core of balance and its center that is interesting to work with, or "adapt to". What the opponent does or try to do is unimportant. Connect to the center of that apparatus and staying connected to its center is what is important. Whatever energy is not.

[everything]

"keep the state" and "do the move" as if "shoulder moves elbow" or "move fridge door" are some nice phrases, I think. also find moving "energy" to be key to try to "keep the state"