Steve James wrote: l'm just saying that this is the way it was. Fun, too. (Don't bother telling me it looks like kickboxing, not tcc).
It doesn't, it has the flavor of your teachers training used real time. At most I would comment on the foot work. This also may be what was trained.
The most that anyone could ask for and what I look for is whether the training is reflective of usage. In the clip posted it's very reflective used in a free form way.
understand your teacher passed away a few years back may he rest in peace, hopefully he developed some students to carry on his traditions.
Agree pretty much with what you wrote about the push hands. IME, higher level skilled people I've met don't compete but do engage with people testing themselves.
respect is gained by using the same skill sets that they restrict themselves to and practice with. This means that even if one was to win using another method or some other way people wouldn't think too much of it.
Whether this translates into combative usage or even something that people can use in competitive events it's not exactly clear.
what I've found is that people who play push hand have a lot of bad habits developed from the practice but used in the practice it makes sense.
"bad habits" I should add of the ones I've met, also In the process of getting rid of within my self in my own work.
As training tool it can be quite useful, as a competitive event for me it seems to specialized, not something I find interesting but understand others may. Not my thing