Hi richardman,
Could I ask that you give more detail on "lead the opponent to slightly off-root"? What do you mean by "lead"? What is "off-Root"?
Since, 'Tifang' does not actually require guiding the other over some distance, are you saying "lead" as in 牽, qian(1), from the Song of Hitting Hands, which has as its subtlest meaning, "to draw in"—which can be done with no discernible movement.
Since, 'root' is simply the ability to resist a push (
http://www.fairtradetaichi.org/news/201 ... in-tai-chi), but I've never encountered the term "off-root". Do you mean the same as "sever his root", to make it so that he cannot resist a push?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Sincerely,
Stephen : )