Steve James wrote:Tai Chi people would enter sanda competitions if they wanted to win a trophy or show off their fighting skills.
Yeah, "sanda" started in the 70s, and the emphasis was/is on full contact, which was the thing at the time. I'd never heard of a push hands competition.
In China, and Taiwan ph hand a common way of testing, historically among masters and students.Chinwas introduced to Kuo by his tai chi teacher, Lau Yee Sing. “When I watched him demonstrate, I had some doubts,” confesses Chin, “because his tai chi was not as big frame and graceful.
It was not square or circular and a little hard. So Master Kuo asked me to root in a bow stance and put both arms in front of my chest. His hands touched my elbows lightly. Suddenly, he shook his body and I flipped into the air and fell ten feet away.
I was very surprised and totally convinced. It was the first time I felt fajing (explosive power.”
I do agree that phs is cooperative, but the question is how does one cooperate?
By agreeing to a rule set if competitive..If not by the act of ph within a given format thought to enhance or train, certain skill sits. Imo, it's obviously about improving skills, but the partner has to help. It "shouldn't be" about winning. There's the rub. That's not to say that the phs one sees in tournaments isn't a skill. Though, the best illustrations would be of very small people beating very large ones, not of a large person pushing a small one. It's also unfair, imo, to say it isn't tcc. I think that's a criticism of a lack of finesse. Any tcc student who competes will be damned if they do and damned if they don't.
Here's an example.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzLJou_whcoHere's phs v mma.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/zfxRaRWx7MY
Look at it differently..
competition is good on many levels as long as those competeting understand what its about..."winning"
Don't know of any competitor who enters an event, not thinking about overcoming the other opponent.
Of those I've met all say it's not about winning but,
in the end it is....unless the skill level is so different
it makes or forces the other to acknowledge, certain truths, ie do not use force.
Understand what emptiness is and means. ect..
Usually errors are fixed by going back and examining the basic solo practice...
For some it's hard to let go despite obvious skill sets they feel they know.
When experienced they find they cannot do or duplicate... the start of inquiry...
Accounts for the many demos questioned...as being cooperative or faked..
In Taiwan, talked about this among the locals,,,we all laughed as they experienced what they would have noted as being faked had they watched a clip of it...
telling them to stop faking it, them replying "i'm not"
The higher taiji skill, the more skill it takes to illicit the same reactions.
Not a fan of push hands as a practice... a good medium for addressing errors in practice.
Provided one has the skill level to illustrate the skill....
Between those of equal skill looking for skill through ph,
feel it would be quite difficult to do so, which is why one needs someone who has true, tai chi skill set..as an example...
The higher level the skill, the more it seems to be questioned "until"
one encounters it..
It seems even doing so many go through rationalization process, attempting to understand and quantify what's happening?...
A good example "
do not use force, use Yi". often said but not often really demoed when it is
most tend to question what they see...
In Taiwan,, the competitions are good for developing the different groups and interest in traditional physical arts of the past...
meeting people and giving some an indirect goal oriented practice,
a little bit more clear than practicing how to be become empty.
Most people around the 10yr mark start to question the practice...
The Chinese talk of 缘分" (yuánfèn) the fate of meeting people...
In this not everyone is the same...a saying
"When the student is ready, a teacher will appear, when the teacher is ready to teach a student will appear."