Our objectives is to explore the  connection of the techniques used in the hand form: The 10 Principles of Practice by Yang Chengfu.

All are welcome to explore a new dimension of practice.

Push Hands Demo by Master Jang Jun (10 min)

Push Hands

Push Hands Tai Chi Basics

Instructor:  Shimei Cat

Date: Thursday

Time: 7:00 to 8:00 pm

Price: Single/Pay-GO Class: $25.00 or 10 class card:$120.00

Push Hands Tai Chi Basics

Instructor: Shidi Alex

Date: Saturdays

Time: 10:00 to 11:30 pm

Price: Single/Pay-GO Class: $25.00 or 10 class card:$120.00

Advanced Push Hands with

Grandmaster Yang Jun's Inner disciple, Yang Yabo

Instructor: With permission of the instructor Audi Peal/杨雅博--Yang Yabo

Date: Wednesdays--Call to Confirm (732 238 1414)

Time: 8:00 to 10:00 pm

Price: Must be a member-in-good standing of the International Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan Association

Push Hands provides Tai Chi practitioners with a format to test and improve upon their relaxation, flexibility, timing, balance, poise and numerous other qualities while in contact with another person. Push Hands also provides a gentle way to "compete" with other Tai Chi practitioners without the risk of injury. There are many variations of this exercise, each with its own particular benefits. 

Benefits of Push Hands Exercises

If you are curious about Tai Chi and Push Hands. . . .

If you are a tai chi practitioner what are the benefits of Push Hands?

Additional benefits of Tai Chi if you learn Push Hands

1. You learn to see the postures in a new light:

       a. The posture teaches you about push hands, andpush hands teaches you lessons about the posture.

2.  You get an idea of how good your balance is and how to use your root:
      a.  Root and balance are developed in the form and tested, used, and developed in Push Hands.

      b. When someone is trying to unbalance by uprooting you with a push, you use your balance and root as well as your softness to absorb and redirect.

3. In your practice of Tai Chi form you are working on attaining a state of calm:  Being cool, calm and collected is something you want to be able to implement in all areas of your life. As you practice Tai Chi form and Push hands, you can increase that sense of calm. In push hands you have a realistic, but pretend threat. If you can stay calm and soft, when someone is trying to push you, you have proven your Tai Chi skills are working at the mental and emotional, as well as the physical level.

4.  Push Hands provides Tai Chi practitioners with a format to test and improve upon their relaxation, flexibility, timing, balance, poise and numerous other qualities while in contact with another person. Push Hands also provides a gentle way to "compete" with other Tai Chi practitioners without the risk of injury. There are many variations of this exercise, each with its own particular benefits.

5. The aim of push hands is to lower your own center of gravity and use the body's weight to stop people from pushing you over. However, it is not intended to actually harm the attacker, but it can be a useful way to learn balance and body control and to generally fine-tune one's tai chi moves, particularly in an arena where two practitioners are going head to head.

6. Push hands allows you to test and improve your own balance and poise while in contact with another. Like other tai chi exercises it can enhance flexibility, improve your sense of timing and help you become more aware of your body. It's also an excellent way to compete with another person without the risk of harming another or sustaining injuries.

7. Tai Chi push hands can be a powerful, restorative, energizing exercise.  However, the potent, vitalizing internal medicine and the enhanced circulation that the student learns to cultivate in the Tai Chi solo form practice is difficult to carry into push hands.  Confrontation with an opponent always creates some apprehension, and so it is difficult to maintain the deep relaxation, calm breath and low center experienced in the solo form practice.

8. There is the potential to learn specific arts skills through push hands

 9. Beyond the subtle push hands skills, the practice itself brings overall health as well as enhanced mobility, comfort, and agility in the hips and spine.

10.  Push hands can lubricate, cleanse and strengthen all the joints of the body.

11. Basic form correction, taken to heart, leads to profound skill in push-hands.  Before the student has found central equilibrium, he or she might experiment and overextend, stretching and bending without realizing it.  The result is unnecessary strain and spinal discomfort.  The student may not yet have the hours of experience to properly put to use the study and the feeling of exact form correction.  This extraneous, unbalanced movement further obscures and inhibits access to the hidden principles of the form.  Professor Cheng Man Ch'ing said, "I trust the ancients and their belief in the intrinsic indivisibility of form and function."  Tai Chi applications are preserved in our form.  Respect for the engineering secrets begins with recognizing that bone-line balance is the core that the structure of the form is built on. This is essential to see and feel.

In summary, pushing hands can improve your skill at the form, and makes you more aware. Form improves your push hands, giving you good movement habits as well as keeping you aware of a multitude of things that you need to know and do.

Our Class will be based on 12 movements: Opening Move, Brush Knee and push, Play the Pipa, Repel the Monkey, Wave Hands Like Clouds, Golden Pheasant, Fair Lady Works the Shuttle, Lift Hands, Needles to the Bottom of the Sea, Fan thru the Back and Cross Arms and Conclude.

The 60 or 90-minute Push Hands class will consist of:

• Warm-up exercises based on the Pine-Tree workout

• Movements (long form)

• Discussion of 1 of the 12 movements (solo)

• Discussion of 1 of the 12 movements (joint hand operation/Push Hands)

•  Practice

From my friend, Teacher Bill Phillips of Patience Tai Chi:

“Please keep in mind that if you wish to benefit from Push Hands, you should finish learning a Tai Chi form first, so that you can know the principles that will distinguish Push Hands from an external sport. Depending on the Push Hands, sports such as Indian wrestling and sumo wrestling come to mind. As you practice Push Hands, you should concentrate on being soft and applying the lessons of your Tai Chi form to your practice and to your opponent.”