Applying What You Learn

During the pushing hands session today, there were a few times when I was unable to neutralise attacks from my opponents. Even though I didn't fall or anything, I felt that I was using brute force to maintain my balance or to fend off the attacks. On my way home, I started to think about this. I came to the realisation that I had the solutions to all the attacks. Yet why was I unable to apply those solutions when I was actually pushing hands with someone?

The answer, I guess, is because when I practise, I don't think enough about application. I keep thinking about how to make my movements conform to the requirements of taijiquan, to carry out the small details that my teacher taught me. Yet I lost the big picture. I have left out visualising how to use these movements in actual application. If I had diligently practised visualising while practising the movements, I would have known how to react when my opponent starts to push my elbow upwards.