Drawing Out The Force

When two hands come into contact and don't move as both try not to use force, it is still resisting. Not moving because both are not using force is not relaxing. It is still resisting, albeit using minimum force.

My teacher is able to draw out force. No matter how relaxed and how much I try to avoid using force, once my hand comes into contact with his, he can draw out my force and then start to move me, at his choosing. When we both don't use force, our hands are just in contact. Then, he uses peng and draws out my force, I use a bit of force and he uses it back against me.

If I had used force from the onset, he would have of course used it against me. But even when I try not to use force, he is able to draw out my force. That is what a master in taiji is about.

Don't Push

It may sound weird, but that was what my teacher told me. He told me not to push. I think what he meant was not to focus on pushing, since he continued on to tell me to focus on neutralising my opponent's force. I think the lesson here is to focus on listening to my opponent's force and then try to neutralise it, rather than try to use it against him. So I think that will be my focus for a while, to try to figure out my opponent's force and how to neutralise it. After all, if I push back, things can sometimes become rough...