Don't Push Too Much

When I push hands with others, once they lose their balance, I won't pursue anymore. I won't try to take advantage and continue to push and make then fall. To me, it is enough that they lose balance. But some of my fellow pushing hands students do not think the same way. Even when they have lost their balance, once I stop pursuing, they will instead take advantage and try to push me back. And that is usually when they will start becoming more rough. And then it becomes a vicious cycle: I use their brute force against them again, they lose their balance again, then they try to spring back, and the cycle continues. In the end, I either let them push me (if I know I won't get hurt), or I will use rougher methods (like arm locks, or really pushing them away) to get out of the situation.

One of them told me that I should not push too much, that once I have the advantage, I should stop pursuing. I was like, huh? That's what I did... just that he took advantage of my "void" to spring back and tried to push me instead. Things got rough not because I wanted it to be so, but because he didn't stop when he lost his balance. Well, I just smiled and shrugged it off. In the end, as long as I stick to my training philosophy, as long I stick to learning what I want to learn, as long as I benefit from the sessions, they can say what they want. If they don't learn, it is because their cup is full. I will continue to drink from my cup to make it empty for more to pour in.