Stages In Pushing Hands

I think there are a few stages to pushing hands.

Stage 1: Using brute force, still don't know what is relax. This is the beginner stage. There is a chance of injury if both you and your opponent play rough.

Stage 2: Start to relax and can sense force. However, still cannot use your opponent's force against him. Still got some chance of getting injured if your opponent plays rough.

Stage 3: Start to be able to use your opponent's force against him, but still not able to fully return his force to him. This is usually the case when you are able to be more relaxed than your opponent. Less chance of injury because you are better able to protect yourself now when your opponent plays rough.

Stage 4: Like a mirror, returns whatever force is thrown at you. This is actually the most dangerous stage in training, because there is a chance of you injuring your training partner if he plays rough.

Stage 5: Able to control force exactly. You can control what you actually return. No one gets injured because you control everything.

Just my thoughts...