Too Rough!

I almost broke someone's arm yesterday during pushing hands practice.

I was pushing hands with a new student (he has learnt taiji from someone else, apparently, so he is not new to taiji or pushing hands) but his arms were very stiff. During one of the rounds, I managed to get his arm between my arm and my torso. I was going to give a slight twist to see if I can lock his arm... except that when I twisted softly, I heard a crack. I was so shocked; oh no, what if I had broken his arm? I immediately broke off... good thing his arm was okay. I didn't realise that his arm was that stiff, that a simple turning of my torso actually did more than lock his arm... while his arm "cracked" because he was too stiff, I still think it is a manifestation of my inability... that I still have some way to go, because I was not able to discern exactly how stiff his arm was and thus I was unable to use just enough force to lock his arm, without making his arm "crack".

Just Move Right In

After a few occasions in which one of my pushing hands partners kept playing rough, I got a bit of advice from my teacher. Basically, it is nothing new, he just reminded me that it is most important to continue to be relaxed, all the more so when your opponent is tensed up (like when he is playing rough). Then, once you sense his brute force, relax some more, then move right back in at him.

It was good advice. I tried it, and it worked. I could neutralise his force and use it again him. But it only made him more rough, and became even more tense. And the more tense he became, the easier it was for me to neutralise his force and use it against him. In the end, it was a vicious cycle, and I had to break off in order not for anyone to get hurt.

Lesson? Staying relaxed (mentally and physically) is key. Not overly focused on winning (and thus, not overly concerned about losing) is key.

Relax, Listen, Know, Follow, Use

Relaxing is important. Because only when you relax, then you can listen, and then you can know your opponent's force. Once you know the force, you can follow it, and ultimately use it against your opponent. It all starts with relaxing. Once you are tensed up, you cannot listen, and then nothing else can take place.

And relax is not just a physical state, it is a state of mind as well. Same as being tensed up. If you are mentally too focused on something, you are mentally tensed up... and then you cannot see things for what they are. Your judgment becomes clouded. So, let's go in relaxed, both physically and mentally.

Strong Push From Practising Correctly

One of my teacher's students has recently started pushing hands training as well. He has been with my teacher for a few years already, practising taiji. The other day, when we were practising pushing hands, I came to appreciate that his push is actually rooted, not like the floating push that beginners usually have. Even some people who claim to have practised taiji also has this "floating push". But not my fellow student. His push was rooted, and I attribute this to his effort in practising correctly. By being diligent in his taiji practice and making sure that he practises correctly, he is able to move as a whole instead of relying on muscular strength. So while he may be a beginner in sensing his opponent's force, he is no stranger to applying his own force. It makes me remember my experience pushing hands with my teacher's assistant and once again reaffirms the importance of practising correctly.

Why Paying Is Important

My teacher once shared with me why he doesn't like people to come and observe his taiji classes before they decide to join. Taiji is something that beginners can't really understand by just looking. By just looking, these people will not understand what is going on, and are unlikely to become interested enough to sign up. By making them pay for the classes, even if they cannot grasp much from the first lesson, because they have paid, they are unlikely to waste their money; they will thus continue to turn up at least for the remainder of the course run. Hopefully, by then, they would have grasp a bit more to become interested enough to continue the class. This is a bit of psychology that my teacher has picked up in the more than 40 years that he has been teaching taiji.

Anyway, the taiji classes at community centres are very competitively priced. The price for 10 lessons is similar to what you would actually pay for one session with a private taiji teacher. My suggestion? Just pay it, try it out for 10 lessons, and who knows, you may discover that taiji is what you have been looking for.

Pushing Is Important, But...

A fellow student (who also trains under another teacher besides attending Mr Kwek's pushing hands class) was sharing that his other teacher taught him that to learn pushing hands, he needs to push so that the partner learns to neutralise. Which sounds right, except that when he proceeded to push, he was using quite some force. His force was strong, but not rooted. It was stiff and it was not difficult to just relax and neutralise his force. But he seems to think that his other teacher is right.

I think there is truth in what his other teacher says. After all, if we don't push, our partner can't learn how to neutralise our force. The thing then is how to push. My teacher Mr Kwek teaches that to push, you have to relax, listen to your opponent's force and follow it in. His push can be slow and soft, yet strong. Trying to neutralise this slow but soft force is so much more difficult compared to the hard, fast but stiff force. And the soft push is not necessarily slow; it can be as fast or as slow as you want it to be.

So yes, during pushing hands, it is important for you to push so that your partner can learn to neutralise your force, but it is important to push correctly so that he learns how to listen to your force and then neutralise it. You can give him a discount and make things easy for him by using brute force to push him, but he is not going to benefit much from that, and you won't learn how to push correctly as well. Lose-lose. Push correctly, and your partner learns how to listen and neutralise. Win-win.

Pushing Hands and Taiji Practice

Before I went to Japan, I was worried if I could find a pushing hands class in Japan to continue my practice. But my teacher advised me not to worry. He told me that instead of trying to find a place to practise pushing hands, I should just focus on my taiji practice during that one year in Japan. He really knew what he was talking about.

Just the other day, I was told to try pushing hands with my teacher's assistant (who has been with my teacher for about 30 years now). He doesn't practise pushing hands, but he has been diligently practising taiji for the past 30 years or so. The moment our hands touched, I can sensed that he is someone who knows how to relax, and as we are pushing hands, I can sense that he knows how to push properly as well. So here is someone who doesn't practise pushing hands, but because he has been diligent in his taiji practice, he is able to meet all the requirements of taiji (like relax, linking hands and feet, turning the kua, etc) and thus can straight away pick up pushing hands easily. Each year of practice really counts; it all adds up.

Taiji Classes by Mr Kwek Li Hwa (Updated Jun 12)

Updated as of 14 Jun 12.Update: Mr Kwek passed away on 11 August 2024. Some of his students still gather every Sunday morning at Blk 98A Lorong 1 Toa Payoh to practise.

My teacher is Mr Kwek Li Hwa, and he teaches taiji at a few places in Singapore. Below are some of those places.

Tampines Changkat CC on Mondays, 8pm to 10pm
Toa Payoh East CC on Tuesdays, 8pm to 10pm
Poh Khiu Temple on Wednesdays, 8pm to 10pm (Mr Kwek has not been teaching at Poh Khiu Temple for some time now because the new management there has discontinued his class.)
Hong Lim Green CC on Thursdays, 6pm to 7:30pm
Toa Payoh Lorong 1 shed between Block 96 and Block 98 on Fridays, 8.30pm to 10pm (This class is for his students from other places interested in learning more about the basics of taiji. Focus is on foundation training.)
Kreta Ayer CC on Saturdays, 11am to noon and 7pm to 10pm (see link)
Ang Mo Kio Ave 3 Blk 323 multi-storey carpark (top floor) on Sundays, 7:30am to 9am (Due to circumstances, Mr Kwek no longer teaches at the carpark in Ang Mo Kio.)
Kampong Ubi CC on Sundays, 10:30am to 12noon
Tampines Changkat CC on Sundays, 7:30pm to 9pm

Pushing hands classes are:
Kreta Ayer CC on Thursdays, 8.30pm to 10pm
Kreta Ayer CC on Saturdays, 5.30pm to 7pm
Tampines Changkat CC on Sundays, 6pm to 7.30pm

Most of them are at community centres, so do feel free to sign up for these courses if you are interested. For some photos and videos of his classes, you can take a look at the blog for the class at Kreta Ayer CC.

Share What Is Appropriate

I believe that it is okay to share what we learnt with others, to help each other learn. However, we must also be careful about what we share. First, we need to be sure that we are not sharing the wrong things. We need to be correct in what we share. Next, we need to know if what we are sharing is appropriate for the person we are sharing with. Will he understand what we are trying to say? Has he reached that stage in which he already has a foundation to understand the more advanced stuff? Or is he still in the beginner stage, and sharing with him too much may end up confusing him instead? Just like teaching is done is stages, if we are to share what we learnt with others, we must also be aware of the stage that he is in, so that what we share is appropriate to his stage of learning.

What Is The Aim?

What is your aim when you do pushing hands? Because your aim shapes the way you learn, the way you practise.

Is your aim to learn how to push your opponent?
Is your aim to learn how to neutralise your opponent's force?
Is your aim to learn how to use your opponent's force against him?

I had thought that my aim should be the second... until today, when after my pushing hands class, I asked myself what is it that I should really be striving for. Interestingly, I came up with the third answer. I will be letting this aim guide my practice for a while.

It Takes Time... And Conscious Effort

I have talked about the importance of being correct. But in taiji, it is difficult to be correct from Day One. Otherwise, we would all be taiji masters. So that means we are start out wrong. What is important then, is to know what is correct, and make conscious effort towards being correct. So being wrong is okay, as long as you know you are wrong, and are making effort to correct yourself. One day, you will achieve what you set out to do. It just depends on how much effort you put in.

So firstly, know what is correct and what is wrong. Then, continue to put in effort to right that wrong. Otherwise, you will just stay in the realm of "knowing what is wrong" and never getting into the realm of "being correct".

Inkling on Pushing... Again

I don't know the science behind this, but somehow, when I push, if my opponent resists, all I need to do is relax, then push again, and I will be able to push him. I can't seem to figure out the science behind this, since it doesn't make logical sense. After all, if he is resisting, once you relax, shouldn't he be the one moving in towards you? But instead, once you relax, you can move in towards him even more.

Well, I may not understand the science, but I guess taiji is about faith as well. Have faith in doing what you have been taught, have faith that it works. You will eventually get there.

Using Elbows and Shoulders

Pushing hands is different from learning how to apply taiji moves. Pushing hands is about learn how to sense your opponent's force, about how to neutralise it and use his force against him. That is why in pushing hands, we do not play rough, we do not use some of the more dangerous moves like using the elbow or shoulders to hit.

It is not that I don't know how to use my elbows or shoulders, it is just that I choose not to during pushing hands. If my opponent is really rough, I do use my elbows and shoulders when I have to in order not to get hurt myself. But it is not an option that I choose when I am practising pushing hands. Because that is not the purpose of pushing hands.

We need to remember that our pushing hands partners are here for us to learn how to sense force, how to neutralise force, how to use a person's force against him. Our partners are not for us to abuse, not for us to try out the moves in taiji. Learning how to apply the moves in taiji should be something separate, though it is a required part of training. Abuse your partners at your own risk; you may be the one ending up injured.

Inkling on Pushing

An inkling on how to push... once you sense your opponent resisting, relax, then imagine that the force is coming up from your front leg and traveling up to your hands as you move forward and push. The key is to relax once you feel him resisting... that draws out his force, so that you can use it. Then, when you link your arms to your legs, you can move as a whole to push him without using brute force.

Pushing Hands, Neutralising Hands

Sometimes you wonder why pushing hands (tui shou 推手) is called thus, since the aim of pushing hands is to learn how to sense and then neutralise your opponent's force. So why isn't it called neutralising hands (hua shou 化手)? By calling it pushing hands, people misunderstand it, thinking that the aim is to push; they end focusing on how to push people, instead of learning how to neutralise their opponent's force. The "push" in pushing hands is for your partner to learn how to neutralise it.

Then again, there is this concept as well, that neutralising is pushing (化就是推) and also that only when you can neutralise, can you really be able to push (能化才能推). Maybe this is why it is still called pushing hands, since at the end of the day, neutralising your opponent's force also means being able to push him. Yet we must not confuse this with just pushing; neutralising your opponent's force and being able to push him are both the means and the ends. Focusing only on one (usually pushing) is to lose seeing the forest for the tree.

Don't Grab (Again)

My teacher always likes to tell us that in pushing hands, we should not grab/grasp our opponent. Why? Because when we grab, we are using brute force. Taiji is about sticking to your opponent; if you can stick, you don't need to grab.

Some of my pushing hands partners like to grab. The other day, my forearms (especially around my wrist) were bruised and sore from them grabbing me. It reminded me again of what my teacher said: don't grab. Because everytime they grabbed me, I could feel the brute force, and I knew I could use it, but I didn't, because most of the time, they used a lot of force, so much so that it would have been dangerous to try to use such force against them. In the end, I thought that if they like to grab, I will let them grab. It is better for me to suffer a bit than for someone to get injured.

I grab too, but I grab my partner only when I don't want him to fall. When I push him and he loses balance, I will grab him so that he doesn't fall down. I would think that is an acceptable time to grab.

Step By Step

I have yet to learn moving stance pushing hands. Instead, all my pushing hands lessons are fixed stance pushing hands. It is because my teacher has yet to teach moving stance pushing hands, even though I have been learning from him for years. Not because he cannot teach it, but because he feels we are not ready.

To him, fixed stance pushing hands is the fundamental. If you can't even get the fundamental right, there is no point moving to moving stance pushing hands, which is more about application. Why? Because why moving stance pushing hands allow you to escape (by moving away) if you are unable to neutralise your opponent's force, you do not have that luxury in fixed stance pushing hands. In fixed stance, you really need to be able to neutralise your opponent's force.

So he feels that if he teaches moving stance pushing hands now, people who are unable to truly neutralise force will never be able to pick it up. They can just run away. They end up learning the wrong thing. They end up learning how to push, but not how to neutralise. Against a true taiji practitioner, they will not be able to hold their ground. That is why he continues to stress on fixed stance pushing hands, so that we get our fundamentals right, so that we learn how to truly neutralise force, before we learn more on application.

It is step-by-step, but that is the only way we will get anywhere. If you try to move on to the next step without properly taking the current one, you just lose your balance and fall.

Low Stance, Correct Stance

My teacher advocates us to use a low stance when pushing hands. I try to do as low a stance as I can, because it helps to train up the strength in my legs and because a firm base is important. But one must not forget that the low stance is a method to train a firm base, yet it is still important to be correct in your stance. You must be able to turn your kua, and you must be facing your opponent. If your stance is low but incorrect, you are just training your legs to be strong; it is like stance training, you are better off just standing in a horse stance and not moving. Your stance must be low and correct, in order for you to be able to translate your force from the legs up through the body to the arms.

Turning the Force Away

Coming back to practise after a long break is very rewarding. Back in Japan, I could only practise by myself, without a teacher to guide me or an partner to practise pushing hands. Now, it is time for me to recognise my problems again, with the advice of my teacher, as well as the issues that surface when pushing hands.

I have recently written about the basics of peng, turn and push. Today, I again realise the importance of the kua in turning away my opponent's force (that is to say, neutralising his force). After peng, if I just turn my forearm, I am only able to divert away my opponent's force if he is using brute force. And I somehow feel it is using my own force. Today, I realised that the kua has a very important part to play. If I link the turning of my kua to the turning of my forearm, I am able to divert away my opponent's force, no matter how big or small it is. It is a basic principle that I am rediscovering after the long break, and a very important principle too.

Peng, Turn, Push 棚转按

It is very basic, but something that we tend to forget after a while. Yet it is the basic that is important. It has always been peng, turn and push. Peng to contact the opponent's force and stick to it, turn to neutralise it, push to change its direction. Miss or overlook any step, and it becomes brute force. Sometimes we forget to peng properly, and then we cannot stick to his force. Sometimes we forget to turn, and we end up pulling. However, we usually remember the pushing part... but without the first two, it just becomes brute force.

Drawing Circles With the Knees

After a year away from Singapore, I am finally back and going to Mr Kwek's classes again. Due to insufficient practice over the last year, my legs are no longer as strong and I am a bit raw when pushing hands. But with hard work, I think I should be able to get back to where I was before I left.

One point that Mr Kwek brought up that still left me a bit confused. He mentioned that in silk reeling, the legs (best seen in the movement of the knees) turn in circles, 180 degrees out of phase. For example, both knees should be turning out, one after the other. And vice versa. I can understand this for certain silk reeling movements, but I wonder how it coordinates with two-hands silk reeling. For example, while the right hand may be turning out, the left hand is actually coming in. So should the knees still be drawing outward circles? It then becomes awkward for the left hand. But getting the knees to draw opposite circles seem weird too.

Back to basics as I try to regain strength in my legs, and it should give me time to try and figure this out.

Starting Again

I will soon be returning to Singapore after my sojourn in Japan. I am really looking forward to being able to train under Mr Kwek again, though work would be quite busy for a while. It is also time to see how much my skills have degraded during this time in Japan without a teacher and without constant practice. Especially in pushing hands. Before I left for Japan, my teacher told me that I don't have to worry about pushing hands, just work hard at practising my forms and basics. Let's see how effective such practice is for pushing hands.

Just a Practice

As part of my calligraphy lessons, I have to submit 2 pieces of work each month for grading purposes. Basically, I write the same thing many many times, and choose the best pieces at the end of the day for submission.

As I practise, the pieces get better and better, but there are times when I make mistakes (instead of improving), and I know that the piece can no longer be submitted. But I still continue to finish that piece for practice sake. And it is at times like this that the piece actually turns out better than the rest. My calligraphy teacher likes to remind me that it is just a practice, there is no need to be frustrated over a small mistake, at the end of the day, each piece is just for practice.

I guess that is very true for taiji as well. Every time I practise, I am always looking out for my own mistakes, trying to make sure I am able to achieve all the principles of taiji. Maybe it is time to give myself some slack, and treat each session as what it really is, a practice. There is no need to be perfect. It is, after all, just a practice.

Classical Works on Taiji Theory

I have been trying to find classical works on taiji theory in Chinese, if anyone has a good website to share, please leave a comment! Thanks!

Background: Classical Chinese is slightly different from modern Chinese, written in less words (characters) which can have a wider scope of meaning compared to modern Chinese. While the great taiji masters of old are no longer around, I think they have left behind important lessons in their works on the theory behind taijiquan, and it is up to us to try and decipher what we can from the classical Chinese works.

Summarising Matsuda Ryuchi's "拳法極意－発勁と基本拳"

As mentioned, I was reading Matsuda Ryuchi's (松田隆智) newest book, "拳法極意－発勁と基本拳" (roughly translates into "Secret of Martial Arts - Generating Force and Basics"). In the book, he talked about 5 martial arts styles and their basics, which he felt is the essence of martial arts. I have taken the liberty to list the various basics in each of the 5 martial arts styles that he mentioned in his book.

八极拳 Bajiquan
马步站桩功，单挂掌，单劈手，白马翻蹄，盘提步，鹞子穿林，熊步沉坠功，马弓捶，冲捶

形意拳 Xingyiquan
三体式，劈拳，崩拳（and 钻拳，炮拳，横拳）

心意六合拳 Xinyi Liuhe Quan
刮地风，单把，横拳，挑领，鹰捉虎扑，斩手炮

翻子拳 Fanziquan
一步三拳，连珠炮动，八翻打

陈氏太极拳 Chenshi Taijiquan
八门劲，缠丝劲，弹抖劲

Matsuda-sensei is focused on his search for the strongest punch, which is why his book focuses so much on punches and how to generate force for the strongest punch. It is not necessarily about the strongest/best style of martial arts, or which is better than which. If you are already a practitioner of any of these styles, it may be beneficial to focus on these basics. And if you are not, and wish to broaden your base, these basics from these 5 styles may be something good to work on while remaining dedicated to your own central style.

Taiji Spiral

There must be some physics to this that I haven't had the time to research on, but somehow, I think there is some scientific basis behind the spiraling force we use in taiji. When you spiral out, you may move the same distance along a single axis, but the force generate is much more compared to moving that same distance in a straight line. Why? Maybe because the distance actually travelled is different? For example, the straight line distance between point A and B is 10cm. When you spiral from point A to B, however, you definitely cover more than 10cm. The science behind this may have to do with the difference between a nail and a screw, and maybe has to do with torque, but I am not good with physics or mathematics... so I guess I will have to leave this to someone else to explore and come up with a scientific explanation.

Getting Rid of Brute Force

I am currently reading Matsuda Ryuchi's (松田隆智) newest book, "拳法極意－発勁と基本拳" (roughly translates into "Secret of Martial Arts - Generating Force and Basics"). In the section on Chen style taiji, he mentioned that one of the key to getting rid of brute force lies in stance training (站桩). An example provided by him is to slowly practise Xingyiquan Piquan (形意拳劈拳) while focusing on how the force is generated by the legs and reaching the hand. It brings me to think about what my teacher used to say about practising the opening move (起式) in taiji. I think it has a similar effect, while practising the opening move to think about how the force is generated from the legs, how it is then transferred through the body to the arms and hands, how that force becomes the energy that moves the rest of the body.

Linking Hands and Feet and Staying Rooted

After some time practising while focusing on linking my hands and feet (see here and here), I came to realise another small little thing. By focusing on linking my hands to my feet, and knowing how the force from each hand is linked to each foot, I become more aware of how the force is generated from the feet/legs. I become more aware of how my legs are supporting my weight, how they are shifting it from one side to another. I become more aware of my own balance. I have, in short, become more rooted. It is a small inkling but I guess it is also a small step towards becoming more self-aware, towards becoming more sensitive to force.

Learning From A Teacher

In the beginning, it is always important to have a teacher.

A teacher not only teaches you, but he also provides feedback. He points out your mistakes so that you know where to improve on. He paces out your learning for you so that you know where to focus on.

More importantly, he forces you to practise. By going to a teacher, you have to practise regularly (everytime you have classes). When left alone, man's laziness kicks in... and a lot of self-discipline is required to force yourself to practise, especially if the practise is tough. A teacher helps prevent laziness and prompts you to practise without the need for self-discipline. This helps in the initial stages when you still have not settled into your own cycle of practice.

Once you have found your own cycle for practice, once you have learnt the steps, once you know what to look out for (the common and uncommon mistakes), a teacher is no longer needed for further learning. You are then on your own. You are then your own teacher, prompting yourself to practise, watching for your own mistakes, setting your own pace for learning.

Linking Hands and Feet and 上下相随

Previously, I have talked about linking hands and feet. I have been making it the focus of my practice and I think I am starting to get a better understanding of this concept. In taiji, it is important for the body to move as a whole, for the top and bottom to follow each other (上下相随). Once I started to focus on linking my hands to my feet, this concept of 上下相随 came in quite naturally as well. I start to feel how the movements of my legs will actually bring about the movements of my hands. It is still quite in the infant stage, I would say, but at least it is a start of something new. I guess it is always easy to talk about the concepts of taiji, but how to actually put it into practice, and more importantly, the key to being able to put it into practice (like this concept of linking hands and feet is the key to putting 上下相随 into practice) is very important. If anyone has similar practice suggestions to share, do feel free to do so!