Fixed Pushing - Hands

There are 18 fixed exercises in the system of master Huang

- called "fixed Pushing Hands".

Two of the most important ones are "Seven Pushes" and "Slow Push".

These two Exercises allow you to study the inner qualities of the Five Elements...

They are mentioned in the first "Taiji Classics" (the one by Chang San-feng) and are related to Forward, Backward, Look Left, Look Right and Centralised.

They are represanting the Five Elements:

Fire - Water - Wood - Metal - Earth

These are the external principles - the internal principles are:

Sticking - Joining - Adhering - Following - No Resistance - Not loosing Connection.

With the Fixed Pushing Hands and the Semi free Pushing Hands, we have a good opportunity to get to know and to study these internal principles.

Semi - free Pushing Hands

In Semi-free Pushing Hands the aim is to unbalance your partner whereas the partner tries to neutralize without pushing back. This enables you to concentrate on your part of the game:

For example no brute force, breaking the roots before pushing … as it is mentioned in the “Taiji Classics”.

During neutralizing, your partner is exercising all internal principles of the Five Elements.

With the help of Sticking – Joining – Adhering –Following – No Resistance – Not Loosing Connection one´s yielding is developed and every incoming force can be neutralized.

The advantage of Semi-free Pushing Hands is, that you can learn to listen and sense how your partner behaves. Winning is only secondary as you change roles after 5 minutes.

Semi - free Pushing Hands and Free Pushing Hands

In Semi-free and Free Pushing Hands your standing position is fixed and you don´t step. Every 10 minutes an acustic signal reminds you to change partner and footing.

There are 3 different stances you are using in this kind of Pushing Hands:

V - Stance:

The feet in the shape of a v, heels together and one foot distance to your partner.

Parallel Stance:

Feet are parallel, shoulder width, and also one foot distance to your partner.

Bow Stance:

The rear foot is turned outward 45 degrees and the other foot is directed foreward, shoulder width, in one foot distance to the rear one.