Push-handswiththeelements.docVIP

Push-hands with the Elements 与天气打太极 August 1, 2013 Corey Hopp There is a common two-person Tai Chi practice walled tuishou, or push-hands. It seems, from what I have seen, that it varies in its details from school to school, but I hope the core practice is the same. Two practitioners stand and push one another, trying to maintain constant contact while looking for the opening to unbalance their partner. The secret, as far as I have grasped it, is the smooth and accurate transition from pushing to yielding in perfect synchronicity with your partner’s transition: when the other person is pushing at 80% power, you are exactly 80% yielding. When they are 30% yielding, you are exactly 30% pushing. One can not be always pushing or always yielding: obviously always yielding gets you knocked over, and always pushing seems strong but against a skilled opponent gets overbalanced. Clearly this requires great skill and sensitivity. There is no single “answer” that solves the “problem” each and every time, only by reacting well to the constantly changing situation does one stay on one’s feet. 太极拳中有一套基本的双人徒手对抗练习，称为推手（push-hands）。在我看来，虽然各流派在细节上各有不同，但他们的核心是一样的。练习中，两个打手对面而立，手臂相搭，互相推挽，周而复始，同时寻找机会使对手失去平衡。我所领会的推手诀窍是无论你的对手是进还是退，你都得始终灵活准确的与其保持一致：他进八分力，你就退八分力；他退三分，你就进三分。你不可能一直进或一直退，一直退明显你会跌倒，一直进呢，你貌似处于上风，一旦遇到高手你会失去平衡而倒下。显而易见，这需要很大的技巧和灵敏度。每次练习中不可能有唯一“答案”来解决这个“问题”，你只能在不断地变化中反应灵敏，从而保持重心。 In this way, push-hands becomes one way to understand Taiji. Taiji is the Daoist philosophy of ever-shifting opposites. This is the philosophy the physical practice of Taijiquan attempts to capture. This practice has in turn become known (somewhat confusingly) as just Taiji, or Tai Chi (See what we did there? Made a nice little circle). 在这点上，推手是理解太极的一种方法。太极是不断变换对立的道教哲学。这也是练习者在打太极拳中试着捕捉和领会的。结果这种练习就（颇为令人困惑地）被称作Taiji 或者 Tai Chi。（看懂我们在这谈了什么吗？绕了个小圈子而已。） So I bring this up in an attempt to offer, once and for all, my solution to what is known in my class as, “THE HAT QUESTION.” Shifu has told us, “You must protect