Wu Style Pushing Hands
In Wu Tai Chi Chuan, training in Pushing Hands is considered as very important. Students are encouraged to practice Pushing Hands consistently. Pushing Hands is the bridge that unifies the forms with fighting applications. Its practice is a challenge for the knowledge and the abilities the student has gained through his practice of the forms.
Pushing Hands teaches the student very important elements that can be learned only through the contact with other partners. Finally, it elevates the quality of movement and the fighting abilities to a very high level.
Essentially, Pushing Hands is a laboratory for testing and refining the already acquired but also acquiring further knowledge and skills. All serious students should practice Pushing Hands diligently, even if they do not intend to cultivate martial abilities. However, for those who wish to gain martial competence through Tai Chi Chuan, the practice of Pushing Hands is a must.
The basic Pushing Hands exercises of Wu Tai Chi Chuan (the list does not include its numerous variations) are the following:
STATIC
- Single Hand
- Four Corners
- Leaning Forward-Backward
- Elbow Roll
- Big Circle
MOVING
- Stepping Forward-Backward
- Half Step
- Chain Step
- Nine Palaces
- Da Lu
FREE STYLE
- Single Offset
- Double Offset
- Free Style Pushing Hands