Learning about the two-person exercise of “pushing hands” is an essential aspect of any Taiji curriculum. For centuries, it has been practiced alongside the solo form to maintain body structure and develop internal sensitivity to movement. Pushing hands resembles a beautiful flowing dance between partners. As one body moves the other follows. Hands move forward and back in a soft, gentle and circular manner. Forearms are connected as they shift back and forth eliciting internal power from whole-body movement. Push hands trains you to relax and flow with your partner’s energy thereby strengthening your aptitude for feeling and employing energy. 

As you become adept at feeling, controlling and manipulating energies, you will be able to detect changes in your partner’s energy and subsequently respond without resistance or brute force. You will develop tactile sensitivity in your hands and arms as well as awareness of your center of gravity in relation to that of your partner. This practice requires basic Taiji skills of the solo form, standing meditations and application of the Eight Gates. 

In this course, you will develop new skills such as listening, neutralizing and delivering force along with the four basic push hand skills of following, connecting, adhering and sticking. Pushing hands is a challenging, intriguing and fun experience that requires concerted effort, lots of patience and repetitive practice. You may choose to practice pushing hands solely for sensitivity training or combined with martial application.