"With all my teaching experience I believe that women students should begin practicing the Pushing-Hands exercises with other women for the first six months so that they become empowered and comfortable before they join a mixed gender class. I believe men need to emphasize sensitivity when first learning the Pushing-Hand exercise and strive to proportionally increase their skill while decreasing their aggression."
-Ray Hayward
"Big movements are not as refined as small movements. Small movements are not as refined as invisible movements. Movement is not as refined as stillness."
-Wang Hsiang-Chai
Prerequisite: Completion of the 150-posture solo form.
This course focuses on the study, research and development of the practices, theories, principles and execution of pushing-hands. It includes Pushing-Hands and Ta-Lu.
10 Preliminary Drills:
- Willow
- Upward Split and Push
- Lower Split and Push
- Diagonal Split and Push (White Crane)
- Brush Knee
- Apparent Closure (Form)
- Pull
- Staff Breathing
- Rooting (3 Variations)
- Uprooting and Sparrows Hop (9 Variations)
5 Sticking Hand Drills:
- Chop with Fist
- Thrusting Hand
- Elbow and Chop
- Parry and Punch
- Ward-Off and Punch (5 Variations)
5 Advanced Drills:
- Willow and Hands
- Short Energy
- T'i-Fang
- Withdraw and Attack
- Receiving Energy
5 Pushing-Hand Methods:
- Single Hand, Horizontal
- Roll-Back and Push (5 Techniques)
- 4 Directions, Horizontal (18 Techniques)
- 2 Hand, Vertical (4 Techniques)
- Active-Step, Vertical (2 Techniques)
3 Ta-Lus:
- Yangs Family (6 Techniques)
- Wang Yen-niens (8 Techniques)
- Cheng Man-ch'ings (6 Techniques)