Suppleness in pushing hands

By Wu RH, Compiled and Translated by Alex

        Most people believe pushing hands to be a difficult skill to learn with a risk for injury while training. This misconception results from erroneous ideas and inappropriate technique.

Suppleness in pushing hands means to stick to the opponent, to listen and follow his movement, to move in a continuous way without using force. Practicing in this manner not only safeguards from injury, but it also stimulates the body’s deeper potential. At a higher level, the skills of neutralization and fajing (discharge) are refined, as the coach draws the opponent’s upper body joints (wrists, elbows, shoulders, back, waist) to disrupt the structure of his lower body joints (hips, knees, ankles). For most people to keep their balance, they will need to rely on the full participation of their brain and nervous system, on the whole range of movement of their muscles, joints and ligaments. It is in this way, to keep the body stable, that the deeper potential is activated.

A coach must be light and agile with his body and hands. He should not clumsily push and pull with hard strength, otherwise he might cause injury or bring about unwanted results. Not being light and agile also preempts the development of the skills of tingjing (hearing the opponent) and dongjing (understanding the opponent). As for his mental attitude, the coach must cultivate the qualities of humbly receding, yielding, and guiding.

【一般人皆可參與的推手訓練課程】

對一般人而言，推手訓練是遙不可及的技術，深怕推手訓練時身體受到傷害，這是錯誤的觀念與不當技術所造成的誤解，以黏、貼、連、隨、不丟頂為法之鬆柔推手訓練法，不但不會受傷，而且具備激發身體潛能的功能，及鬆柔走化與發勁技巧之趣味性，教練可以藉由腕、肘、肩、背脊與腰等關節部位之牽引，破壞對手髖、膝、踝等關節部位之結構。一般人為了維持平衡，必須透過腦部的神經系統，動員全身各部位之肌肉、關節與韌帶之機能，以確保身體的穩定，而身體的潛能也將被激發。

唯教練必須具備輕靈的身手，不得以拙力硬推硬拉，否則將造成身體的傷害及反效果，失去身手的輕靈，也等於放棄聽勁與懂勁的訓練方向。在心理素質方面，也必須調整為謙讓、柔順、牽引及誘導等等心法及訓練法。