Sifu Wong Kiew Kit’s Home Page
Shaolin Wahnam Video Series
Wahnam Taijiquan at the Blue Mountain -- Part 3
DEVELOPING COMBAT SKILLS IN PUSHING HANDS
Participants at the Blue Mountain regional Taijiquan course practicing Pushing Hands
“Tui Shou”, or Pushing Hands, provides an ingenious method in Taijiquan to develop important combat skills like sensing an opponent’s movements and intension, following an opponent’s momentum and turning it again him, appropriate body-movement and footwork, being relaxed in combat situations, generating energy flow and building internal force.
It is precisely for this reason of developing skills, that techniques are purposely reduced to the bare minimum, in order that students can free their mind from thinking what techniques to use so as to focus on their skills. In stationary Pushing Hands, for example, only one technique, “White Snake Shoots Venom”, is used by the initiator, and only one technique, “Immortal Waves Sleeves”, is used by the responder. In mobile Pushing Hands, the initiator only uses “Open Window to Look at Moon”, and the responder “Immortal Waves Sleeves”.
When an initiator attacks, the responder does not block or go against the momentum of the attack. He “yields” to the attack, deflects it, and turns it against the opponent, all flowing with the opponent’s momentum. This implements the Taijiquan principles of “using minimum force against maximum strength”, and “using an opponent’s strength against himself”.
These video clips were taken at the Guan Yin Temple on the Blue Mountain
Please note that you can download the video clips onto your own computer and view them at your leisure. Place your computer pointer at the picture or one of the links, and right click. Choose “Save Target As”. Select the directory or sub-directory where you wish to keep the video clip. Click “Save”.
Neutralizing an Opponent’s Force
“Hua jin”, or eutralizing an opponent’s force, is a very important skill in Taijiquan. It is often, though incompletely, translated as “yielding”.
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If an opponent’s attack is short range, you can neutralize by using only hand movement, If the attack is medium range, you use both hand-movement and body-movement. If the attack is long range (shown in the next video clip), you use hand-movement, body-movement and leg-movement.
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When the attack is long range, using just hand-movement and body-movement is insufficient; you need to use leg-movement to move away into another stance.
The size of the video clip is 699 kb.
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Securing a Tactical Advantage in Leg-Mode
When an opponent rolls forward, you roll back. When he steps forward, you step back. In this way you maintain the same leg-mode as he does. But if you wish to use a different leg-mode as his, such as for a tactical advantage, you can step back as he rolls forward, or roll back as he steps forward.
The size of the video clip is 1085 kb.
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Securing a Tactical Advantage in Side-Attack
You may also secure a tactical advantage by attacking your opponent from his sides. Notice that here Grandmaster Wong pushes from his back leg, and not from his shoulders.
The size of the video clip is 1102 kb.
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Neutralizing an opponent’s Advantage
As Grandmaster Wong attacks from his left side, Sifu Robin neutralizes Grandmaster Wong’s advantage by moving to his left side too.
The size of the video clip is 1819 kb.
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Earlier Grandmaster Wong pushed from his left side. Now he demonstrates pushing from his right side. Notice that Grandmaster Wong covers Sifu Robin’s arms to prevent him from counter-attacking. Sifu Robin responds using the appropriate footwork, body-movement and hand-technique.
The size of the video clip is 1834 kb.
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Participants enjoy themselves Pushing Hands, applying the techniques they have just learnt. Some of them, like Priya near the statue of Bodhisattva Guan Yin, are fresh beginners.
The size of the video clip is 678 kb.
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Getting to the Back of your Opponent
Grandmaster Wong demonstrates how you could get to the back of your opponent. You need to prepare your foot-position and cover your opponent as you move to his back.
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Neutralizing an Opponent’s Attack from the Back
Sifu Robin shows how to neutralize Grandmaster Wong’s attack from the back, and counter-attack. If Grandmaster is not skillful, he would be hit by Sifu Robin as he completes his attack.
The size of the video clip is1427 kb.
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Footwork is very important in Pushing Hands, as shown in this video clip. In the background are Sifu Robin of England and Sifu Jeffrey of Australia enjoying themselves.
The size of the video clip is 589 kb.
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In Pushing Hands, as in free sparring or actual combat, movements must be effective as well as spontaneous while maintaining correct form and executed with good force and speed. Pablo, the one partnering the woman, Anne Marie, is a fresh beginner, yet he could move effectively and spontaneously after systematic training for just two days.
The size of the video clip is 675 kb.
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Wahnam Taijiquan Training from Basics to Free Sparring
- Part 1 – The Secret of the Internal Force Masters
- Part 2 – Cloud Hands: From Chi Flow Movements to Patterns and Sets
- Part 3 – Developing Combat Skills in Pushing Hands
- Part 4 – Practicing Combat Techniques in Striking Hands
- Part 5 – Applying Kicks, Throws and Grips in Striking Hands
- Part 6 – Combat Sequences 1 and 2: Top, Middle, Bottom and Sides
- Part 7 – Combat Sequence 3: Pressing Attacks and How to Defend against Them
- Part 8 – Combat Sequences 4 and 5: Thrust Kick, Side Kick and Whirlwind Kick
- Part 9 – Combat Sequence 6: Felling Opponents with Carrying Tiger Back to Mountain
- Part 10 – Combat Seqeences 7 and 8: Chin-Na or Gripping Attacks and their Defences
- Part 11 – The Eight Simplified Combat Sequences of Wahnam Taijiquan
- Part 12 – From Guided Sparring to Free Sparring in Wahnam Taijiquan
Intensive Courses and Regular Classes
- Intensive Chi Kung Course
- Intensive Shaolin Kungfu Course
- Intensive Taijiquan Course
- List of Certified Shaolin Wahnam Instructors
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times since 15th February 2007