A Brief Discussion on "Losing" and "Blocking" in Tai Chi Push Hands
Today, I would like to discuss the concepts of "losing" and "blocking" in Tai Chi push hands. Specifically, "losing," for a skilled practitioner, means losing control over the opponent, where their force no longer permeates or pulls effectively. For a less experienced practitioner, "losing" means failing to channel the skilled opponent's force from hand to shoulder, waist, and legs down to the foot. When there is a significant skill gap between the two parties and they strictly adhere to the principle of not losing or blocking while practicing cooperative push hands, the quality of not losing will be very high. A skilled practitioner can successfully "transmit" their "power" to the less skilled one, allowing them to improve quickly. If both parties do not cooperate or are unaware of how to cooperate, or if they engage in disengaged hands, then regardless of the skill disparity, losing is unavoidable, even entirely without "not losing." In current Tai Chi push hands competitions, the essence involves disengaged hands, where losing and blocking during disengagement is normal. Evaluating disengaged hand contests with push hands standards naturally leads to the conclusion that the competition does not reflect "not losing and not blocking." This, however, is not the fault of the participants; anyone entering this arena would experience the same, without exception. Every instance of losing results in a strike, every block ends in a throw. Adding strikes and quick throws to the competition allows the skills practiced in cooperative push hands, such as not losing, not blocking, adhering, and following, to be fully utilized. The various issues present in so-called Tai Chi push hands competitions could be fundamentally resolved this way.
Truly meaningful Tai Chi push hands cannot be competed in; it is merely a cooperative exercise. Without cooperation, push hands cease to exist. Since it is a competition, there will be no cooperation. Without cooperation, how can one avoid losing or blocking? Beginners learning push hands should not entertain notions of neutralization in their minds but focus on receiving and accepting force, striving to let every application of force penetrate to the bottom of their feet. The advanced skill in push hands is when you use force against me, that same force also acts upon yourself. Neutralizing your force, letting it slide away, or dodging it leaves me with nothing to counter with. Using my own force to strike you is too exhausting; Tai Chi emphasizes borrowing force to strike others. Tai Chi and health preservation emphasize economical use of force, and only Tai Chi can achieve the realm of "an old man resisting many." Letting the opponent strike you enables a reaction against them, returning force to their body. Today, learning not to lose, learning to be struck, learning to be hit directly, is for tomorrow's immunity to being struck, to not be hit. Neutralization is striking, and striking is neutralization. It is evident that striking is difficult, and naturally, neutralization is also challenging. Starting with neutralization is putting the cart before the horse and unscientific. Neutralization does not require specialized practice; with enough stimulation, when the stimulation ceases to have an effect, both neutralization and striking abilities will have developed. During daily push hands practice, create conditions for the opponent to apply force and strike you, then respond like a ball bouncing off a wall. Never touch what cannot be touched, dodging at the sight of force and avoiding it, which leads to losing the incoming force. In cooperative push hands exercises, the term "blocking" has a specific meaning, mainly referring to situations where both parties simultaneously apply opposing forces, feeling the force application as unsmooth and lacking elasticity. One party feels their force application as smooth and effective, indicating no blocking. Smooth force application signifies all forces achieving the expected effects, applying force correctly when necessary. Slight conflicts in force application should be followed by the opponent’s force to neutralize, fearing blocking, which is useless in actual combat. In push hands, deliberately seeking conflict and creating conflict is essential. After forming the conflict, instead of immediately neutralizing, enhance the conflict, making the opponent unable to resist. This does not rely on brute strength but precise force application, breaking the opponent's force at a joint in their body. If the opponent aggressively attacks, conflict naturally arises without deliberate seeking. If the opponent pushes conservatively or if you actively attack, deliberately seek conflict. As long as force application remains smooth and elastic, necessary conflicts do not count as blocking but are indispensable.
Currently, in Tai Chi push hands practice, there is more losing and less blocking during routine practice, but more blocking occurs in intense confrontations. During practice, both parties' hands remain in contact without separating. If they are long-term partners, their exchanges may seem harmonious and rhythmic. However, amidst this apparent continuous exchange, there lacks powerful rubbing involving the waist, legs, arms, and back. Neither party applies their overall force to the other, resulting in inconsequential exchanges that fail to penetrate deeply, demonstrating no real skill. At best, this constitutes hand skill practice, falling far short of Tai Chi's holistic skill, serving merely for fitness and entertainment. Practiced this way, it has little practical value. In push hands, the hands can achieve a state of seemingly relaxed yet taut force application, but can the waist, back, and legs do the same? Only when the entire body, from legs, waist, back, and arms, performs movements with seemingly relaxed yet taut force does it constitute holistic movement, called not losing or blocking, leading to skill development. The state of whole-body force being seemingly relaxed yet taut occasionally appears in push hands but requires a correct and special method to maintain consistently during practice. Unconsciously developing the habit of dodging force during practice will result in suffering in intense confrontations. Skills that seem effective during practice vanish during confrontation, leaving one either passively fleeing without resistance or instinctively hard-blocking. Forced hard-blocking results in greater suffering. The more severe the losing during practice, the more intense the blocking during use, leading to greater suffering. Fully maintaining not losing or blocking during daily practice allows for high-quality perception of the opponent's movements. When appropriate, block to make them experience two-sided force and break in the middle, essentially hitting themselves. When inappropriate, reduce conflict intensity, maintain not losing or blocking with moderate conflict, and seize opportunities. Implementing an escape policy during practice results in forced hard-blocking during use, making it impossible to lose or block effectively. Generally, among Tai Chi practitioners, Da Cheng Quan (Great Achievement Boxing) tends to be harder, while Tai Chi tends to be softer. The former experiences more blocking, the latter more losing. Both losing and blocking are undesirable, but from a practical standpoint, blocking is more useful. Blocking escalates conflicts, enhancing physical endurance at least. Losing, on the other hand, yields nothing. Regardless of whether it is Da Cheng Quan or Tai Chi, those who achieve success invariably possess balanced softness and hardness, and the skills of not losing or blocking are not wrong.
Practicing not losing or blocking during daily practice and utilizing losing and blocking appropriately during use is crucial. When I block, you are in a powerless state, unable to resist. When I lose, you are at a loss, losing all opportunities. There is a phenomenon worth noting: between two individuals, A and B, A practices strict adherence to not losing or blocking, adhering and following, while B, due to their teacher or insight, always loses and blocks, losing completely and blocking forcefully. When A and B compete, A is at a loss, while B handles the situation effortlessly. Why? During competition, whoever can actively lose and block, seizing the initiative, gains the advantage. A's habit of not losing or blocking, adhering and following, is deeply ingrained. Even during competition, despite thinking about not just adhering and following, losing when appropriate and blocking when necessary, A's actions still show little losing or blocking, clearly placing them at a disadvantage. Among push hands practitioners, traditionally, those who regularly lose and block tend to perform better during competition than those who practice not losing or blocking. Practicing not losing or blocking is quite challenging. Even if practicing true not losing or blocking, without a qualitative leap in skill, it remains ineffective during competition.
Truly mastering the techniques of not losing or blocking in push hands, combined with long-term practice, eventually leads to great achievement. Losing and blocking practice, though quicker to learn, is fleeting, lacks interest, and ultimately fails to achieve greatness. Active losing and blocking during competition does not come from regular losing and blocking practice but from consistent not losing or blocking practice. Not losing or blocking only occurs during cooperative push hands practice, so the main focus should be on cooperative push hands practice.
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