Push Hands: The Brute, Part 1

I mentioned in a previous post that there are certain types of people who come to push hands gatherings and ruin them for everyone. One of those types I call The Brute.

The Brute is the person who comes, sometimes alone but usually with a group, and exercises his ego by shoving people around using Li, or brute force. They usually win because their opponent isn't skilled enough to react to their sudden, jerky movements. A high level Push Hands practitioner would have no problem putting them down as soon as they stiffen up, but we're not masters, are we?

There are several ways you can deal with The Brute:

Bad
1) Get angry and use brute force back.
2) Ask them not to come back to any more gatherings.
3) Refuse to participate with them.

Better
4) Patiently explain to them that you could also use brute force, but that the point of Push Hands in Taijiquan is to learn to use yielding skills, and that they are disrupting the afternoon for everyone.

Here's the best option:

5) Set aside your own ego, and take the opportunity to learn from them.

There's a saying in Taijiquan circles: Leave your ego at the door.
This isn't some altruistic principle. The skills you learn in Taijiquan are negated by your ego, so it is necessary to set it aside just to learn.

In this series, I will explore option 5 and show you the correct techniques to deal with The Brute.