Push Hands: The Brute, Part 2: The Sudden Jerk

One of the most common techniques The Brute will use is a sudden backward jerking pull. The Brute's technique isn't skillful or elegant, but it will often work simply because their practitioner is playing Push Hands, not Jerk Hands.

Here are some traditional responses to this technique that you can practice. I don't think any of these will be appropriate in a push hands tournament, but they are all correct applications.

All of these techniques start with the obvious: Yield. Take a step in the direction your opponent is pulling you. Do this on your own terms, rather than stumbling.

For the sake of description, I'm assuming your opponent has grabbed your right wrist with his right hand and yanked you somewhere to his right. (I'm assuming your opponent is male just for writing convenience, not sexism.)

PICTURES WILL BE ADDED LATER.

Response 1: The Elbow / The Shoulder

If your opponent pulls you toward his body rather than to one side, take a step toward him (yield) and apply your elbow to their centerline. If necessary, you may turn your body and use your shoulder.

Response 2: The V-Arm Lock

As soon as your opponent grabs your wrist, put your left hand on top of his, trapping it. When he pulls, take a step forward and roll your right hand in a clockwise direction and point it downward. (This is in Needle at Sea Bottom.)

Response 3: The Arm Drag

As soon as your opponent grabs your wrist, put your left hand on top of his, trapping it. When he pulls, take a step (or two) past your opponent and drop your weight, essentially punching your right hand towards the floor. (This is in Step Up, Plant Fist.)

WARNING: Make sure your right knee isn't forward. If it is, your opponent's elbow/shoulder/spine may break across your knee. (This is the actual original application.)

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.

The Old Three Techniques

The second stage of push hands that I was taught is called "The Old Three Techniques."

It consists of:

Lu (Roll Back),
An (Push), and
Zhou (Elbow).

It's a simple game of rock-scissors-paper:

Respond to Push with Roll Back.
Respond to Roll Back with Elbow.
Respond to Elbow with Push.

Following from the Primary Two Techniques (Respond to Push with Roll Back, then apply Push), this provides the next level of complexity in training. You practice each level of complexity until it is subconscious before moving on. This is the point of these exercises; training your instincts.