Push Hands... Isn't.

Most people think that the core of a martial arts system is its forms, but in fact the core of any sophisticated martial art is gong to be its sensitivity drills. This is where all the pieces of technique become fused with your instincts in a useful way.

In the Daoist arts, which tend to specialize in structural manipulation, the drills are usually called Tui Shou, of "Push Hands." In these drills, you are learning to find the weak points in your opponent's structure and defenses, usually their centerline, in order to offbalance or break them. (This is called "Breaking the Circle," and is one of the sources of my school's name.)

In the art of Taijiquan, we aren't actually doing this. At least until we reach the higher levels (much higher than most practitioners ever reach), we are focusing on the other half of the equation: redirecting our opponent's straight line so it doesn't affect our centerline. So we're not really practicing pushing: Our partner is certainly pushing, but that's when it's "our turn" to practice our yielding.

Personally, that is why I don't participate in Push Hands competitions: They focus on the wrong part of the training. I think the established rules inhibit good practitioners from responding with yielding to the aggressive, double-weighted attack style that often wins these tournaments.