Tai Chi (taiji) Partner exercises
There are six types of Tui Shou in the Original Yang Style curriculum. Once the form is learned, these exercises help getting a deeper and more dynamical understanding of the underlying principles. When you practice the form, you are free and unhindered, when practicing with a partner, you have to learn to adjust your movements without losing the principles already acquired.
The partner exercises, while not a sort of fighting or competition in themselves, are also a preparation for Tai Chi Chuan as self-defense.
These forms of pushing hands in fact have nothing to do with "pushing". It's all about energy: maintaining one's own energy while under "stress" from a partner, redirecting the partner's energy as well as his muscular pushes ns using chi to uproot the training partner.
The partner exercises of the the Original Yang Style:
- Single Pushhands
- Double Pushhands
- Double Pushhands Small Circle
- Ta Lu
- Ta Lu Form
- Free Pushhands where all the movements of the solo-form and the weapon-forms can be used.