Four Directions Push Hands (四正推手) Explained in the Romania Camp

Another hands-on lesson on the orthodox Yang family Taiji pushing hand, Si Zheng Tui Shou, or four directions pushing hands yesterday at the Chuan Cheng Taijiquan camp in Romania.

四正推手, or The Four Directions Push Hands, is the fundamental pushing-hands technique of Yang-family Taijiquan. This orthodox pushing-hands form is vital for verifying the correctness of all four Jins, the roundness, and the transformation between the forces, among other aspects. It’s not a method of pushing against each other for competition. This pushing-hands practice requires meticulous hands-on examination. Both practicing partners can ‘Ting’ or listen to the changes that arise from one another’s force mistakes. They can then assist each other in correcting them to enhance the completeness of Taijiquan’s circle. The ‘Fa Fang’ of one side emerges from the other side’s mistake, rather than an attempt to push against each other.