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| The Essence of Crane-style Pushing-hands |
Gender Neutrality
Clockwise and Anti-clockwise
Left-right Neutrality
2. GENERAL TECHNICAL TERMINOLOGY
Form and Kata
Freestyle
Inside-gate and Outside-gates
Lower-forearm
Shoulder-line
Hip-line
Mid-line
Centre-line
Single-hand-grip
Arms-contact Linkage
Non-cross-arm and Cross-arm Contacts
Types of Single-Hand-Grip
Sword-grip and Scabbard-grip
Grip-escape/release
Pin
Step (normal “stepping through” step)
Shuffle-step
Hourglass-stance
Dragon (including Standing-Dragon and Lying-Dragon)
3. PUSHING-HANDS SPECIFIC TERMINOLOGY
Freestyle
Inside-gate and Outside-gates
Lower-forearm
Shoulder-line
Hip-line
Mid-line
Centre-line
Single-hand-grip
Arms-contact Linkage
Non-cross-arm and Cross-arm Contacts
Types of Single-Hand-Grip
Sword-grip and Scabbard-grip
Grip-escape/release
Pin
Step (normal “stepping through” step)
Shuffle-step
Hourglass-stance
Dragon (including Standing-Dragon and Lying-Dragon)
3. PUSHING-HANDS SPECIFIC TERMINOLOGY
Keeping Silk
Contact-arm (stable and unstable)
Non-contact-arm
Inside-contact-arm
Outside-contact-arm
Inside-push
Outside-push
Pushing-hands-stance
Pushing-hands-orientation
Roles and Modes
Driver
Receiver
One-driver-mode
Two-drivers-mode
The-three-changes (to the point-of-contact)
Unbendable-arm
Vertical-unbendable-arm
Horizontal-unbendable-arm
Diagonal-unbendable-arm
Inverted-diagonal-unbendable-arm
Leverage
Alert-arm-attitude
Practitioners of Pushing-hands may be of any gender, but throughout this website, purely for the sake of brevity and readability, they are all referred to as if they are male.
Throughout this website, these two terms specify horizontal circular directions as viewed from above.
Pushing-hands has no left or right bias and so any left/right specificity in this website’s descriptions of movements/sequences is purely for the sake of clarity and readability.
For any such text to be applicable to the mirror-image situation, the terms "left" and "right" (and "clockwise" and "anti-clockwise") must replace each other.
Any such pushing-hands-specific text refers only to a version of the movement/sequence in which each training partner begins with his left foot foremost.
The precise meaning of each of several terms must be clearly defined, in order to expound upon Pushing-hands.
Throughout this website, the term "Pushing-hands" refers simply to the format known as "Crane-style Pushing-hands".
Throughout the martial arts world (excluding this website), the terms "pushing hands" and "push hands" refer to any of several formats of a particular two-person activity. Although these formats share many characteristics, they vary significantly in their fundamental precepts and have vastly differing purposes and rules of engagement. Some formats are considered to be training exercises solely for improving force-sensitive skills; others are to accommodate refereed competitions; and still others provide close-quarters (i.e. "in contact" as opposed to "on a gap") positions from which force-insensitive attack-and-defence practice drills are launched. Formats include the "Tui shou" of the Chinese T’ai Chi Chu’an (Supreme ultimate fist) and the "Kakie" of the Okinawan Goju-ryu karate.
N.B.
A surprisingly large proportion of non-“Crane-style” pushing/push hands practitioners are unaware that more than one format even exists !
N.B.
The term "pushing/push HANDS" is slightly misleading because it is the ARMS, rather than the HANDS, that receive and give most of the pushes.
"Crane-style
Pushing-hands" (and similar terms) refer to the format of pushing
hands (i.e. to the system) to which this website is dedicated. Throughout this website (purely for the sake of brevity) it is this format/system to which the simpler term "Pushing-hands" also refers.
This
format has no secondary purpose and is worth pursuing purely for its
own sake. It requires mobility and extreme physical sensitivity of its
practitioners and their
adherence to a principle of non-judgemental reciprocation: "If you try
to push me (testing my balance-and-posture), then I'll respond in
kind (without adding any punishment/penalty, even when the original
force is threatening/aggressive)." This format has structural
characteristics that are more like those of the
"Chi Sao" (Sticking/Sticky-hands) of the Chinese martial art Wing Chun
rather than those of the Tui shou of T'ai Chi, in as much as its
practitioners "chase the torso, not the hands"; and yet "It
is non-competitive and is, in fact, a unique form of interactive
moving-meditation (an antidote to aggression-promoting martial arts)".
N.B.
The inclusion of the term "Crane-style" in the unabridged name of this pushing-hands format and the depiction of the bird in its logo are in acknowledgement of underlying influences and not of physical mimicry, which never occurs within this format.
The whole physical person (i.e. the head, neck, torso, arms (including hands) and legs (including feet)).
A point shared by (and therefore on the "body" of) each of a pair of people, while they are in meaningful contact with each other.
A major part of some martial (and associated) arts is the performing of specific sequences of movements. Each such sequence is referred to, in Chinese martial arts and Korean taekwondo, as a "form" and, in Okinawan and Japanese karate, as a "kata". Throughout this website, solely because it has no other (and therefore potentially confusing) meaning within the English language, it is the term "kata" that is used.
Within the martial (and associated) arts, "Freestyle" refers to practice in which two (or more) training partners interact entirely spontaneously and which is therefore devoid of collaborative performances of predetermined sequences of movements, such as some non-solo training drills (including kata application demonstrations) or parts thereof.
The concept of a person's gates is best understood by envisaging his
arms extending directly forward, such that the space inside (i.e.
between) his arms is his “inside-gate”, and the two spaces (one outside
each of his arms) are his “outside-gates”. .
The anatomically lower part of the forearm (i.e. the part nearest the wrist).
A straight, usually horizontal, notional line joining a person's two shoulders.
A straight, usually horizontal, notional line joining a person's two hips.
A straight, usually vertical, notional line through the centre of a person's torso.
The forward projection of a person's mid-line (and therefore, strictly speaking, not a "line" but a "plane"), at right angles to his shoulder-line.
A grip that is applied BY only one hand.
Whenever one person applies a single-hand-grip around another person's arm, the grip can be termed “non-cross-arm” if one left arm and one right arm are involved or else “cross-arm” because two left arms or two right arms are involved.
N.B. Whenever two persons' arms are linked by TWO cross-arm grips, the two grip-linked pairs of arms cross each other (provided that the persons are, at least approximately, facing each other).
When
any single-hand-grip is applied to an arm's hand, wrist, or
lower-forearm, the grip conceptually divides the arm into a shorter
section and a longer section, and the grip can be termed a sword-grip or a scabbard-grip (even
in this "sword-free" context), depending on whether the longer section of the
arm (i.e. the majority of what is being gripped) protrudes from the index-finger side or the little-finger side, respectively, of the hand that is gripping it.
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| Scabbard-grip |
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| Sword-grip |
These two terms are derived from the fact that, all the while that a sword is being conventionally drawn from its scabbard, the two grips involved exemplify the two types of single-hand grip (i.e. the majority of the sword protrudes from the index-finger side of, and the majority of the scabbard protrudes from the little-finger side of, the hand that is gripping it).
N.B.
The classification of any particular single-hand-grip into one of these two types is unaffected by:
The classification of any particular single-hand-grip into one of these two types is unaffected by:
a) its location along the arm (i.e. whether it is the lower-hand, the upper-hand, the wrist or the lower-forearm that is gripped),
b)
its location around the arm (i.e. which surface of the gripped arm the grip's palm is touching), and c) its non-cross-arm/cross-arm status.
The freeing of a limb from a grip, such that the limb's movements are no longer controlled/restricted by means of the grip.
N.B. Physical separation (i.e. the absence of contact) is not necessary for a limb to be free of a grip's control/restrictions.
One person's limb (usually an arm) can be said to be "pinned" or "subject to a pin" when another person presses and continues to press it against something (usually its own body, or part thereof).
This entails repostioning one foot:
It is the moving of one foot (the rear one if stepping forward, the front one if stepping backward) a distance equal to twice the length of the stance, to a position in line with its original position, and the forming thereby of a mirror-image of the original stance (from the waist anatomically downward).
This entails repositioning both feet:
It involves first momentarily expanding the stance by repositioning one foot (with no change to the feet’s positional front/rear relationship), and then immediately restoring the stance’s original dimensions (though not necessarily restoring the direction of facing) by dragging the other foot into its new position.
An immobile, unsymmetrical stance in which the weight is borne by both legs equally. The feet are slightly toed-in, are shoulder-width apart and one is a foot's length further forward than the other. The knees are slightly bent.
N.B. In the Nai Han Chin kata, each "Dragon" is the result of the kata practitioner contorting his training partner's arm, whereas in the Rokushu kata, each "Dragon" is the result of the kata practitioner contorting his own arm.The following terms have a special meaning, when used in a Pushing-hands context:-
The physical combination of stability and carriage.
This term (perhaps because of silk’s reputed smoothness and delicateness) is used as shorthand for the consistency in the tactile interaction between training partners that enables each of them (once practice has programmed his body with touch-triggered reactions) to (without conscious thought) both monitor the other's movements and react appropriately.
At each point-of-contact, each of a pair of training partners presses almost constantly and reciprocally against the other with a force of pre-agreed strength.
When one training partner attempts to push (or pull etc.) the other:a) "the pusher", with no excessive suddenness:
..(i) redirects and/or
..(ii) momentarily, increases slightly the strength of his "pressing force" (typically by 10–25%), and
b) "the pushed" smoothly yields to this redirected/strengthened force, possibly by deflecting and/or by skirting around it.
If ever there is no pushing (or pulling etc.), each "pressing force" is, of course, matched by that of the other training partner.
N.B.
The "watercourse-way" requires that the reaction to a training partner’s forward push, attempted arm-lock, etc. is never mere rigid resistance ("jamming").
N.B.
With the ability to limit forces to an agreed maximum strength, there is no need for a weaker practitioner to experience difficulties merely because his training partner is stronger (even a much stronger). Moreover a strong practitioner, rather than relying upon his strength (which one day, when confronted by even greater strength, will not suffice), can, like his weaker training partner, practice and program his body with reactions that are strength-independent.
An arm on which there is one or more points-of-contact.
If all the points-of-contact on it are on the same side of its owner’s centre-line as the arm's shoulder, then the contact-arm is “stable”; otherwise, it is “unstable”.
If all the points-of-contact on it are on the same side of its owner’s centre-line as the arm's shoulder, then the contact-arm is “stable”; otherwise, it is “unstable”.
[For example, a left contact-arm whose only point-of-contact is to the right of its owner's centre-line (i.e. to its owner's right) is “unstable”.]
An arm on which there is no point-of-contact.
A contact-arm that is in the inside-gate of a training partner.
A contact-arm that is in an outside-gate of a training partner.
A push that is in an inside-gate.
A push that is in an outside-gate.
A fluid, unsymmetrical stance in which the weight is borne by both legs equally and which allows turning at the waist. The feet are at least shoulder-width apart and one foot is one or two foot-lengths further forward than the other. The knees are slightly bent.
The relative body positions of a pair of training partners (with particular regard to the arms, the "gate" boundaries) that facilitates exchanging outside-pushes. In this orientation there is one point-of-contact and each training partner, in Pushing-hands-stance, faces the other,
either:
a) with his left foot foremost and has
i) a right outside-contact-arm and
ii) a left non-contact-arm,
or else
a) with his left foot foremost and has
i) a right outside-contact-arm and
ii) a left non-contact-arm,
or else
b) the mirror-image of that.
N.B. Other orientations do occur, but only transitorily.
There are, in the example in the next photograph, two points-of-contact and again each training partner, in Pushing-hands-stance, faces the other,
with his left foot foremost but now has
i) a right inside-contact-arm and
ii) a left outside-contact-arm.
Each of the two training partners is always enacting one of two roles: “Driver” and “Receiver.” These roles are complementary: whenever one training partner is the “Driver,” the other is the “Receiver.”
a) A "driver" tests the balance-and-posture of his training partner with every basic push that he gives, as well as by deliberately causing every deviation from the exchange of basic pushes, such as changing the point(s)-of-contact, changing of side (left or right), and pulling.
Each individual "bout" of freestyle Pushing-hands is in one of two modes:
a) In “One-driver-mode" the roles are permanent. The role of “driver” is enacted by one training partner (and the role of “receiver” by the other).
b) In “Two-drivers-mode” the role of "driver" is impermanently enacted by each of the two training partners, asynchronously (i.e. at different times), (as also is the role of "receiver").
Whenever the "current receiver", having decided to "drive" (i.e. to test the balance-and-posture of his training partner), begins to actually enact the role of "driver", the "previous driver" spontaneously and immediately switches his role to "receiver".
N.B. The length of time between role alternations can vary from a fraction of a second to an indeterminate number of minutes.
Whenever the "current receiver", having decided to "drive" (i.e. to test the balance-and-posture of his training partner), begins to actually enact the role of "driver", the "previous driver" spontaneously and immediately switches his role to "receiver".
N.B. The length of time between role alternations can vary from a fraction of a second to an indeterminate number of minutes.
N.B. Two-drivers-mode is intended solely for experienced practitioners becaise it functions properly only if each training partner has confidence that his body has acquired the system's complete range of touch-triggered reactions.
These are three separate sequences, each of which:
a) includes temporary changes to which two arms are sharing the point-of-contact,
b) is instigated by the driver using one of his arms to push one of the receiver's forearms across the receiver's centre-line, and
c) both begins and finishes in Pushing-hands-orientation, where each training partner has one contact-arm and one non-contact-arm.
In each sequence's name (Contact-Contact-Change, Non-contact-Contact-Change or Non-contact-Non-contact-Change) "-Change" is preceded by the (immediately prior to the sequence’s “instigating push”) contact/non-contact status of each of the two arms that are involved in that push: first that of the driver’s, then that of the receiver’s.
In each sequence's name (Contact-Contact-Change, Non-contact-Contact-Change or Non-contact-Non-contact-Change) "-Change" is preceded by the (immediately prior to the sequence’s “instigating push”) contact/non-contact status of each of the two arms that are involved in that push: first that of the driver’s, then that of the receiver’s.
N.B. The drills for practicing these sequences are referred to as "Six-six-six", each sequence being considered as consisting of six sequential moves.
An arm that is able to resist attempts to collapse its elbow joint and/or shoulder joint, with the word "unbendable" intended to convey the quality of being unyielding, but not through rigidity or brute strength. This unbendable quality is achieved by evoking the feeling that “energy” is flowing through the arm and out of its fingertips, thereby establishing an elbow angle that is geometrically obtuse, with that "feeling of flowing energy" resembling the way pressurised water flowing through a hosepipe straightens its bends and kinks.
An unbendable-arm whose wrist, elbow, and shoulder are all aligned in a virtually vertical plane that tilts slightly such that the elbow is closer to the centre-line than are the wrist and the shoulder, as in the kata Rokushu (immediately preceding the “Snake”), for example.
An unbendable-arm whose wrist, elbow, and shoulder are all aligned in a virtually horizontal plane that slopes slightly downward from the shoulder, as in the kata Rokushu (ending the “Penultimate Technique”), for example.
A horizontal-unbendable-arm with the wrist slightly raised and the elbow lowered and is therefore midway between a vertical-unbendable-arm and a horizontal-unbendable-arm.
A horizontal-unbendable-arm with the wrist slightly lowered and the elbow raised.
N.B. In the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun, this same position, with the same function, is known as "bong sau" (wing arm).
Throughout this website, this term does not refer literally to the "mechanical power gained by the use of a bar turning on a fulcrum", but refers figuratively to the (still physical and surprisingly strong) "power to influence a situation". Examples of "leverage" being applied are:
a) when a diagonal-unbendable-arm remains "unbent" while resisting a strong push against the outside of its forearm and
b) when a vertical-unbendable-arm successfully deflects a strong push that is in contact with the inside of its forearm.
N.B. Without balance-and-posture, there can be no leverage.
A position similar to that of a vertical-unbendable-arm but with the open hand’s palm being vertical and facing away from the shoulder.
