10/17 Tuishou
Usually people only show up for class around 9pm, so I hung around a nearby coffee shop by the park until 8:30 before going over to the monument. Just about everyone was there already, however, and busy pushing. I stretched and went through some form work before pushing with Not From China, who was surprisingly subtle, though he had the annoying habit of repeating “Don’t use force, don’t use force” while he shoved in a definitely forceful manner. Teacher Xu told him to avoid excessive force, which explains it. Anyway, better than usual, though he nearly took my eye out with one quick blow.
Next up was Weeble. Pushing Weeble is like pushing an overly excitable fireplug. Any attack would generate a flurry of motion, and he was almost completely unyielding. As we practiced, a middle-aged foreigner walked into the park, accompanied by a couple of Taiwanese girls, and asked me what we were doing. I said it was a kind of applied Tai-chi. “So not like Karate?” he said.
“No, softer.”
“Like sumo!” one of the Taiwanese girls said. At least I think she was Taiwanese. I could be wrong, as I never heard her speak Chinese. But the foreigner shook his head.
“He’s not fat enough,” he said as they left.
Teacher Xu reiterated the idea of pushing the back of your opponent, and luring them in with imaginary lines. Also, he said to concentrate on their feet, but never on your own.
After class, when most everyone had departed, I went through my sword routine a few times, and showed Yang Qing-feng my new practice sword, which I’ve gotten used to and like a lot actually. I can feel its weight and even the wind on the blade when I swing it. Qing-feng uses a heavy sword himself, so he appreciated its heft.
