鬆柔太極拳推手競技的內涵 The Essence of Supple Tai Chi Push Hands Competition

 

鬆柔太極拳推手競技的內涵

The Essence of Supple Tai Chi Push Hands Competition

 太極拳是中華武術瑰寶，拳法內涵老莊「無為」的思考邏輯，及易經陰陽變化哲理，故能獲得國內外武術愛好者的肯定與喜愛，但因台灣少子化，人口老化嚴重，我們需要一個延續推手競技的舞台，讓傳統鬆柔推手技藝能繼續傳承後代，身為理事長，我與副理事長吳榮輝共同收集並整合台灣各界太極名師的鬆柔推手訓練法，依據老子與莊子「無為」的思考邏輯，及易經陰陽變化的哲理，進行系統化整理。

 

我們融合了鄭子太極拳的美人手、不動手及吃虧即是佔便宜的理念,並結合宋志堅老師的原空位、原體位、自然運動八法等訓練法與要訣，編排出七至九項傳統鬆柔推手競技訓練法，力求完整呈現太極推手的精髓。以兩人為一組的方式進行競技，各組選手必須在3-4分鐘時間內，完成七至九項指定動作，裁判再依據各組選手的鬆柔表現來評分，評分要領如下：

 

（1）太極十要：

太極十要中的虛領頂勁、沉肩墜肘、含胸拔背、鬆腰落胯、虛實分明、用意不用力、動中求靜等七項要訣，是以後退、走化、鬆柔、謙讓、捨己為法，配合牽動與向後化解來勢的機會產生捋、採的現象。弓步向前按靠擠肘者，是以腰腿帶動手臂向前，沒有手臂拙力或強力的介入，自然產生按、靠、擠、肘的現象，上述七項要點屬於「無為」的思考邏輯。另外，上下相隨、內外相合、相連不斷等三項要點，屬於易經陰陽變化的哲理。選手雙方需要在指定的時間內，完成太極十要的要領。

（2）揣摩五法與身體九大環節：

選手雙方以黏、貼、連、隨、不丟頂的要領進行鬆柔推手競技，配合身體九大（肩、肘、腕、頸、背、腰、髖、膝、踝)環節上下、左右、前後相互貫串與黏貼。兩腿有虛實、兩手有動靜、身體有剛柔，身體力求平衡與穩定，不可有斷續凸凹之處。

 

（3）借大自然的能量自           

然產生太極八法：  

身手輕靈與連貫，避免人為拙力介入，手臂借地心引力、地面的反作用力及慣性力，隨腰腿而動，身手自然呈現掤、捋、採、按、靠、擠、肘、挒等現象。

 

（4）選手雙方彼此進  退、左右轉的幅度及身體下沉的能力，都是評分的要點。

The Essence of Supple Tai Chi Push Hands Competition

Tai Chi Chuan is a treasure of Chinese martial arts, embodying the philosophy of "wu wei" (non-action) from Laozi and Zhuangzi, as well as the principles of yin-yang transformations from the I Ching (Book of Changes). These aspects have earned it recognition and love from martial arts enthusiasts both in Taiwan and abroad. However, due to Taiwan's declining birth rate and aging population, we need a platform to continue the tradition of push hands competition, ensuring the art of traditional supple push hands can be passed down to future generations. As the Chairman, together with Vice Chairman Wu Rong-Hui, we have collected and integrated supple push hands training methods from Tai Chi masters across Taiwan. We have systematically organized them based on the "wu wei" philosophy of Laozi and Zhuangzi, and the yin-yang transformation principles of the I Ching.

We incorporated concepts from Zhengzi Tai Chi Chuan, such as the "Beauty Hand," "No Arm in Tai Chi," and "Losing is Gaining/ Investin in Loss," as well as training methods and key techniques from Master Song Zhi-Jian, including the original space position, natural movements, and the eight essential techniques. This has allowed us to compile seven to nine traditional supple push hands training methods that seek to fully capture the essence of Tai Chi push hands. The competition is conducted with two participants per group, and each group must complete the seven to nine designated movements within 3-4 minutes. The judges then score based on the softness and relaxation displayed by the participants. The scoring criteria are as follows:

(1) The Ten Essentials of Tai Chi:

The seven key points in the Tai Chi Ten Essentials—lightly suspend the head with a sense of upward energy, sinking the shoulders and elbows, containing the chest and rounding the back, relaxing the waist and hips, distinguishing between empty and full, using intent rather than force, and seeking stillness within movement—are applied through retreating, yielding, and using soft techniques. These movements generate the actions of "lu" (warding off) and "cai" (plucking) by responding to the opponent’s energy and neutralizing it backward. The forward pressing, leaning, pushing, and elbowing are led by the waist and legs, without the involvement of stiff or forced arm strength, naturally resulting in these actions. These seven points belong to the philosophy of "wu wei." Additionally, three points—moving in harmony with internal and external forces, coordinating the upper and lower body, and maintaining continuity—reflect the yin-yang transformation principles of the I Ching. Participants must demonstrate these principles within the allotted time.

(2) Mastering the Five Techniques and the Nine Key Joints:

Both participants engage in soft and relaxed push hands using techniques like sticking, adhering, connecting, following, and not resisting or losing contact. These movements coordinate the nine key joints of the body—shoulders, elbows, wrists, neck, back, waist, hips, knees, and ankles—to ensure smooth connections between up, down, left, right, front, and back. The legs must show a clear distinction between empty and full, the hands must balance movement and stillness, and the body must demonstrate both flexibility and strength. There should be no interruptions or imbalances in the flow of movements.

(3) Harnessing the Energy of Nature to Naturally Generate the Eight Tai Chi Techniques:

The body and hands must be agile and seamless, avoiding forced effort. The arms follow the natural forces of gravity, ground reaction, and inertia, moving in harmony with the waist and legs to naturally exhibit the eight Tai Chi techniques: "peng" (ward-off), "lu" (rollback), "cai" (pluck), "an" (press), "kao" (lean), "ji" (squeeze), "zhou" (elbow), and "lie" (split).

(4) Scoring Considerations Include:

The participants’ ability to move forward and backward, rotate left and right, and sink their bodies are all key elements in the scoring process.