Teachers and Themes of the 18th Push Hands Meeting
Ivo Marvan
Ivo comes from Prague, from the Czech Republic. He started learning the art of Tai Chi Chuan in 1989.
Since 1991, until now has been learning in school Center of Taoist Arts Golden Hill of Tomasz Nowakowski. Since 1995 he has been in this school as an instructor.
He practices the styles Yang (Tomasz Nowakowski) and Chang Sam Fung Tai Ki Kung (Dr Ming Wong C. Y, Tomasz Nowakowski).
Since 2012, he has co-organized the International Push Hands meeting in Prague.
Theme: Tai Chi Chuan’s inner concepts
Workshops at our meeting are too short to learn new techniques that would be useful for your practice. That’s why I want to show you how we work with some of Tai Chi Chuan’s inner concepts in our school. The main goal is to look at your practice from another angle, with fresh eyes. I will be delighted when the concepts will be useful to you, and you will be able to explore it in your style, at your school and in your own practice.
We will work with simple individual forms, improving the stationary position in the pairs
and taking into account the students’ advancement also with free push-hands.
Part of the workshops will be also cheerful pairing exercises that will show some principles
in a non-confrontational environment.
Studied concepts:
Opening and closing joints (working with body structure)
How we work to open joints in our school.
How to use this concept in push-hands (in contrast to Qinna techniques).
How to use push-hands to open the joints.
Feeling and listening
There are many kinds of listening and feeling is the most accurate of them.
Moving from the centre
Where’s my Dantian?
Where is Dantian of my partner?
Dantian as a place that connects movement into one whole.
Hella Ebel
Hella Ebel, teacher and teacher-trainer in Taijiquan in her own school in Osnabrück (Germany). Hella began her training in 1983 and has been teaching Yang-Style, Cheng Man Ching tradition since 1986.
Since 1996, she has been organizing workshops with Wee See Jin (New Zealand) and has been his assistant in his camps all over Europe. In addition to the Taijiquan training, she has also studied Fujian White Crane with him.
Theme: Applying Taiji principles in free Push Hands
Yielding, neutralizing, sticking, following, developing and emitting the relaxed force are explored in well defined partner exercises.
How can a person of inferior bodily strength cope well with stronger partners?
Yielding, redirecting and perhaps also reverting of power without loosing the structure will be worked on in small steps.
Gabriele Laritz
1990 I begin with Qi Gong, Kung Fu and the art of combat with stick and other weapons.
During several long stays in Asia, I deepened my knowledge.
1996 I began teaching.
1997 with Hsiu Yao Rosa Chen (National Coach) and Master Chen (master push-hands) in the Park of peace in Taipei, Taiwan, I began the intensive study of the Yang style.
2000-2003 I participated in several international tournaments of push-hands and weapon forms. After intensive training for the tournaments I won several titles.
The students of our school have obtained very good results as well.
2005, I began to study the Chen style.
Martial Arts are not only my profession but also my mission in life.
It is an exciting way of life, enriching to no end.
Theme: There are no secrets
The body, the body posture, the tension of the body show me how I can unbalance my partner. With a few techniques, I can learn how to bring my partner in the right position to push out of the middle.
The workshop is suitable for beginners and advanced pushers.
Barry McGinlay
Barry is a World Tai Chi champion, Gold medalist pushing hands in the world famous Taiwan world championship and European Gold medalist, and has coached International World, European and National tai chi champions. He is a trailblazer for tai chi in the UK.
He is certified as an Advanced Instructor by the Tai Chi Union for Great Britain (TCUGB) and as an Instructor of the Longfei Taijiquan Association of Great Britain. Barry is taught Tai Chi by Master Simon Watson, Master Richard Watson, Master Wang Yanji, Professor Li Deyin, Master Faye Li Yip and Master Tary Yip under the lineage of Master Li Tianji.
With over 30 years of experience, Barry is dedicated to teaching all aspects of martial arts and has been a Tai Chi and Qigong practitioner for 18 years. He is a full time professional martial artist and teaches internal and external?martial arts to a diverse range of students. He also teaches internationally and organises workshops and retreats in England, Thailand, Cambodia and China. These trips combine experiences of Eastern culture and philosophy with Tai Chi and Qigong training. All of these events have been popular and successful.
Being active within the London Chinese community, Barry has built strong links through teaching Tai Chi and Qigong, and from participating and performing at their cultural events. He is interested in the fusion of the performing arts and martial arts and has studied at the traditional school of Beijing Opera in China, and amongst other projects, has collaborated with professional dance choreographers to bring Tai Chi to the stage.
Barry works consistently within the local community. He has worked with children with special needs and behavioural issues, and students with medical conditions, including recovering cancer patients and students with heart-related conditions.
He has a very hands-on approach to his teaching practise and is dedicated to teaching the self empowerment that is generated within the individual’s learning experience. He focuses on one-to-one attention for individual and specific needs and encourages all students to explore new boundaries and so reach their full potential.
Theme: A 5 day introduction course for beginners in Tai Chi pushing hands –
come and learn the essence of Tai Chi partner work!
Over the 5 days we will cover
solo exercises
, partner and group work.
You will be challenged in every way… to have fun!
Train with passion and be very focused but at the same time relaxed.
Whether you are a beginner or a teacher: in this 5 days you will come away full of energy with the joys of pushing hands.
Barry’s “The Love Boot camp ❤”
Boot Camp 90 mins in the morning! A mix of stretching, strengthening Qigong and pushing hands!
Frederick Behar
Fred commenced his martial art studies in 1975 with Shotokan Karate, followed by American and French boxing, kick boxing, Judo, Kung Fu, Viet Vo Dao and Taekwondo. He has been studying Tai Chi since 1985 and teaching it since 1991. He practices the Tai Chi style of Yang Jian Hou, The Way of Non-Force in push hands and an innovative meditation method. He is based in France and Thailand and holds regular workshops around the World. He teaches in French with English translation.
The Way of Non-Force follows the principles advocated by the Tai Chi Classics. We never meet force with force. If a partner resists – we change tactics. In this way, push hands becomes an interesting physical and mental challenge in which men and women of any age can participate without misgivings.
Theme: The Way of Non-Force
Workshop 1 : Understanding Substantial and Insubstantial
Part 1 Understand fullness and emptiness in different positions
Interpreting the position of feet and the centre of gravity
We will work on finding the most effective angle of attack using minimal force
Part 2 Find the meaning of “hands that neutralise”
(Note: Original name of the martial art practised by Yang, Luchan,
the creator of Yang style Taijiquan)
By staying connected to our partner we neutralise his attack
We use his force to create a circle of force
All the power he employs is returned to him
Workshop 2 : Applying Taoist Principles to Tuishou
Learn to accept (principle: non-opposition)
Create a void (principle: it is emptiness that creates utility)
Use the void (principle: non-being)
Work in forward and backward stances and on body mobility to create a void
We disappear from the line of attack and help our partner to go on his way
Workshop 3 : Introduction to Dong Jing ( Leave after but arrive before)
We sense our partner’s intention to attack and are already in action before his own movement commences (Inspired by The Art of War by Sun Tzu)
Using listening skills we understand our partner’s intention
When we push the muscle chain for pushing is activated throughout the whole body
In pulling, the entire muscle chain for pulling is involved
We will use this understanding to destabilise a partner with minimal force
