Upcoming WORKSHOPS, 2026
I will be visiting friends in Europe this summer, including UK, France and Belgium. If I can afford the time and expense, […]
Author: Ian Sinclair
The Tuishou Paradox: Practical training is non-competitive
This year (2025), I will be doing a number of tai chi workshops and seminars in Canada and Europe. Some will focus […]
One Person, Four Hands
Migrate this “Four hands”, or “4-direction tuishou” is a key part of tai chi training. But it is often neglected because of […]
Softer pushes push harder than harder pushes
Migrate this In Tai chi, tuishou, and martial arts in general…in fact, in many things in life, there is a tendency to […]
Internal power Contains External power
Migrate this This is a topic I will say a lot more about in future videos. Internal power and external power are […]
“Brush Knee Push” (Zhou / elbow)
Migrate this Tai chi techniques can be derived from the routines. But the real application is found in tuishou, (tai chi pushing […]
The Perils of Authority in Martial Arts
Pity the Grandmasters In traditional martial arts, there are often lineage holders who represent the highest authority with each particular style. This […]
Internal Contains External
Internal Power is used by “internal martial arts” like tai chi. But it is also used by the so-called “external martial arts.” […]
Tai chi tuishou in Albi (video)
My recent trip to Europe allowed me to meet some very cool people and to do tai chi in some beautiful places. […]
One Vector to Rule them All
This is moment from a talk I gave recently in Sweden. An effortless push can be said to involve removing all the […]
Mariposa 26-Section Routine (extended) – teacher’s rehab version.
This is the extended version of the foundation routine that I teach to my students. The 10 form and 24-form are good […]
Mundane, Subtle, Profound, Mysterious, Scientific
In this exchange, I was reminded of teacher Yang Yang when he spoke of the subtle, profound, and mysterious experiences of tai […]
Impromptu Tuishou Atop the MAS (Museum can de Stroom)
While touring the city, we found some young people doing what looked like tuishou. They invited me to join them. It was […]
Mechanical principles beats techniques (video)
Mastering the mechanical principles is far more important than practising technique. But one can lead to the other. Peng and Lu (aka […]
Warning! Don’t hurt your doctor with your tai chi skills. (with addendum)
This lesson started with a funny story about a student who went to get checked for a possible stroke. Part of the […]
Small Change, Huge Effect (video)
Internal martial arts, like tai chi, explore the tiny changes that have the greatest effect. This is done while exposing the disadvantages […]
European Spring Tour 2024 May-June
I will be in Europe this May and June. Does anyone there want to go for coffee. ( I will be in […]
Martial arts for seniors
Tai chi has a unique training method that includes a set of exercises called tuishou (pushing hands). It is a cooperative training […]
Easy to do. Difficult to correct.
There are principles, techniques and methods that can only be learned slowly, gently, and carefully. When mastered, they make other techniques and […]
Stillness is Faster
Stillness provides several mechanical advantages, as well as tactical and strategic possibilities. “Stillness” refers to the internal structure, the location of the […]