Tai Chi Sifu vs MMA Guys At Tai Chi Push Hands (Fixed Step)

[@sifuniko]

Thanks for the share! To address alot of the comments... I agree Push Hands alone will get you destroyed in a fight, you'd get your face punched and slammed on your face if you only do push hands haha but the purpose of push hands is to increase sensitivity, redirection, staying calm and developing good root and balance. This way of training is the long path, meaning learning this isn't advised if you want to fight right away or be aggressive. It's designed to build the skill sets you need to grapple without becoming to tense or confused with all the movement... It's a way to deeply embedd these skills because the forms are done slow and low and practiced constantly. I remember being taken to a jujitsu school with black belts and brown belts and no one could take me down, at that point I didn't know what else to do besides defend against takedowns which was neat I had the root and sensitivity to stop them. Since then I've been incorporating jujitsu/grappling. Its super important to understand that Taiji principles will give you the keys to adapt and flow within any format but also super important to understand you have to train other systems that solely focus fighting and combat if you wish to actually use Tai Chi to fight or grapple! Thanks everyone! 👍🏿👍🏿❣️

[@matthewmele764]

Very true, very excellent and I'm glad to see this on a channel that actually gets views.

[@QuentinKLEau]

Most people don't understand that pushing hands is a cooperative exercise in fact. In this video, good to see the mma fighters having taken this spirit (how come, surprised here?). The aim is to practise listening skill and adapt as quickly as possible. I would argue that the aim of pushing hands is to lose in fact (exaggerating here, I just want to stress that you learn more by losing), because we need to give ourselves a higher standard each time and accept our mistakes (losing)

[@matthewmele764]

@@QuentinKLEau Well, any rule set is "cooperative" in a sense -- the degree to which push hands is cooperative depends on how you play it.

[@QuentinKLEau]

@@matthewmele764 Yes and no. The rule set should be made to work on a taiji principle. Perfect pushing hands is very difficult, that's why if you are engaging with the desire of winning, 99.99% of the time you are working on no taiji principle, that's why pushing hands competition for winning is not really meaningful.

[@user255]

_"I remember being taken to a jujitsu school with black belts and brown belts and no one could take me down ..."_ BJJ? Under what rules?

[@FightCommentary]

Jason, Jan, and Shifu Nico's accounts are in the video description. I texted Lainel to see if he has a channel that he wants me to share. Extended version on TheDojo that I'm uploading now too. Talk to you guys soon, you beautiful chi masters with 8 black belts and sixteen registered underground matches XDDD

[@JansTaiChi]

Thanks for posting this Jerry! Great times and great commentary.

[@stephenthomas6871]

I am a push hands instructor and taught at a MMA school. I taught my students push hands to add to their ju-jitsu training. The kids that combined ju-jitsu and push hands repeatedly won placed top 3 in the ju-jitsu tournaments. You learn from whatever works even if it is called shit, That is want my former instructor Lu Ping Zhang use to tell me.

[@Azami0001]

Bro please teach me

[@cpa314]

not surprised at all, my BJJ teacher also does Taichi and the way he grapples just feels so different. It is definitely complimentary to a martial art like BJJ, freestyle wrestling,etc

[@richardschafer7858]

Good centering. Noticed how he just sunk straight down and grounded? Well done. All things have their place

[@rollinOnCode]

no they don't! you have to wristlock everything ;)

[@sifuniko]

Thank you! I worked a lot on my root!

[@fenryl9822]

There are more people on this level of tai chi than you might think.

[@sifuniko]

I would love to work with more! Let me know who you have in mind!

[@fenryl9822]

@@sifuniko I have been to free push hands gatherings in Berlin and exchanged with different schools a bit. One teacher called Giles Rosbander has some videos on KZbin and my first hand impression would be that he operates on a similar level. I am not too shabby myself, but while I spar with real resistance a lot, I never participated in competitions.

[@indefenceofthetraditionalma]

@@sifuniko Where you ever aware of Dan Docherty? He sadly passed away this year. He had schools teaching his system all over Europe and the way you push hands reminds me so much of him. It’s the way we were taught back in the 90’s. There are still a lot of teachers that were under him but the only one I know of that, to my knowledge, pushed hands in the same way was Godfrey Dornelly who must now be in his late 50’s and (unfortunately for you) lives in the U.K.

[@hanksimon1023]

@@sifuniko Are you aware of Ian Sinclair in Canada who has Sinclairmartialarts, and Sinclairinternalarts on KZbin?

[@simoneriksson8329]

No doubt the most impresive display of tai-chi grappling I have seen!

[@sifuniko]

Much appreciated! I have trained a lot to remain relaxed and redirect force!

[@charlesbetancourt7337]

Very good but there's others. See the videos" Tai chi vs.wrestling( maybe Greco Roman angle 1 shadow xu" and Tai vs.freestyle Wrestling 2 shadow xu ".

[@truther9021]

What most people don't realise, especially those in modern combat sports, is that Tai Chi is actually an ancient form of wrestling.

[@1individeo]

Yes. Later it incorporated mongolian wrestling and a new martial art was born: Shuai Jiao.

[@charlesbetancourt7337]

@@1individeo shuai jaio is older than Tai chi. It goes back to saber tooth tiger times. It's 5000 years old.

[@1individeo]

@@charlesbetancourt7337 not exactly. You mean Chiao Ti. Shuai Jiao is modern Chiao Ti. After incorporating Jiaodixi (mongolian wrestling) and mixing with a 5000 yo style of kung fu.

[@matsuwd-emethdaath4002]

@@1individeo is Shuai-Chiao the same thing as Shuai Jiao or a variant?

[@1individeo]

@@matsuwd-emethdaath4002 yes. It is the same thing. It might differ on the way it is pronounced in different chinese provinces or different language. One may be mandarin wgile the other might be cantonese for exemple

[@dominiqueblock7143]

Great demo! I love how Nico has mastered his footwork, perfecting his stances and showing the importance of controlling your center mass, which is basic physics.

[@sifuniko]

Thank you!!! I did a lot of root practice and relaxation under pressure!!!

[@taichipandabat6153]

@@sifuniko hahaha i know your secret brother....but i will not say on here hehe

[@cz4138]

I’ve been in tai chi 5 years now, 31 y.o. My instructor in his 70’s lets 3 of us push on him and doesn’t budge. Glad to hear you coming around a bit to the subject. BTW mma guy footpads are sliding because he is not dropping his weight correctly. He is pushing forward instead of dropping down. Extremely difficult after 5 years I can take hardly any push at all

[@basteagui]

please share a little bit of technical details with me, what i am doing is calmly dropping, using the force of the surface of a balloon around me and grounding and feeling their force and countering. should i be doing something with my breath? is there something specific you do with your arms? i use half clinch on my right arm and overhook to control their neck cause i am trying to bring this into more of a wrestling environment

[@wan1234567890]

It is the live application of vectoring as taught in physics. Nico uses just enough for to redirect oncoming force that does not disrupt his equilibrium as being acutely aware of the opponents equilibrium and add just enough force to make the opponent unbalance himself. This skill once mastered has good application in most wrestling arts. It provides efficiency, limits telegraph and almost an extra sensory to rely on.

[@squirrelbong]

This is incredibly interesting. I never really took tai chi seriously, but it's undeniable that it has some usefulness in the clinch.

[@jehutymortis6603]

Oh you can pratice pam in Muay Thai.

[@squirrelbong]

@@jehutymortis6603 who's pam?

[@jehutymortis6603]

@@squirrelbong Clinch. Wrestling without attack on leg. Like the grco-roman style but with elbow and knee.

[@user255]

What is the use then? I have never seen fight situation where you cannot move your legs.

[@dingosmith9932]

@@user255 conserving energy, redirecting force, balance, strength training, sensitivity ... the list goes on. But really it's a training drill. Anyone who wants to compete in MMA needs to train MMA

[@J3Cho]

This is one of the best example of ‘internal’ aspect of TMA.

[@sifuniko]

Thank you !!!

[@cfG21]

@@sifuniko can i ask what family of taichi you practice and lineage?

[@bigheadrhino]

Nico definitely the guy who stands in the moving bus without support.

[@sifuniko]

[@cal.5081]

🤣 oh man, I love this comment. That is the goal of my life 🤣

[@clacicle]

Fixed step push hands means you can’t take a step. The fact that these pads are not connected to the ground, means that if you resist too much, you will slide too away. Furthermore, if you lockup and resist too much in one direction, a good Taiji practitioner will recognize that and unbalance you.

[@魔王巴恩]

This is just to show you very lightly

[@user-mn8tz4nf2s]

I feel like they rigged the mma guys foot pads to slide more than the black foot pads, shouldn't they both be sliding?

[@charlesbetancourt7337]

@@user-mn8tz4nf2s What about the other matches with the same footpads where Nicco wasn't competing. This was a competition, of a thousand dollars for the winner. You have to watch the whole thing. There was also jui juitsu ground grappling competition.

[@user-mn8tz4nf2s]

@@charlesbetancourt7337 that's why I was asking. Thanks for the explanation

[@basteagui]

@@user-mn8tz4nf2s "shouldn't they both be sliding?" no. not if the tai chi person knows more tai chi than the other person

[@Technoanima]

Vibrating hands is pretty advanced. Kudos to Sifu Niko. 🙏

[@Technoanima]

Also, thank you for covering this event!

[@ezman001]

I've noticed something interesting when Nico begins every round, he finds his own center of gravity or bends his knees to stabilize himself and can easily redirect any energy coming his way, or that's what it seems like to me.

[@cz4138]

Tai chi is entirely about centering yourself and rooting to the ground. With this and Correct posture and using your entire body simultaneously(picture like a snake) generates fulcom leverage that can’t be replicated by muscle. I love this stuff

[@sifuniko]

Yes! You've got it!

[@sifuniko]

@@cz4138 I LOVE THIS TOO! Dedicated a life time to this!

[@Skidouche]

love that theyre having fun above all else

[@itzbebop]

Man that was really cool. So rare to see actual applications of Tai chi

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

What application tho? This is the drill, not the application.

[@sifuniko]

I appreciate it!

[@BenCohenInternalWingChun]

A fantastic video. I teach Wing Chun and practice Tai Chi but have also spent years boxing/kickboxing and grappling. Wing Chun and Tai Chi are not perfect combat styles, more ways of training the body "internally" that can be used in other styles. If you watch Nico move, he has a superb understanding of his own center of equilibrium and has extremely well developed sensitivity. This means he can perceive imbalance in his opponent before they can, and then use extremely soft energy to further disrupt it. This feels very weird to the opponent because Nico doesn't appear to be doing much, and the more they try, the more unbalanced they become. His opponents feel almost nothing when they try to push/pull, because Nico can disguise his center of equilibrium at will. It takes a long time to get good at this, but the effects are well worth it.

[@thedoubtfuls]

Yea i think few here understood what u said

[@charlesbetancourt7337]

I've actually seen this done to a good judo guy in a takedown contest in the kungfu school I used to go to. It's a real ability.Hope to see ore.

[@dagaffer2269]

WTF is this crap? Anybody can do this with a bit of practice. Its a skill that you can learn without practicing that ridiculous form or any chi gung bullshido. Beating guys that haven't practiced this, doesn't prove anything.

[@LightGlyphRasengan]

Hey, just like kung fu people don't train for mma type fights. Mma guys don't quite have the same understanding of a center that Taichi guys do

[@sifuniko]

It's why we should all be learning from one another!!!

[@bovinicide]

Thanks for introducing me to Sifu Niko - what a dude!

[@eylon1967]

super interesting. each kind of combat sports is a kind og a game with its own peculiar non-sensical rules. yeh, even MMA. even BJJ and muai thai. this push hands fixed step ruleset seems interesting in the kind of sport it produces. i would love to see more

[@matzerias]

Nikos movements look like drunken master meets robot dance. 😅 He seems to have a humble, humorous and sympatic manner though impressive skills and focus. Thanks a lot for sharing and keep on practicing! 🙏🙂

[@sifuniko]

I Love My Art! Def love what it has done for me mentally, physically and spiritually!

[@matzerias]

@@sifuniko I like when I see other persons also going the whole way (Dao) of martial arts. Like you said, so enriching the life - mentally, physically and spiritually. Best regards! 🙏🙂

[@mrmantis84]

That was a beautiful display of skill!! And respect between competitors! Thank you very much for sharing

[@sifuniko]

Thanks a ton!

[@christopher_schwab]

I can't help but think what an amazing supplement sumo training would be for this type of push hands.

[@charlesbetancourt7337]

Out of the five matches Nicco had at this tournament, the second to last bout he had was against a competitor using sumo. The man was about 5'6 300 lbs and won his other two matches. Nicco beat him 15-0 and also palm pushed him in thei mid section and sent him sliding ten feet. On his butt. It's more like Tai chi would be an excellent supplement for sumo.

[@sifuniko]

@@charlesbetancourt7337

[@fablecouvrette5334]

WOAH! okay I'm impressed, there's some serious efficacy here. I'd take some classes from this guy :o

[@hysterical5408]

I like this concept, it looks like a fun thing to do.

[@thatguyoverthere11]

I followed my friends to a Tai Chi class, in college, as an above average-ish wrestler, out of high school. I handled the instructor's students fine (though two advanced ones I never got a piece of have me wondering). But the instructor himself had a background in a couple martial arts, and I was more helpless against him, than I even remembered being, getting thrashed by state champions. So I figured I'd listen. I ended up really liking what he added to my game. He has me looking for Greco-type slams more, if I'm ever in a fight, and I've brought home a lot of push hand medals, over the years. I still study with him, to this day, and I have a friend who joined a little after, pairing it with his Brazilian jiu-jitsu, who I've been meeting up with all the time to throw down, over the past 10-or-eleven years.

[@tacline2]

I bet you anything that Nico is a dancer. His movement, the jerky, rhythmic bobbing and swaying he is doing looks so much to me like those awesome dance videos you see on KZbin front page all the time. It looks very hip-hop influenced and is basically the epitome of "be like water". In a lot of ways, his movement also reminds me of those videos of birds keeping their head totally stable to spot prey while their body is bobbing all over the place, or those videos of the little birds dancing on the ground (to lure out prey) while their head stays stationary. It looks so natural when shown this way. He has such masterful control of his body and balance.

[@texasgreentea1]

Great showcase of the missing ingredient in most MMA bouts. MMA gyms don't spend enough time on the kind of sensitivity development you get from tai chi or wing chun. You see good sensitivity from wrestlers and jiu jitsu experts on the ground, but it feels like they forget about it on the feet, habitually pushing and pulling too much when entering and exiting clinch because their opponents don't know how to capitalize on subtle mistakes.

[@uros2321]

I'd like to see how the tai chi guy would do in an actual grappling match ;)

[@matsuwd-emethdaath4002]

@@uros2321 the result would be a tap out as usual

[@user255]

@@uros2321 Not very well, because they don't really focus on the important stuff.

[@texasgreentea1]

@@uros2321 I'll bet he would not do well, unless he has trained some wrestling, muay thai, jiu jitsu, or perhaps some judo. Tai Chi and Wing Chun tend to under-emphasize full-contact application so even most masters would probably get rag-dolled in the octagon. But train someone with a full modern MMA arsenal, and then train them on an hour-per-day of push hands or chi sao, and you'd definitely see them pulling off some wild moves we've never seen in the UFC. It would change the game during transitions into and out of clinch.

[@WarriorBoy]

@@gharm9129 Enough content is left even in the current ruleset for any effective martial art to succeed in MMA. Many types of Karate have done just fine in MMA, do you not count that? If you train to apply and spar, you'll be successful

[@kevinlobos5519]

Beautifull skill Nico has there, if he were to add striking and actual grappling into that ability to recognize where the force of his oponent is going and what to do with it, and it would be a very usefull tool for fighting.

[@sifuniko]

Thank you! I practice jujitsu and spar quite often! Using Tai Chi has helped my sensitivity and ability to flow and move!

[@TheJadekungfu]

Yes I agree, it help me alot conserving energy doing takedowns when I was competing in Sanda.

[@Offpuddingok]

Niko has been using these pads and knows how to balance himself on those pads from just training on them. If you practice with a tool you get better at it. Nothing special.

[@LRkun]

Push hands or whatever they are doing is really good for balance. If you apply that in fighting, it's good as foundation. Especially like in wrestling where you push a little then the other reacts and then you do a counter move using his momentum against him.

[@diphyllum8180]

That was cool. Those foot pads are weird though, and I'd like to see more free stepping push hands. Too many people think that fixed step is all that push hands is, when really fixed step is simpler and safer so it's ideal for beginners but it's inherently pretty limited. With free stepping it's a lot easier for someone to get thrown, whether accidentally or on purpose. MMA guys might even do better with free stepping because it more resembles the grappling they're used to, so if the tai chi guy could still win it'd mean a lot. Just a thought

[@jmamvs544]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eGKZdneYpp2Dp7s

[@jmamvs544]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jH-7n6t5pc-IhK8

[@h.s.levine2932]

That depends what you’re trying to develop. The late Cheng Man Ching used to have his students push hands with one of them backed up with one heel touching a wall. That develops a skill like shown here that you might otherwise not develop if you rely too much on stepping away.

[@charlesbetancourt7337]

See the video " Tai chi vs. wrestling maybe Greco Roman angle 1 shadow xu".

[@diphyllum8180]

@@h.s.levine2932 yeah, that's a useful skill, so long as it's not a substitute for also learning how to do it with free stepping. If you can only win when your opponent doesn't move their feet, you're not really training to fight; but if you can win without moving YOUR feet, while your opponent is free to move freely, then that's great.

[@Simon2k17]

The general idea is to relax and stretch the spine downwards. This lowers your center of gravity without bending too much. Eventually your whole body can be lowered into the ground without changing elevation. This type of coordination takes practice. The hard part is figuring out the stretch of the arms with the stretch of the spine. The shoulder is where the body holds the most tension.

[@DaAxiomatic]

I wanna copy paste this everywhere. It's very understandable.

[@PowerandControlUFU]

I noticed that

[@jesseshaffer3951]

I would love to try this type of comp. Awesome vid.

[@sifuniko]

It is def a great time and good way to train sensitivity, balance and root!

[@WarriorBoy]

I think there's skills you can develop in push hands that would definitely carry over to other aspects of martial arts. If Tai Chi focused more on unrehearsed, live drills like this, it may have a better rep. Not to mention that outside fighting, this just looks fun in its own right.

[@sifuniko]

Def! I do jujitsu and spar quite often with Tai Chi principle! It is super helpful!

[@-whackd]

One day when you're 50 and walk with a limp for the last 30 years of your life from wrestling injuries, you'll understand why people do Tai Chi forms.

[@camiloiribarren1450]

Tai chi/Taiji has great applications but it hasn’t been taught properly for the most part and maybe now they are teaching the true applications of Taiji/Tai chi. This a good example of how Taiji can be applied, a good breath and give good power and grappling

[@sifuniko]

Thank you a ton!!!

[@Hakaanu]

That was one of the more fascinating competitions you’ve highlighted, was there more at this event?

[@charlesbetancourt7337]

There was bjj grappling competition. You see it all at" world series push hands 2022- orange county. Ncco won all five os his matches. Four out five 15-0. At 5:05 of the video A bjj grappling event referee tested him out, ff the pads. He tried to tackle him. Same results. Nicco toppled him over.The school where they have this event I think is an alliance between bjj and Tai chi

[@randalwung8715]

Bruce lee had a saying used by Dan Inosanto, along the lines of, "Don't box with a boxer, don't kick with a kicker, don't wrestle with a wrestler." Relatedly, he also said something like, "There's a range at which boxing will counter Taekwondo; a range at which Wing Chun will counter boxing; a range at which Tai Chi will counter Wing Chun; a range at which wrestling will counter Tai Chi."

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

Yeah, but this isn't a full on Taichi/wrestling fight. This is literally a Taichi drill lmao, how can somebody expect the other guys to use their BJJ or wrestling here. It's like trying to use boxing while doing the Wing Chun chi sao (sticky hands) drill, the rules of the drill go against your boxing techniques lol.

[@randalwung8715]

@@jestfullgremblim8002 True dat. It's like KZbin challenges with crossfitters vs marines or gymnasts vs bodybuilders or whatever. The person whose discipline is on display is gonna win. So Tai Chi vs MMA in a free sparring match? I know who I'D bet on, lol.

[@EliteBlackSash]

This inspired me to go back and watch one of my favorite videos online, Tuishou Chen with Marcelo Garcia

[@unmessable12]

Push hands alone will not make someone a great fighter, there's a reason why it's supposed to be an exercise rather than the whole point of training something like tai chi, but being as skilled as Nico is at it is very impressive.

[@sifuniko]

Much appreciated!!!

[@shizheliang2679]

Ok, I see a lot of comments asking what the point is. In fact, there is theory that Tai Chi Tuishou is NOT a grappling technique, but rather for armed fight, especially when you are equipped with a sword and a shield. In other words, it's simulating the situation of ancient battlefield where soldiers attack in formations. You either use the sword to thrust/cut directly, or you use the shield to push your enemy down to the ground so that they are more vulnerable. That's why you are not allowed to grasp (using fingers) your opponent in Tuishou, because your hands are assumed to be occupied.

[@shizheliang2679]

@PJ Rivera Indeed! And don't forget the fighting in formation part. It explains why most of these traditional styles have such stupid and clumsy footwork: it's unlikely to move around as freely as a modern boxer in the middle of a phalanx formation!

[@WarriorBoy]

@@shizheliang2679 Great explanation and something to think about. When you think about stuff like Xing-Yi or BaJi, their footwork makes a lot more sense if you imagine ranks of troops moving in those static lines.

[@nellyfabulous]

@@shizheliang2679 For Boxing footwork, look at old videos and Pancho Villa. Before Pancho Villa introduced a lot of footwork from Filipino Martial Arts, a lot of it was very flat footed. Greats like Muhammad Ali highly esteemed Pancho Villa and dominated his weight division using similar footwork. In other words, even modern Boxing was highly influenced by TMA to a good extent. Just look at the footwork of old videos before Pancho Villa. Very few fought like him.

[@Frognson85]

This was so nice to see. Thank you for posting.

[@sifuniko]

[@hankwatt]

Great breakdown, history in the making!

[@sifuniko]

Thats the plan, I want to show people true Tai Chi!

[@the1onesquirrel9]

That was really interesting, Nico has such incredible control.

[@ChesterLinYT]

the foot pads actually look very useful for training! can you tell me where to get them?

[@WSOJJ]

I made them by hand for this event, but now you've given me an idea to sell them.

[@robertnewell4054]

It’s been years now, but I’ve never seen such risers used for Push Hands. Back in the 80’s there was Push Hands 🙌 Tournaments in the Great Bear Flag Republic of California. It’s was mostly though the Yang Family T'ai Chi Ch'üan, out of The City (San Francisco)

[@bobafatt2155]

Reading through the comments I see there are still a lot of negative/ignorant things said about this video, tai chi & the tai chi guy . If it wasn’t for TMA you wouldn’t have MMA

[@malakatan3235]

The brainwashed by MMA promotors & media

[@nellyfabulous]

Duh! Because everything was invented in the West. 🙄 China sucks! 😈

[@mrt445]

Tai Chi isn't used in MMA so you're talking nonsense

[@bobafatt2155]

@@mrt445 if it wasn’t for the traditional martial arts there would be no mma Karate, Kung fu , tae kwon do , boxing ,judo, wrestling, tai-chi , bjj , aikido & so on .

[@mrt445]

@@bobafatt2155 traditional technical martial arts didn't create boxing or wrestling. Not to mention that kungfu isn't even effective as a martial art.

[@psicologias.viniciusmpinheiro]

The video is a demonstration, that is, just an exercise. It's nowhere near real combat simulation and you are minimally smart to realize this. If in an unfavorable situation (unstable ground that requires a lot of balance) the taichi master manages to unbalance his opponents, all strong and experienced MMA fighters, imagine if the master is in a favorable situation, for example, on a stable surface and applying serious blunt blows . Taichi is a martial propaedeutics that should be studied by everyone who seriously practices martial arts and self-defense. Bad luck for those who don't practice, because they will always need excessive physical strength and eternal youth. And both, I guarantee, will not be at your disposal all the time.

[@Ale-pk6td]

Does Nico also competes in tuishou? I want to see more of his grappling ability

[@alexisdominguez3133]

The steps look like something you would put under heavy furniture to slide and move easier.

[@SThrillz]

He's balancing and locking from the hips down which mixed martial arts doesn't really emphasize. They mainly focus on balancing from the feet which is great when you are moving round but completely different when the whole point is staying still so you have to lock from the hips down and keep the top half fluid.

[@tonbonthemon]

Can you explain what you mean by locking from the hips up?

[@SThrillz]

@@tonbonthemon meant locking from the hips down.

[@tonbonthemon]

@@SThrillz Sorry, my typo. Still wondering if you could explain that.

[@SThrillz]

@@tonbonthemon like what happens when you sit, rather than split the pressure between your feet it goes straight down into your hips, if you train after a while you can actually feel in your hips there are points where it's locks depending on your positioning.

[@tonbonthemon]

@@SThrillz Do you mean stiffening in the hips? Edit: it doesn't seem possible to remove the weight from the feet like when sitting.

[@thebruce0]

Now that was super interesting!

[@indefenceofthetraditionalma]

The way they push hands in the second exchange is the whole point of fixed step. You’re supposed to be loose and feel where the imbalance comes. It gives a massive advantage to when it comes to them actually wrestling (or fighting for that matter). Nico pushing hands reminds me of one of my instructors from back in the 90’s (minus the dancing).

[@kimmyedd4950]

7:01 that’s scapular movement also emphasized in aikido and aikijujutsu where you move your scapulas in a circular fashion in order to draw a lot of power without moving the upper body nor the hips. It is explained in this video, kzbin.info/www/bejne/qmGrgZlmZ9OmfKs , at 6:07. It’s a deceptively strong force.

[@cz4138]

That scapular movement in tai chi is generated from the ground and steered by the hips. Body must work in unison while relaxed or you end up in this guys KZbin videos getting made fun of for trying tai chi lol

[@charlesbetancourt7337]

@@cz4138 a

[@TheChadavis33]

Super interesting. I would love to see how it translates to actual fighting

[@WSOJJ]

If we had been fighting on a rooftop or a ledge or a dock Niko would have killed us all.

[@TheDanielmeeks]

@@WSOJJ lol

[@TheDanielmeeks]

So basically in 0.001% of situations this man is a god

[@bougeac]

It doesn’t , a collegiate level wrestler would smash this tai chi guy

[@charlesbetancourt7337]

@@bougeac But a bjj black belt can't?

[@lordtains]

If you combine this kind of sensitivity with wrestling, I can definitely imagine that this can work.

[@mickywes3733]

Push hands as competition is like barstool racing. You can do it, but it’s really not the point of the practice. Push hands is a training method, not created for competition.

[@Byyahswill]

This is cool. I would suggest during striking instead of pushing then you can see wingchung work here

[@shadowfighter6445]

I enjoyed watching this. Tai chi push hands is really cool.

[@sifuniko]

Tai Chi is Super Cool!

[@christophercurtis2893]

There's a lot going on in Tai Chi. Nico has a good root and is relaxed. Then comes the power and direction. Is this from Brazil?

[@takumauzumakiamv5077]

so tai chi is more of a grappling type more than a striking type...right?

[@unmessable12]

wrestling/clinching in my opinion. Cultural definitions of what wrestling is wasn't always the same in East Asia. I think it'd be more accurate to say that Taichi is about wrestling range more so than what we define in the modern day as wrestling, because back in the day what was called wrestling still had integrated striking. You can see this still in sumo. Taichi has strikes but most of its strikes are meant to be delivered from wrestling/clinching range. Many northern Chinese martial arts are like this imo because most unarmed fighting involved wrestling in one way or another. I almost want to describe tai chi, bagua, bajiquan, etc as "anti-wrestling" arts, at least in an empty hand context, arts meant to help someone fight against wrestlers both in training wrestling skills and using dirty tricks against wrestlers, than wrestling. Not too dissimilar from muay thai clinching.

[@greg6509]

KZbin search Chi Qingsheng and watch one of his Old Yang Style forms that came from Yang Shao Hou. Lots of strikes as well as a jump kick and flying spinning crescent kick in the small frame Old Yang Style. Lots of explosive internal fajing. But their push hands are even better than this too. So grappling, breaking, punching, slapping, kicking, dim mak and other vital point nerve center and artery striking it is all part of real taijiquan. And, yes, lots of takedowns and then stomping, kicking and punching the opponent when they are down. Sifu Liang De Hua is a student of his to look up.

[@gflix6030]

@@greg6509 dim mak?? seriously?? 🤣🤣🤣 that stuff is a hoax bruh

[@greg6509]

@@gflix6030 My Karate and combat jujitsu instructor in high school 30 years could knock us out at will during full speed sparring using vital point striking. So believe whatever you want buddy. Until it has been used on you in full speed sparring and you need revived with accupressure points. How narrow minded are you?! It's well documented vital point striking is part of all real traditional martial arts including karate, jujitsu, and wushu such as Tai Chi Chuan. I'm glad people like you don't think it's real.

[@gflix6030]

@@greg6509 try it on mma fighters good luck

[@taijichickstl]

Nico was born and raised by a Tai Chi master. He lives it all day every day.

[@FightCommentary]

His dad is his coach?

[@helgar791]

Watching the MMA guy here I noticed that his feet are planted too far apart. That makes him easier to knock off the pads.

[@basilistsakalos9643]

Finally, this is proper Taijiquan, there is the structure, the suppleness, the form, explosiveness, all is there! If this is the first time you see it, well I am glad you discovered it, because now we can finally move on bullshido crap videos to more serious directions of refining movement, different kind of skillset, and most of all how to make it applicable. It's about time to stop bashing Taijiquan in general but search about those people who really represent the art. I 'll give you two hints. Tim Cartmel. Strider Clark.

[@LevtNow]

that is pretty cool. I was thinking about martial arts pretty cold and robotic mostly. like the faster you can overpower the opponent the better. tai chi seems like the opposite of my "rule" and it seems to shine in such competition.

[@Gg00-m7j]

As taichi fan and practitioners i happy and very excited to watch this kind of clip

[@Spikebert]

Push hands is an amazing skill, I've only done a year of it, but when I took up Judo, I could usually stop even the brown belts from throwing me. Not for practical self defense unless it's a shoving match though.

[@Dolph-Face]

"Tai Chi sucks for fighting? WRONG, you're just doing it wrong!" - Sifu Nico Alsup

[@jmac6748]

Why don’t you do the throat singing intros no more man that was golden please bring em back👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👌🏻👆👆

[@Zz7722zZ]

Fixed step is fun and useful for practicing fundamentals. We do that at our school because we do not currently have mats…

[@nobodyshere5994]

It looks lots of fun :D 🙏

[@casz7098]

That's amazing. I read this book, I can't remember the name but I think it was called A Warrior's Heart. The author traveled around the world to train with martial arts masters, jiu jitsu, boxing, Muay Thai, and Tai Chi was one of them. The guy learned some really good concepts about fighting from the Tai Chi master. He learned a lot about how to generate power.

[@sifuniko]

Super COOL! Thanks a ton!

[@DeanS946]

A Fighter's Heart by Sam Sheridan. Great book!

[@lt1940]

Idk what's so special about this. Everyone who commutes in nyc can do this easy lol

[@hattorihaso2579]

Wimg chun has helped me immensly with grappling the push hands drills helped me develop sensitivity gor the clich and pummel for underhooks and going for armdrags

[@rogermanley9017]

I won the 2002 (?date) men’s black belt advanced superheavy weight tuishou championship (at 175lbs) in Kansas City. Later I trained Muy Thai in California. Where Tui Shou translated fantastically well in the Muay Thai clinch, it didn’t translate that well in the kicking and striking part of the art. A teep kick in Muay Thai if trained properly and executed properly can be devastating to an opponent, and although it theoretically exists in Taiji, it is honed to perfection and executed differently because it begins , for one in a different range. My humble point is this, one never knows just exactly what is available in a cross training curriculum unless they try it for themselves.

[@JulianFok]

Were there any weight classes? Wish I knew about this tournament earlier

[@FightCommentary]

No weight classes, but probably in the future there will be.

[@gonzalomartinezherrera4451]

I think it would be interesting to see a contest against a seasoned Nak Muay, especially against a Muay Femeu or Muay Kao with a proper understanding of balance and center of gravity.

[@charlesbetancourt7337]

There's a video. " Push hands world champion Cheng Chi Cheng vs.muaythai champion Ian Morgan Jan Lucanis sport push hands Tai chi. Check it out.

[@mj137jm]

Thanks. I always considered you fair and honest, but was disappointed that all of the videos, of yours, that I saw, which had tai chi, only had bad tai chi. Although this master might not be able to fight, at least he can use real tai chi skills in push hands. Thank you again

[@aswinmannepalli3212]

If i train 20 years at the floor is lava, im sure i can beat mma guys at that game too.

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

Exactly lmao, they cannot use their BJJ/MMA in here on the same way they would do on their respective sports. Being good at Push hands is still a good thing tho

[@shinrikiway9889]

Not bad, it's interactive which makes it more engaging for non-neijia opponents.

[@neokimchi]

this is super cool

[@Tamales21]

Really cool

[@jezzaboi2168]

i still hood the opinion that fixed step push hands isn't useful for mma, not because it's useless, but due to the broad nature of mma competition. in something like wrestling, shuai jiao, sanda and other smaller rulesets, specialising and focusing on this area can definitely have advantages, but with mma, there's so much more to learn, and more influential points of specialisation over this small stand-up portion. Similar opinion on moving step, for mma, it would be more practical I feel to simply specialise in wrestling or another form of grappling. for muay thai, I think there is some application, especially with entering and moving in the clinch

[@mrvgranfield]

This skill of sticking or pushing hands is throughout most Kung Fu, Bagua, and Tai Chi there are a lot of varieties and styles Hung Kuen is not about much now but is excellent at this Crane is very good so is the snake is there are so many that have not been seen bagua has the biggest variety of types of training and Tai Chi and Wing Chun is the most well known as the commercialization has the widest coverage through film, etc hung kuen one of the most developed as sticking hands is just one part of its bag of tricks sticking elbow, body, and leg is still rarely taught as well as a whole array of chops palms grabs knuckle punching back and side hand, fist, grabbing locking and pressure point work that all go hand in hand with sticking hand techniques. sticking hands is a way to expose an opponent's vulnerabilities without damaging the person as this traditionally was viewed as extremely bad as who would feed the family so safe methods were evolved to increase skills and still be safe. This point may be more relevant as we move into a time where unacceptable injuries that up to now insurance and goodwill have paid for. This may move in the future into a less acceptable mindset set of insurance merging into risk management. That's for a much bigger discussion on the future of martial arts in modern society. The sticking skills are a plausible way forward in safety driven environment with far fewer injuries

[@doktordanomite9105]

Gods be good that pratfall i almost spat my coffee

[@JKDVIPER]

I’d like you to stop by n check out viper jkd it’s super heavy hitting and Snake Crane interception WING CHUN 🤘🏻

[@Batanuhtanah]

I'm your thousandth 👍. Tai Chi is just Jazzersize for old people.

[@CharlesBetancourt-iq9oe]

There's footage of him neutralizing judo takedown attempts.

[@Ballarateast]

There's no magic in push hands . It's like arm wrestling, repetition and bio mechanic knowledge gained through thousands of successful outcomes. Sticky hands ,now that's the magical stuff ✨️

[@ChristianoSts]

it's interesting to see how only body mechanics is playing a big role, specially against the 2nd guy on white pants. straight forwarded hips X angle ones. straight force wins easyly - Nico's body structure is favouring put opponent out of balance....Jason's body is in disvantage/ out of good alignment just when he touches.

[@grandkaiaki]

This Nico is using the real tai chi. If he has learned it by oneself or from an actual master. What he has achieved is daily practice and meditation. From elderly masters you wouldn't even notice if they were using tai chi. You can actually see Nico not trying to overpower his opponent, but use the energy that they are applying against them. When it came to the second guy who is taller, notice that Nico was leaning towards him. He was already in position to knock him off balance ⚖️. All he needed was to feel the energy move and he could manipulate that energy in any direction.

[@charlesbetancourt7337]

Nicco first learned Tai chi from his father, who learned it from yang style Tai chi master Aun Jun.

[@grandkaiaki]

@@charlesbetancourt7337 ah yang style

[@Asuraeus]

Hey man love your stuff but could you point out fighters by their clothes or at the time in the scene pause and say the guy on the right and the guy the left is in this colour etc

[@andresortega2801]

An ancient wrestling art that can function even in unstable grounds and environments really good for selfdefense.

[@CottonBoxer]

It’s not because of his innerstanding of center. He maintains his center and hides it. The rest is because his tinjin listening skill allows him to detect his opponents weakness. This is taiji kung fu

[@michaelg7385]

is it me or the black step have more grip....

[@DanielColageo]

Systema has its own way of push-hands, too. It's really something. I couldn't get anything on my teacher.........ever. ha :)

[@mtvta1981]

how is that useful in a street fight where u can move around ?

[@anthonymaloney6838]

Oh my that ankle pick is crying out. Why didn't the BJJ guys level change?

[@Tempest2228]

This is a great introduction to taijiquan. However in terms of techniques this is still surface level in the fact that there are strikes from all parts of the body, single legs, double legs and arm drags.

[@sifuniko]

Def that's why I do jujitsu and blend them together seamlessly!

[@Tempest2228]

@@sifuniko Nice combination! I find those two to be very similar!

[@charlesbetancourt7337]

@@sifuniko What belt. rank do you have in jiu juitsu?