Practical Self Defense by Chen Zhonghua

This is a training method from the Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method system. Here master Chen Zhonghua and Gord Muir demonstrates a drill that will allow two people to train to match the opponent's power and strategy.

Chen Zhonghua teaches students to sink lower, just enough to match an opponent's push, and redirect the oncoming energy into your legs and to your root on the floor.

He also knows that if an opponent matches your push in one direction, and therefore neutralizes your energy, you can still sense his weakness and topple him in another direction.  He showed with the first student, who was firmly rooted in his self defense posture, that pushing him toward his back easily uprooted him.  

Finally, T'ai Chi is known as circles within circles.  So the arm rotation he demonstrates with another student is an effective way for him to neutralize her push.  Circles, curves and arcs are practical metaphors in self defense.