Cheng Man-ch'ing Uproots Weakness

Cheng Man Ching, New York Push hands class with Stan Israel, Lou Klinesmith and Mort Raphael, Mid 60s.

This video is precious.  We revered Cheng Man-ch'ing, especially in the early years of my T'ai Chi studies and practice - late 1970s and early 1980s.  But we didn't have easy access to videos back then.

In this brief segment, Cheng Man-ch'ing teaches an integral principle of T'ai Chi and Taoism as a whole: Do not push against your opponent's strength.  Once you sense his energy and center, you might have to Roll Back, that is, away from his strength, to uproot him.