Push Hands is a basic exercise for two partners that is practiced by students of T'ai Chi. Paul Crompton presents it here as a means of training oneself to relax under physical and mental pressure and to improve one's interactions with others in everyday life. Confronting the fear of threats to one's self-image and of losing one's balance is part of the psychological dimension of this practice. The author also offers, in workbook style, instruction in the fundamentals of the soft form of Push Hands and prepares the ground for studying the hard form, which is the actual fighting style. With step-by-step instructions and photographs demonstrating the movements, plus chapters on the concept of ch'i and Taoist philosophy, the book provides both practical advice and a philosophical appreciation of this popular Chinese exercise.

Paul Crompton has been teaching T'ai Chi in England since the early 1970's. He is the editor of the British magazine Karate and Oriental Arts and the author of several books, including the T'ai Chi Workbook.