Taichi Caledonia was a real eye-opener and I met some great people. Several attendees told me that at their T'ai Chi schools there was either no pushing hands / sticking at all, competitive push hands with little explanation of why they were doing it, or else a culture where there was some great partnerwork, but it was a bit too vigorous for new folks to feel they had a way in. What strikes me about my teacher's school, as well as with my own students, is how the solo work and partner work support and inform each other. Although the odd student here and there does not continue as they would rather only do form, the vast majority find a gentle and personal introduction to push hands allays their fears. This enables even the most timid student to find a safe way to start moving out of their comfort zone. One student who had trembling hands and tears in her eyes the first time she did sticking is now one of my top students in partnerwork.

I seem to have alot of energy for my own T'ai Chi again after 18 months of relative upheaval. I plan to study and do more workshops with my teacher, and hopefully attend the push hands event in Hannover next February.