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The advantage remains with the large person as their ability to absorb the strongest attacks of the smaller person is much greater and the weight of their attacks is much heavier and correspondingly much harder to divert. It has not been a problem to beat larger people whose experience and technique are very inferior but it becomes a much bigger problem when the opponent is not only much bigger but also has a lot of experience and ability.
I recently put this to the test at the British Festival of Chinese Martial Arts where I entered both the U84Kg and the 84Kg+ (Open) Fixed step pushing hands competitions. Weighing in at 79Kg I was by far the small- est competitor in both, with some competitors in the Open Weight Category weighing in at over 100Kgs.
The competition format is very difficult to manage as there is very little time to learn to read the opponent. In order to be able to withstand the weight and strength of my larger opponents I knew that I would have to rely heavily on rooting and sinking, the key Tai Chi stability skills devel- oped in the Nei Kung training. Of course this alone would be insufficient I also had to be able to detect all threats and neutralise them and also be able to attack my opponents weak points with sufficient force to desta- bilise them.
The competition format can be quite intimidating and can lead to com- petitors becoming tense and nervous, I certainly feel unsettled before the first bout mainly due to the long wait and build up. It is important at these times to attempt to calm the mind and relax the body. Practising movements of the hand form are ideal for this purpose as they not only relax the body but gently stretch and warm up the muscles. The mind becomes calm as you no longer are thinking about the forthcoming struggle but on practising your form.
