Herman received push-hands Tai Chi Chuan instruction from
Cheng, Man-ching in the 1960's. Although he had spent almost two decades
practicing judo and karate, Herman began gradually to recognize and to
appreciate the effectiveness in martial arts of yielding and
nonresistance. Over the past 40 years, Herman has refined his Tai Chi
push-hands skill to an exquisite level of proficiency.
Application of Tai Chi technique is internalized by
practicing push-hands. On the surface, the goal of this practice seems to be to
push opponents off their stance or root. The essential theme or
principle is to use motion and minimal force. Because you are not to use force,
Tai Chi can be very difficult to learn since force often works very
well. In addition, because we rate our effectiveness initially by
whether we can push an opponent off, beginners tend to utilize strength and
not skill. Herman organizes his push-hands practice sessions to emphasize
skill acquisition.
A foundation of skill acquisition develops amongst his students as they try to internalize
Tai Chi movements. Herman's teaching method has drawn a following of devoted Tai Chi
practitioners. We refer to his method as "cooperative push-hands." Herman has written
four books on martial arts, of which two are on Tai Chi Chuan. Herman resides in San Diego California
and teaches throughout the world.