Josh Waitzkin's Push Hands Videos

Videos of Josh Waitzkin competing to become U.S. push hands champion

At the National Push Hands Championship in Orlando Florida in July 2004, Josh won 5 Gold medals at different weight classifications.

He also won 3 Silver medals (moving step, restricted step, and fixed step) when he competed in the super-heavyweight class. These entertaining and educational videos are an encyclopedia of push hands techniques done under the pressure of high-level competition.

Videos of Josh Waitzkin's U.S. push hands matches

How the winning U.S. team trained for championships

Josh organized the "training camp" for the highly successful push hands team from Grandmaster William C. C. Chen's School of Tai Chi Chuan.

Many of the sessions were videotaped and these private videos have priceless instructional value, besides being fun to watch.

Videos of Josh Waitzkin's push hands training camp

Match 1 of Chung Hwa Cup World Tai Chi Chuan Championship. (00:04:01)

Josh Waitzkin (black sash) in his first match at the 7th Chung Hwa Cup International Push Hands Championship in Taipei Taiwan in November 2004.

Josh easily wins this fixed step push hands bout. (Under fixed step rules, the first competitor to move his feet loses.)

From: Josh Waitzkin and Frank Pfeiffer

To watch clips of Josh's push hands competitions, click on picture

Josh Waitzkin (yellow shirt) wins this moving step push hands bout at the 2004 Push Hands Championship.

(In moving step competition, the object is either to push the opponent out of "ring" or put the opponent on the ground.)

From: Josh Waitzkin and Frank Pfeiffer

To watch clips of Josh's push hands competitions, click on picture

Josh Waitzkin (black shirt) wins this fixed step push hands bout at the 2004 Push Hands Championship.

From: Josh Waitzkin and Frank Pfeiffer

To watch clips of Josh's push hands competitions, click on picture

Josh Waitzkin (black shirt) wins this moving step push hands bout at the 2004 Push Hands Championship

From: Josh Waitzkin and Frank Pfeiffer

To watch clips of Josh's push hands competitions, click on picture

Josh Waitzkin (black shirt) wins the final fixed step push hands bout at the 2004 Push Hands Championship.

With this bout, Josh wins the Middleweight World Championship in Fixed Step Push Hands.

From: Josh Waitzkin and Frank Pfeiffer (The video camera is losing its charge, and so there are some skipped frames.)

To watch clips of Josh's push hands competitions, click on picture

In a controversial decision, the judges disqualify the last throw by Josh Waitzkin (black shirt) and call the match a draw, awarding both contestants the title of Middleweight World Co-Champion in Moving Step Push Hands.

This is the last match of the day and the video camera is running out of juice, which causes the stuttering and dropped frames. Even so, this is a terrific match to watch, with Josh taking on a brutally strong, fast, and skilled competitor.

From: Josh Waitzkin and Frank Pfeiffer

To watch clips of Josh's push hands competitions, click on picture

Final moving step push hands contest (2003-11). (00:04:48)

The contest for first place in middleweight push hands was an exciting bout, with plenty of action.

Josh overwhelmed his opponent (yellow shirt), who ended up with the Silver medal, with fast pushes out of the ring and some spectacular takedowns.

From: Josh Waitzkin

To watch clips of Josh's push hands competitions, click on picture

Josh dominates this semi final match. He repeatedly pushes his frustrated opponent (blue shirt) out of the ring, leaving him with the Bronze medal.

From: Josh Waitzkin

To watch clips of Josh's push hands competitions, click on picture

Push hands instruction from Grandmaster William C. C. Chen. (00:07:20)

This is an episode of Sam Masich's Taiji People series that follows Master Chen through a push hands class.

We see William training Josh Waitzkin, as well as his children Tiffany and Max, who are also champions.

From: William C. C. Chen and Sam Masich

To watch clips of push hands training, click on picture

Boxing instruction from Grandmaster Chen. (00:10:37)

This episode of the Taiji People series follows Master Chen through a boxing class, with plenty of examples of his punching speed and power.

We see him giving instruction to U.S. and world push hands champion, Josh Waitzkin and his children, martial arts champions, Max and Tiffany Chen. Basic punches, blocks, and combinations, done with the smooth, relaxed Tai Chi feeling.

From: William C. C. Chen and Sam Masich

To watch Grandmaster Chen's boxing lesson, click on picture

Some dramatic clips of high-level competitive action. (00:00:41)

Highlights of competitions showing takedowns and throws by Josh Waitzkin (black shirt).

The video has clips from the 2003 Brazil World Push Hands Championship, the 2004 Nationals in Orlando, and from pushing hands with his training partner Daniel Caulfield at William Chen's studio in New York City.

From: Josh Waitzkin

To watch clips of Josh's push hands competitions, click on picture