To follow are suggested rules for The Push Hands Game—both ‘Restricted-step’ and ‘Moving-step’ divisions.
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The first section is A. Objectives and Framework and includes:
I. Object of the game
II. Game area
III. Officials
IV. Equipment
V. Bracketing
VI. Gender and Weight Categories.
The next section is B. Game Rules and includes:
How the match is decided
I. Game categories
II. Physical contact areas
III. Refereeing and Judging Guidelines
IV. Awardable Errors
Technical errors
The last section is C. Push Hands Game Protocol and includes:
I. Restricted-step division
Time Limit
(1) Positioning
(2) Preparation,
(3) Beginning play,
(4) During the Match,
(5) Awarding Points,
(6) Restricted-step Extras
(7) Ending the match
(8) Determining the winner
II. Moving-step division:
Time Limit
Moving-step Scoring
The Push Hands Game Regulations
A. Objectives and Framework
I. Object of the game
The object of the Push-hands Game is to give taiji players an opportunity to learn about push-hands principles and techniques in a competitive environment so they may further their understanding and ability with taijiquan generally and push-hands specifically. It is hoped that vigorous, principled and fair push-hands play will help to support players in their quest for mastery of the art. The game involves a series of matches between competing players which result in the selection of a winner.
II. Game area
(a) The game area consists of a clearly marked concentric ring 6 metres in diameter. (The ring serves a function in the moving-step game only.)
(b) The area is clearly marked at the exact center with a ✚ shaped tape line.
III. Officials
The match requires six officials:
One referee. The referee’s staff which includes: three scoring-judges; one timekeeper; one scorekeeper.
• The referee is charged with beginning, ending and ‘calling’ the action in a match.
• The scoring-judges are charged with confirming or disconfirming the referee’s call and, on occasion, initiating calls.
• The timekeeper is charged with keeping time during the event by following directives from the referee and with announcing certain time markers.
• The scorekeeper is charged with recording and announcing points and warnings as well as notifying and announcing upcoming and 'on deck' players.
Additional staff
A bracketing official is required to be in charge of the elimination order.
A registrar is required to register and weigh players to put them into their correct division.
A field organizer is required to prepare the playing arena and officials table: organizing score-keeping pads and pencils, player indicators, protective helmets, judges flags, stopwatch first aid kit etc.
The roles of timekeeper, scorekeeper, bracketing official, registrar and field organizer can all be played by as few as one individual if need be, but the there should never be less than one referee and three scoring-judges.
IV. Equipment
The match requires The following equipment:
Game ring: Tape for marking the centre and ring.
Player identification: One white and one red pinny (vest), belt or flag.
Scoring-judges: Double ended flags with a red side and a white side.
Timekeeper: Stopwatch
Bracketing official/Scorekeeper: Bracketing sheets; Score sheets; Pencils.
Registrar: Weigh scale. Paper and pen for registration.
Tournament organizer’s safety staff: First-aid kit. Telephone ready to call emergency services in case of serious injury.
Player dress and protection
(a) Players may not wear long-sleeve shirts or shirts with buttons, strings or studs attached. Players should wear long pants with no protruding buttons.
(b) Players may not wear rings, necklaces, earrings or other jewelry.
(c) Players should have the option of wearing a soft protective helmet.
(d) Players may choose to wear groin protection or not.
(e) Players may choose to wear mouth guards or not.
(Event organizers can decide whether helmets, groin protection and/or mouth guards are mandatory or optional.)
V. Bracketing
Ideally the winning players should be decided by double elimination or round-robin type bracketing to give participants more than one opportunity for play. If time is limited, single elimination bracketing can also be used.
The tournament organizer can decide whether the event is ‘seeded’ or ‘blind-draw’ and whether bracketing will respect team entries.
VI. Gender and Weight Categories Chen There are separate divisions for female and male players. Players must be weighed by the registrar or a tournament official within 24 hours of the event.
There are four suggested weight categories in the women’s division.
(a) 47 kg and below
(b) 48-56 kg
(c) 57-64 kg
(d) 65 kg and above
There are five suggested weight categories in the men’s division.
(a) 54 kg and below
(b) 55-64 kg
(c) 65-74 kg
(d) 75-84 kg
(e) 84 kg and above
The tournament organizer may decide to use a different weight division structure.
B. Game Rules
How the match is decided
Points are awarded to a player when his or her opponent makes an awardable error. Errors include loss of balance and certain violations of the rules. The player with the most points at the end of the time limit wins the match. Up to five warning points may be given to a player for certain violations of the rules. Five warning points or two serious-warning points result in disqualification of the player and the automatic victory of the opponent.
I. Game categories
There are two types of Push Hands Game: Restricted-step and Moving-step.
(1) Restricted-step Push Hands Game
In restricted-step play, the players may take steps forward and backward, with either the front or the back foot but the same front foot must always stay forward as when the play was begun. Reversing the basic stance will result in a penalty call and the opponent may gain a point. Players must keep to the orientation of the center line. Stepping to the side to defend or to gain an advantage in pushing will result in resetting the players. This play, if persisted in by one player, may result in cautions and warnings.
(2) Moving-step Push Hands Game
In moving-step play, players are free to step as they please within the confines of the playing area.
II. Physical contact areas
(1) Restricted-step Push Hands Game
Physical contact may only be made from below the base of the neck to above the tail bone or bladder area. Contact may not be made to the neck, head, bladder area, hip joint, or leg.
(2) Moving-step Push Hands Game
The same physical contact is permitted as in the restricted-step game except that, players may make contact with each other’s legs. This includes using the legs to leverage, destabilize and sweep but not to kick. No other contact to the legs, for example by the hands, is permitted.
III. Refereeing and Judging Guidelines
Error calls
Error calls are made by the referee and must be confirmed by a majority of the scoring-judges. In the case where a scoring-judge witnesses an awardable error, he or she may stop the action and refer a call to the referee.
The awarding of points
(1) One point is awarded to a player each time his or her opponent makes an error as defined below in the ‘Awardable errors’ section.
(2) Two points are awarded to a Player each time his or her opponent commits a ‘serious personal violation error’ as defined below in the ‘Serious personal violation errors’ section.
Issuing of warnings and cautions
(1) Warnings are attached to error calls given for ‘personal violation errors’ and for ‘serious personal violation errors’. If a player receives five warnings or two serious warnings he or she is to be disqualified automatically.
(2) The referee may issue a verbal ‘caution’ at his or her discretion. The purpose of a ‘caution’ is to inform players when they are straying toward play that may result in awardable errors being called. A caution does not result in the awarding of points and is not recorded by the scorekeeper.
Disqualification
(1) Players must be disqualified if receiving five warnings.
(2) Players may be disqualified for one ‘Serious personal violation errors’ and must be disqualified for two Serious personal violation errors
(3) A player may be disqualified by the referee in consultation with the scoring-judges.
IV. Awardable Errors (applicable in both restricted-step and moving-step play)
General errors (1 point)
(1) Loss of balance. The referee stops action and time at the first sign of a player being off-balance. The referee need not wait until a player falls to stop action.
(2) Reversal of stance (restricted-step only). Taking a step that results in reversing the stance.
(3) Endangering oneself. Play in a manner that could lead to the player himself or herself being injured. (This will be probably be preceded by cautions from the referee.)
(4) Avoiding play. Avoiding awardable interaction. (This will be probably be preceded by cautions from the referee.)
(5) Touching down. When any part of a player’s body (except the feet) touches the floor.
General errors (2 points)
(1) Outside ring (moving-step only). Any part of the body, including the feet, touching the floor outside the 6 metre ring.
Personal violation errors (1 point; 1 warning)
(1) Use of excessive force. When players act with broken contact, hard resistance or aggressive intent with little technique.
(2) Grabbing the opponent's clothes.
(3) Double grabbing. Clasping the opponent with both hands’ thumbs closed.
(4) Holding-on. Gripping the opponent with one or both hands, or reaching around the opponent's side or back to prevent loss of balance.
(5) Illegal contact. Contact to any part of the body outside the allowable physical contact areas.
Serious personal violation errors (2 points; 1 serious-warning)
(1) Striking with broken contact. This includes punching, elbowing and shouldering.
(2) Any attack with the head.
(3) Using the legs, knees or feet. (except in moving-step play).
(4) Kicking.
(5) Twisting joints or using ‘pressure points’ (i.e ‘qinna’/‘chin-na’)
(6) Pinching skin or pulling hair.
(7) Attacking the groin area.
(8) Any technique intended to cause injury to the opponent.
Technical errors
(1) Not following instructions of the referee.
(2) Not completing the mandatory number of revolutions.
(3) Receiving coaching during the round.
(4) Unsporting conduct.
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C. Push Hands Game Protocol
I. Restricted-step Push Hands Game
Time Limit
Two ‘stop-time’ 1-minute rounds with a 15-second rest period In between.
Starting the Restricted-step Push-hands match
(1) Positioning
(a) The players—one wearing a red indicator and one wearing a white indicator—face each other, each placing his or her right foot on either side of the center mark.
(b) In the first round, players make contact with the back of the right wrist, their left hand touching the other player's left elbow.
(c) In the second round, players begin with the left foot and wrist forward, right hand touching the other player’s left elbow.
(2) Preparation
The referee confirms with the timekeeper, scorekeeper, scoring-judges and players that they are ready.
(3) Beginning play
The referee gives the command ‘Slowly circling’, whereupon the players circle non-competitively a minimum of three times.
The referee then issues the command ‘Time begins’, at which time the players may begin the action for awardable points.
(4) During the Match
Players begin and stop play upon the referee’s instructions.
(a) The referee directs the players and timekeeper with the verbal calls such as: ‘Stop!’, ‘Time-begins’ and ‘Restart; Single-circle; Time begins’.
(b) The referee directs the players, the scoring-judges and scorekeeper with awardable calls.
(c) Restart. The referee will instruct the players to ‘restart’ under various circumstances such as: after a point has been awarded; players moving too far from the central starting point (restricted-step only); to ensure the safety of a player, issuing of a caution; after a consultation with the scoring-judges, etc. Restarting the action requires only a single non-competitive circle.
(5) Awarding Points
The referee will only call for points based on action he or she sees. The scoring-judges score will be asked only once for confirmation unless a scoring-judge's suggestion results in a re-call by the referee.
Calling the points and warnings
(a) The referee calls ‘Stop!’ upon seeing an error. This stops the competitive action and the time.
(b) The referee calls the error, the violator and the point recipient (e.g., ‘off-balance red; point white’ or, ‘holding-on white; warning white and point red,' ‘striking red; serious-warning red, two points white.').
(c) The referee then requests for the scoring-judges to confirm the call. The scoring-judges can either confirm, contradict or give no opinion.
(d) If a scoring-judge witnesses an error not called by the referee he or she may call ‘Stop!'; explain the reason and suggest that the referee call a point. The referee may elect to call the action based on the scoring-judge’s suggestion, issue a caution as felt appropriate or simply take note of the scoring-judge’s suggestion.
Confirmation by the scoring-judges
(a) If two of the three scoring-judges confirm the point, the referee awards it, whereupon the scorekeeper records the point (and warning if applicable).
(b) To confirm the call, the scoring-judge holds the side of the flag up with the same colour the awarded player is wearing.
(c) To contradict the call or give no opinion, the scoring-judge holds the flag up levelly.
(d) A scoring-judge may also hold up the opposite colour flag if he or she saw the action differently from the referee’s call. In this case, the scoring-judge must call out his or her reason to the referee whereupon the referee may elect to re-call the action. If two or more scoring-judges hold up their flags opposite to the referee’s call, the referee must re-call the action.
Extras
(a) The referee restarts the action immediately upon announcing the points to the scorekeeper.
(c) The scorekeeper distinctly announces the current score in the match including points and warnings for each player each time a new scoring entry is made.
Time-out and Referee’s conference
In the event that anyone—the players, the referee or the referee’s staff—require rules or procedural clarification, the referee may elect to call a ‘time-out’ for a referee’s conference to be administrated by the referee. This may also occur in cases where the referee or scoring-judge’s staff need to clarify events they have witnessed in the play. Administrative time-outs and conferences must take place during stop-time and should be kept to a minimum, staying focused only on issues directly related to issues within the immediate match.
(7) Ending the match
(a) At the end of the match, the referee will stand between the contestants, request the final score from the timekeeper and announce the winner of the match.
(b) Upon the announcement of the winner, preparations for the next match will begin.
(8) Determining the winner
(a) The player with the most points at the end of the match wins.
(b) Tie Breaker. If the point score is even, the match is won by the player with the least number of ‘serious-warnings’. If still tied, then the match is won by the player with the least number of ‘warnings’. If the tie is still not broken another 30-second round is played to determine a winner.
II. Moving-step Push Hands Game
(1) Time Limit
One ‘stop-time’ 90-second round with a 15-second rest period In between.
The rules and protocols of moving-step push-hands, including positioning, preparation, beginning play, play during the match, awarding points, etc., are the same as in restricted-step push-hands event with the following exceptions:
(2) Moving-step Scoring
Players may make contact with each other’s legs. This includes using the legs to leverage, destabilize and sweep but not to kick. No other contact to the legs, for example by the hands, is permitted.
Two points are awarded to the opponent if any part of a player’s body (including feet) touches beyond the boundaries of the 6 metre ring.