It's easy to understand that if your opponent has greater strength than you do and you both push against each other with all your force then clearly your force will lose against his. If you pull while he pushes though, then your force will add to his and he will be taken off balance by the greater force you are now adding to his. On the other hand, if he pulls you then obviously push him as that is to your advantage the same way as it will add to his force of pulling you and again will take him off balance.
Now what if your opponent does neither?
Let's say your opponent tries to "wait you out" and tries to stay balanced with pushing or pulling. If you push him and he does nothing then he will fall off balance, if he tries to maintain his balance by pushing against you then quickly switching to pull him will take him off balance forward.
Again the same holds true for the opposite. If he does nothing and you pull him and he tries to counter by pulling back then you quickly change direction and push him off balance. This might seem very simple however it isn't.
Timing and movement are critical to making this work. You need to spend quality time working on the mats to master this principle. You need to gain a fundamental understanding of this principle to prevent your opponent from using it against you as well. In order to do this you need to develop a keen sensitivity to your opponent's movements. By spending a lot of time on the mats and with many different opponents you will develop this sensitivity by maintaining awareness while gripping your opponents.
This sensitivity will give you the ability to feel your opponents weight distribution and movement and quickly react when he is about to move in a direction or apply force through pushing or pulling.
There are several ways to apply this principle.
So we understand that if your opponent pushes then you pull and vice versa if he pulls you push. Now let's look at the force that you generate as opposed to how to deal with your opponents force. This can be divided into three separate strategies.
The first strategy involves reversing your force as soon as your opponent resists it. That is, you push and as soon as your opponent pushes back you reverse your force and pull him off balance.
The next strategy is the opposite of the last one. Pull your opponent and as he prevents your pull by pulling back you push him off balance. Again this requires sensitivity, timing and practice to develop these attributes.
Lifting your opponent is the third strategy. This is useful when you and your opponent are clinched making pushing and pulling not available because you are both clinched too tight for your arms to be able to push or pull. Here you use your knees and hips to bend slightly and explode upwards. This strategy will require your arms to hold your opponent and your knees and hips to do the pushing by bending and exploding upwards.
One last note on applying force is that you should always counter your opponents force with proper movement. This movement should always flow with where your opponent initially applies his force. That is to say, when he pushes and manages to move you, move with that force follow the direction in which you are moving as this will allow you to maintain balance and take him off balance with your puling motion. If you are pushed and losing your balance, never go rigid and force back if you are off balance but follow the force in this case to regain your balance and apply one of the strategies that was discussed. If you are pulled and are losing balance, step diagonally into the direction of the pull to maintain your balance and set your opponent up.
Remember, the key to maintaining your balance is not fighting your opponent's force but following it and using it against him.
Generating force
We have thoroughly discussed applying force but how about generating force? This is where staying relaxed and using explosive movement comes into play. In order to generate maximum force when you need it, it is vital that you maintain a relaxed composure. This doesn't mean to stay limp or weak, but relaxed and composed. If you are too tense then your opponent will be able to feel your movement especially as you try to generate force. By staying relaxed and developing a sudden, explosive force, your opponent will have little time to feel and react to your force in time. This is where timing comes in as well. This is how your opponents movement will be helping to take him off balance as he struggles to react to your pushing or pulling and leaves you with enough time to offset his balance by changing your push to a pull and adding to his force to apply a throw. It is crucial to have not only a good understanding of this strategy but to practice it until you have it mastered.
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