This will pay more than technical dividends to the bank of your learning curve. There are few short cuts. The learning of Tai Chi Chuan is complex, however the exposition of the internal martial arts is fundamentally based in simplicity. The expression of the push hands demands dynamic liveliness. The Mind is trained to be freely expressive through pushing hands with the success of each application being a temporary guide to its usefulness.
Natural progress is a big method.
A zig zag course. The best of teachers enable personal interest to at least meet real method despite the limits of time and energy. Motivated effort will lead to personal success if they are rooted in balanced purpose. But personal motivations are often more than oddly cultured. A mix of fantasy, anxiety and issues of self expression seem to dominate the perspectives of many people.