Tuishou is considered a mid-range skill. But the principles of tuishou can also be applied in other ranges. Likewise, principles of good grappling can also be applied in long-range and mid-range.  

This requires proper cultivation of structure, relaxation, and fundamental push hands skills (sticking and following in a circle, peng, lu, ji, an, zai, lieh, zhou, kao). 

As we see in this video, the important skills cultivated by a grappler are often forgotten when switching to long range. While a person might be very relaxed and well aligned during close-range grappling, that structure is sometimes abandoned when the switch is made to long range. Tuishou is a valuable exercise for teaching students to make the transition between different ranges without abandoning the key attributes that should be common to all ranges.