Well, that is unfortunate. When I was a beginner, I was the ONLY beginner that showed up regularly for my first year or so. I played only experienced players. I had NO chance of winning, but I learned SO MUCH. The advanced students were so helpful. I just absorbed everything I could to learn from them that first year. I credit beginning that way with a lot of the ability I have learned. Very steep learning curve! It was awesome. However, one can learn from practicing with other beginners if there is a teacher to guide you. That should be no excuse (on the teacher's part) for you not to be learning non- cooperative push hands. An instructor could teach push hands to a class of beginners. Just like an instructor can teach a beginning sparring class.
neat clip of ph drilling (love his little laugh at 3.43 ! ) http:[ame="www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnpf55kiesA"]Tui Shou " Pushing hands " : 15 basic skills for competition (HD) - YouTube[/ame]