Benefits of the Wing Chun Dummy

The Wing Chun Dummy, Wooden Dummy, or Muk Yan Jong, is an iconic representation of wing chun training equipment. Many wing chun beginners are drawn to the apparent mysticism, magic, and fantasy of the wooden man, and aspire to reach a point in their training where they are introduced to its powers. Even practitioners of other martial arts are attracted to what it offers, and many make a dummy part of their training equipment.

There are countless variations of the wooden dummy, along with a wide range of prices and qualities so you need to take care when selecting one - they are not all equal! Even better than buying one, is to make a wing chun dummy yourself! Again, if you take this worthy route, take care in your selection of wooden dummy plans or dimensions, as well as timber selection (if you invest the effort in making your own muk yan jong you want to do it only once, and do it right).

When it comes to Wing Chun, nothing rivals the benefits of a quality wooden dummy. A common reason for obtaining your own wooden dummy is so that you have a training partner ready for punishment 24 hours, 7 days per week, but that is only a minor reason! The true benefits are actually multiple, and these work together in a synergistic fashion to provide significant development of:

• Focus
• Balance
• Structure
• Timing
• Distancing
• Power
• Footwork
• Recovery

Focus is a mental state which varies in intensity from person to person, and is largely about the psychological side of training. This is where you will learn to realize that deeply developing your level of focus will yield huge gains in all the other attributes listed below in a much shorter time.

Balance is actually a combination of two separate things - 1) always maintaining the correct weight distribution in your stance whether you are stationary, stepping, or kicking; and 2) developing the correct balance of energy (force and speed) through the limbs simultaneous attacking and defending.

Structure will be redefined when beginning your wooden dummy training. The dummy highlights even the most subtle weak links in structure, and you will find your wooden teacher instantly correcting your positions. In a very short period you will feel a difference in your chi sau, and you will be discovering new angles of power.

Timing refers to the body and stance working as one unit, where all limbs arrive at their destination in perfect coordination with the stance and the opponent (dummy).

For further reading check out www.prowoodendummyplans.com

"The wooden man is a patient teacher."