Wing Chun
The Critical Specifications and Function of the
Wing Chun Wooden Dummy
By Master Clark Thornton
A review of the current and past literature on the Wing Chun wooden dummy reveals a surprising lack of in-depth knowledge in published articles by experienced teachers. Without exception, each instructor speaks about “how” the dummy is used (e.g. teaches position, timing, speed, footwork, sensitivity, conditioning, etc.), but they do not speak about “why” the old masters made the dummy as they did. So let’s ask this very important question again: "Why is the Wing Chun dummy made the way it is?"
It is essential that you understand the critical measurements of the Wing Chun wooden dummy, the function of the components of a dummy, and why the arms and leg are placed at specific angles, if you want to get the most out of your wooden dummy.
Most Wing Chun instructors know how to use the Wing Chun muk yang jong because their Sifu instructed them on its use as part of their training. But if you ask, many of them can’t really tell you why the arms are made like they are or why the arms and leg are placed in certain positions and angles on the dummy. If they do answer, they will generally speak in terms of the position of the arms and say that the arms represent one of the following three things: 1) lines of force, 2) angles of attack, or 3) someone holding their arms out. It is not surprising that a vast majority of Wing Chun instructors don’t really know "why" the old masters placed the components in the dummy the way they did. The reason has remained hidden in the construction of the wooden dummy for many decades now, and a review of the recent historiography of muk yang jong construction is necessary for a more complete understanding of why the dummy is constructed the way it is.
To be sure, the arms and leg do function---at times---as lines of force, as angles of attack, and even as someone with their arms outstretched or their leg in a kicking position, but only as illustrations to demonstrate a particular technique or sequence of techniques. These attributes are peripheral benefits which come from the use of the dummy, not the function of it. To truly understand and get the most out of your jong, you must understand the difference between the use and function of a dummy.
The primary function of the Wing Chun muk yang jong is to teach perfect position relative to an opponent, and it is relentless and unswerving in its duty. It is the main reason the old masters created the wooden man---as a sometimes painful teaching tool for students. The secondary benefits that come from the use of the dummy include, better position, timing, conditioning, power, speed, etc. Other secondary benefits include the dummy’s ability to mimic an individual with outstretched arms and the ability of the arms to represent line of force and angles of attack. You need to understand that function and use of a wooden dummy are not the same thing---that use is a component of function.
The first standard specifications for the wooden dummy arms can be found in Moy Yat’s book on the Wooden dummy, 108 MUK YAN JONG, which was first published in 1974 by Tak Shing Printing Co., in Hong Kong. Moy Yat, a closed-door disciple of the last Grandmaster Yip Man, was the first expert Wing Chun teacher to disseminate this information to the public in printed form. It was Moy Yat’s book which first set the standard for construction of the Muk Yang Jong or “wooden man”. It is also important to understand that these standards have changed somewhat since 1974 to accommodate the larger frames and longer arms of Westerners. For those who yearn for paternal guidance, Grandmaster Yip Man’s little gold book, titled 116 Wingtsun Dummy Techniques As Demonstrated by Grandmaster Yip Man by Yip Chun (red and gold paperback, 1981) should be in every serious Wing Chun practitioner’s library. The most technical manual on the Wing Chun wooden dummy printed in recent years is Randy Williams’s, Mook Yan Joang and Mui Fah Joang, Vol. 3. His five volume set, aptly titled Wing Chun Gung Fu, was first published in 1986 in Singapore (slick glossy black and white paperbacks) and is a virtual encyclopedia of the art of Wing Chun. No book(s) published in the last thirty years comes close to these volumes in stature and sheer weight of information.
In the late 1970’s, the arm was lengthened from 11” to 12” and the leg changed to a “kicking” leg by the wooden dummy manufacturers in Hong Kong, lead by Master Koo Sang, who held a monopoly on the wooden dummy market at that time. In the following years the arms were further modified so that the two upper arms were offset on the shanks to bring the tips of the arms on level. The modern Wing Chun dummy upper arms are no longer straight-shanked which put one arm higher than the other.
The standard measurements today for the modern Wing Chun dummy arms, which include the original specifications given by Moy Yat and the changes that have been made in the last thirty years, are as follows:
(1). The base of the arm is a standard 2-1/2” round.
(2). The tip of the arm is a standard 1-1/2” before it is beveled.
(3). The arm should have a straight taper from the base to the bevel.
(4). The tip of the arm should have a round bevel, not faceted.
(5). The arm should be 12” long.
(6). The shank should be 2” longer than the diameter of the trunk.
(7). The inside base of the two upper arms should have a flat bevel about 1” in length.
(8). The two upper arms are offset on the shanks so the tips of the arms are approx. level. Reversing these “offset” arms will place them in the “old style” position, that is, with one arm being higher than the other.
(9). The stop-peg hole should be centered approximately ¾” from the back of the dummy trunk.
(10). The center lower arm should be straight-shanked.
(11). All arms should be perfectly smooth and cylindrical, with no sharp edges or rounded over edges which might injure the student.
The Arm Length
Why is the arm length set at 12 inches?
There has been some talk among some Wing Chun practitioners about the tip of the arm representing the elbow and not the wrist. That's nonsense. Common sense tells you that when you are executing a bong sao on the dummy's upper arm, it is teaching you to do so at the opponent's wrist or upper forearm, not the elbow. Every technique you execute on the dummy must make sense. In classical Wing Chun training, it doesn't make sense to bong sao an elbow. If you do a Wing Chun technique on the dummy, and it doesn't make sense to do so, then you are probably not doing it correctly or you are using the wrong technique. Ideally, for close in fighting, there should be approximately 24 inches (2 feet) between your body and your opponent's body. This is the ideal range for Wing Chun practitioners for close range fighting. The most important part of the dummy arm is the last three or four inches where you execute your techniques. The reason the manufacturers in Hong Kong changed the length of the dummy arms from 11 inches to 12 inches is because 11 inches put them (Westerners) to close to their opponents. They (Westerners) found that their techniques were being "jammed" by being to close to the dummy. So the manufacturers changed the length.
As an experiment, you can execute a bong sao/straight punch technique (without the shift) and have someone measure the distance between you and your partner. If you are doing a correct bong sao, and he is doing a correct straight punch, the distance between the two of you should be about 24 inches (or 2 feet)
The Leg Angle
What is the correct shape and angle of the leg?
The Wing Chun "natural" leg comes in a variety of configurations. These legs are constructed from natural tree limbs. They can be curved or angled. A casual look at a range of old pictures showing Grandmaster Yip Man with the muk yang jong illustrates the diversity of shapes and sizes of the Wing Chun dummy leg in use today. Some prefer the lower leg to bend from the knee at a ninty degree angle to mimic an opponent in a low forward horse stance. Others prefer a "kicking" leg or one that bends outward from the knee at about a sixty degree angle which simulates a kicking technique. These dummy legs should be constructed from the limbs of the hardest trees. The body of the leg can vary in size from two and a half inches to four inches in diameter. A knee-nob, although desirable, is not necessary for the proper function of the leg. The shanks, which pass through the jong and are pegged in back, are generally a 1-1/2" x 3" rectangle or 2" x 2" square. The shanks must be large enough to withstand the impact of repeated "pak gerk" kicks from a few feet away. Many of today's modern Wing Chun dummy legs are made from laminated wood or steel because of the scarcity of natural legs.
In addition to practicing kicks and the correct placement of the lower leg and foot, the dummy leg acts as a stop to prevent you from overstepping your techniques and also results in proper leg placement in conjunction with the correct angle and placement of the your arms.
Positional Sensitivity
The primary function of the Wing Chun dummy is to teach you “perfect” position relative to an opponent. In essence, every Wing Chun technique you perform on the dummy, with or without footwork, is “instantly” corrected by the dummy. It teaches correct position, distance, correct angle, and correct timing. For example, after being shown by your sifu the correct position for a bong sao, you then perform the same bong sao on the dummy. If you are too far away, you will feel overextended, like you are “leaning” forward. On the other hand, if you are too close when you perform your bong sao, you will feel jammed and your technique will feel collapsed. In either case, after you have stopped for a moment, you will adjust your position relative to the dummy so that the technique feels right (like the one your sifu showed you). The arms are the primary components of the dummy which develop your sense of correct position, and this is how you develop “positional sensitivity”. But keep in mind; position is not simply the angles at which you hold your arms when you make contact with the dummy arms. It involves your whole body structure relative to the whole body structure of the dummy (your opponent).
Range Sensitivity
As you develop positional sensitivity, not only do you perfect correct position relative to an opponent, but you also develop a sense for accurate range. Essentially, changing from a bad position to a good one also changes and corrects your distance from the dummy. This is how you develop “range sensitivity”. This range sensitivity development functions for long, medium and short range movements relative to the jong and envelops all of the movements of the hands for striking and the position of the feet for kicking.
Angle of the Arms
Also keep in mind that position is not static, but rather dynamic in nature. You can’t stand like a statue in front of the dummy or a live opponent. The dummy arms play a major role in developing a correct shift and developing your ability to “cut the angle” of your opponent . . . and that brings us to why the arms are set at a specific angle. The answer is simpler than you think. The arms act as stops to keep you from over-shifting your hand techniques or over-stepping your footwork as you move from position to position around the dummy. It’s as simple as that.
Over-shifting
In practical application when over-rotation is used in combination with over-extension of the arms, “chasing” occurs. If the angle of the two upper arms is set too wide, over-rotating can happen. Over-shifting can lead to “chasing” at the outer gates. Among other things, chasing exposes the very vulnerable inner knees to devastating crossover or step-over kicks. A broken knee joint is a fight ending, and perhaps life-ending, incident.
Under-shifting
On the other hand, if the angle of the two upper arms is set too narrow, you will incorrectly learn to under-shift. You will feel "jammed" by the dummy. By not extending your technique far enough, you give up critical leverage which you may need to stop or divert the incoming force, and your position may collapse. In both cases, the angle of the dummy arms is critical.
Perfect Timing
In addition, the "stopping angle" of the arms ensures that you learn perfect timing. By maintaining correct position as you shift and step out of one position and into another, like when you step out and cut back in or counterattack (“cutting the angle”) along your opponent’s line of attack, you learn to move quickly and fluidly from one position to the next, and you also learn exactly when to execute a specific technique as you shift and step. The dummy arms act as stops to your applied technique and at the same time, this stopping motion or “resistance” tells you to move immediately on to the next technique (in chi sao, this would depend on what you feel in the resistance you get from your partner). When your dynamic (moving) body structure is stopped by the dummy, you learn to shift or step without hesitation into the next (learned) technique (before your opponent does). In the beginning you acquire this by practicing a dummy form, step by step, but later, through repetition, you perfect your timing and you learn to free flow around the dummy, moving immediately and effortlessly from position to position as each technique is stopped by the dummy. This is one of the ways that a student learns how to develop perfect timing.
Correct Angle
There is a simple test to determine if your dummy arms have the correct angle. When the two upper arms are placed in the arm holes, the arms should measure approximately 8” tip to tip when pulled together and approx. 9” when pulled apart.
Correct Height
There is another simple test to determine if the dummy you are using is set at the right height for you. Have someone who is your same height do a Bong Sao without the shift. If they are doing their bong sao correctly, their wrist should be on the centerline between you and them. Put your arm across their wrist as if you were doing a straight punch to their chest. Your wrist should be across their wrist with your fist aimed at the center of their chest. Point your index finger straight ahead and touch their chest. Use a tape measure to determine the distance from the floor up to the place on their chest where you touched it with your index finger. For most people this will be about 1 inch above the nipple on the breast. The two upper level arms should be set at this height for you. If you are working out on someone else's dummy, it should be adjusted up or down to your position (about 1 inch above your nipple). If it is your own dummy, you should leave it at the correct height, in the beginning, and then later, as you become proficient in the use of the dummy, you can adjust it to different heights to simulate people who are taller or shorter than you are.
The Wing Chun muk yang jong should be an essential piece of equipment in your training. It will teach you to flow effortlessly without thought of technique from one position to the next around an opponent. It is one of the most ingenious and useful tools created by the old masters. When constructed and used correctly, it is truly a “second sifu”.