Wooden Dummy Set - Muk Yan Jong (木人樁)
The modern slat mounted version of the wooden dummy was designed by Yip Man. It is designed to remind the student of how the first three sets work, and verifies the proper use of the first three sets.
The MYJ is a sequence of approximately 100 techniques/"hands." The entire sequence is further divided into 10 sets of 10 "hands" for the sake of transmission.
Several features of the wooden dummy are noteworthy:
- The wooden dummy arms are designed to restrict the movements and force the student to learn to deal with the hindrance.
- In particular, the right arm of the dummy is placed higher than the left, forcing the student to work the left arm a bit more than the right.
- The wang dam (橫擔) --- the horizontal slats supporting the dummy --- flex causing the student to learn to absorb the bounce back of the dummy toward the student after striking the dummy.
Practicing the wooden dummy is done with several principles in mind:
- Place the dummy in front of you so that it will "stick hands" with you.
- Be precise with the stepping, positioning, energy, and timing. The dummy is not attacking, so one can afford to move correctly and smoothly, with no need to feel rushed or pressured.
- Do not move the legs further than needed; do not take big steps. After all, the dummy is still.
- Connect (連), embrace(抱), and engage(食) the dummy and try to avoid the temptation to bang into it with brutal forces and excessive speed.
Training correctly with the wooden dummy accomplishes certain training goals:
- Teach the student how the small step works.
- Builds the student's structure, especially the knee and elbow energy and the unity of the body.
- The dummy serves as an important training tool after departure from one's teacher (離師) or no hands (冇手)-absence of a live training partner; so that one can maintain one's skill. However, skill development requires touching live hands.
