AWCA Notebook

For those curious, the current count solely for the Biu-Tze form in Volume 4: Biu-Tze is 173. That does not count drills so I am expecting the final count to be well over 300.

Video-wise, there are 40 videos scheduled for filming. These are the highlights of each movement that is not already related in other eBook Training Series volumes (I am not a fan of fluff or re-hashing information solely to make a publication bigger). Once it is released and then work completes on Volume 5: Muk-Yan-Chong, I will be releasing the updates to Volumes 1 through 3, which also include more drills, updated photos and updated videos.

All-in-all, 2010 is going to be a great year for training media and I am glad you are with us for the journey.

The Muk-Yan-Chong, or Wooden Dummy, is one of the more familiar tools associated with Wing Chun Kuen. The problem, however, is how to train it competently. In this brief article, I want to point out one of the biggest mistakes I see so many doing, and that is the range they are working in. Specifically, this range is introduced with section 1.

Wing Chun’s primary fighting range is fist range, meaning that we strive to stay in fist range as much as possible since the bulk of our actions revolves around punching. To stay in this range when working the dummy means training the footwork so that as it traverses the trunk, our steps are such that we are neither too close nor too far from the target.

Unfortunately, a quick glance at many practitioners will usually see them very close, so close in fact that they are in elbow range, not punch range. That would be find if the upper body was performing an elbow attack, but in most cases they are punching. And what do they find when they are too close? They find their defending arm (usually Tan-sau) extremely collapsed.

By contrast, being too far away should place you in kicking range, not punching range. However, many will still try to punch.

Keep the following in mind when doing any exercises on the wooden dummy:

1. When directly in front of the dummy, ensure that you first open the stance properly so that you are positioned in punching range. If you can reach the trunk with your elbow, you are too close. If you can kick with good extension, you are too far away.
2. When transitioning to the side of the dummy, do not Huen-bo so close that once you are in a Sideling-stance, your defending arm is contracted so much that you could not use it to properly defend. And the same goes for side positions as front positions: If you can reach the trunk with your elbow, you are too close (unless you are working elbow attacks, of course).
3. When returning to the front of the dummy, again pay attention to your Huen-bo so that you are in punching range. This means that your Huen-bo must be at the correct circling arc so that your body pivots slightly away from the trunk vs. close to it.

When thinking about your punching ranges, also consider your kicking ranges. Far too many practitioners will be so close to the dummy when trying to kick that their legs will be extremely compacted. If it feels cramped, you are too close. If you continue to work a kicking range that is too compacted, you will never be able to release the full power of your kicks like you think you will.

Rather than focusing on exploding tons of power and “whacking” the dummy for all you are worth, take a step back and think of section 1 as the first step to uniting the upper and lower halves of your body in order to make a complete unit. When I fight someone, they get all of me, not just a “collection of parts.” And to make that happen took careful observation of what section 1 of the Muk-Yan-Chong really teaches.

Go slowly, think about the ranges of the actions you are working, and ask yourself if you can release full power at these ranges. If it feels too close, it is. If it feels too far away, it is. That is why we always say that the wooden dummy is a true teaching tool and will provide invaluable assistance if you know how to listen to what it is telling you.

One of the things I am frequently asked is how to get the most out of the wooden dummy, regardless of level. Many will hold the dummy to such esteem that they never allow their students to even touch it until they have completed the Biu-Tze, while others will use it for a variety of drills even during Siu-Nim-Tau training.

I am of the latter view, but there are caveats.

First, the dummy is a higher-level training tool in that one needs to have a clear command of themselves before embarking on the dummy curriculum itself. The curriculum requires a full competence of Siu-Nim-Tau, Chum-Kiu, and Biu-Tze since these are expanded concepts for the dummy to begin with. In that, however, it is also still nothing but a chunk of wood. It is meant to refine our principles vs. first learning about them, so it does hold a special place in the Wing Chun system.

That being said, can those who are not at this level still use it for learning at other levels? I believe they can.

Concept
The first thing to think about when approaching the dummy is to remember what the tool itself is for. It is meant to unite the upper and lower bodies, develop short-range power, and to hone and refine our skill set so that we explode fully into our attacker at any angle.

Regardless of what you are working on, using the dummy means to be smart about it. It has nothing to do with conditioning the arms, as some still think. Regular training will condition the arms to a point, but that is a side-effect, not the primary goal. So the concept of the dummy must always be first and foremost on your mind as the right way to approach any training.

For example, if you are wanting to work Tan-dar, then you should be paying attention to distance, wedging Tan-sau into the arm at an angle vs. slamming against the arm, and keeping proper adduction so that the rebound of the dummy does not throw you backwards.

Types of Dummies
This is a tough one. Not to put too fine a point on it, but there are a lot of stupid wooden dummy designs out there. Spinning ones, moving ones, some with wheels, some with spring-loaded arms, and even some with spring trunks so that they bounce back and forth.

They sound like good ideas, and they can develop qualities useful for fighting. But the “standard” wooden dummy is where you should start because it is designed to work the concepts of what we do. This is not to say that the standard dummy design cannot be improved on, because you can always “build a better mouse trap”. The trick, though, is should you? And what preempts the need that the current design does not afford?

If you want to learn real Wing Chun in the right way - the way it is meant to be learned for true effectiveness - then get a standard non-moving dummy without all the frills. Ensure that the arms are at the correct height for you (at shoulder height while you are in Yee-chi-kim-yeung-ma) and that the entire structure is heavy wood. A PVC trunk is fine for many, as well as more affordable. However, it will be much lighter than wood, which translates to a less-than-optimal training experience.

By first starting out on a standard wooden dummy (all wood, no frills) and keeping mind of the concepts for what you are working on, there really is no reason why a student of any level cannot work the wooden dummy. It is nothing more than a tool to refine and hone various skills. It may not be the actual curriculum itself, but that will come in time. Instead, it is a superb experience to learn about rebound, uniting the body to become a complete unit, developing various power qualities, and also standing in as a partner when solo training.