AWCA Notebook

A great conversation I have been having with a fellow practitioner today has been over the Bart-Cham-Dao and how “flipping” the knives came to be introduced. I would love to hear your take on things, too, and what you have heard about where this came from.

It is not uncommon to see various well-known practitioners “flip” the knives backwards so that the back side of the blade is against the forearm (similar to how a Japanese sai is held). However, I was taught that this should never happen, that posing the weapon in this way makes it purely defensive.

The interesting thing is that while many “do” flip the knives, many others do “not.” Therefore, I would welcome your insight, whether just a story you have heard or an article/ book you have read, that explains why some flip the knives and others do not.

One of the most popular training aids in the martial arts is a wooden dummy. And while some might think that it is exclusive to Wing Chun, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, from everything I have read about it, Wing Chun is one of the last arts “to” incorporate a dummy in its training.

The difference lies in how it is used, which therefore changes how it looks.

For example, wooden dummies come in all shapes and sizes. From being sunk into the ground (“dead” dummy) to wall-mounted (“live” dummy), you will even see cheap versions that are made of PVC and/or suspended on bungee cords between a door frame.

Note: PVC trunks are good but you need wooden arms and legs to be useful. And bungee cord dummies? Forget about it. They are a waste of money.

If you look at arts such as Hung Gar and Choi Lay Fut, check out their dummies. The trunks are usually the same but the arms are radically different. You might also find a five, six, or even seven arms, as well as a few legs. This is for training their particular methods and from multiple angles.

Wing Chun takes the same premise but reduces it to fit our needs. This is why there are only three arms and one leg, and also why the arms are much shorter than other arts’ dummy arms. It is also why the arms are angled more inward than other arts, because our training requires our arms to be more protective of the centerline.

But do you have to wait until you are at the formal dummy curriculum in order to train with it? Not at all. You “can” utilize this stand-in partner right now and for any type of Wing Chun training you desire (minus ground fighting, of course).

For example, the lead and rear-arm defense drills are excellent to train on the dummy, as are chain-punches (with a pad in place), stepping, and leg jamming. Elbows and knees are good to train on it, too (with pads in place) since there is no movement. You either do it correctly and absorb the rebound or it drives you backwards.

That is one of the great things about dummy training: If you listen to what it tells you, you will be able to correct any and all areas of your Wing Chun.