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WING CHUN WOODEN DUMMY

Legend has it that in the Shaolin Temple there was a tunnel filled with 108 wooden dummies in order for the monks to complete their training they had to pass through this tunnel. Each one of these dummies performed a certain technique, which the "graduate" monks had to neutralize on their way out of the temple.

When the Shaolin Temple was destroyed, there were no recorded deaths and no life insurance to prove such accounts, so history blanked itself. The complete history of the shaolin temple cannot be narrated nor explained in detail, thus the vague historical documentation of shaolin archives and chronicles. Only certain and distinct characters like a few are remembered to this day like Ng Mui, the creator of Wing Chun Kung Fu, who escaped and incorporated a training set using a single Wooden Dummy into her new fighting style.

Whether or not these legends are true we cannot say for certain however in Wing Chun Kung Fu the Wooden Dummy set is an excellent way to develop your positioning and your techniques. It is important to remember though that the wooden dummy cannot develop your feel and contact sensitivity which need to be developed in order to fully appreciate how the Wing Chun system works, this is done through Chi Sau.

You can practice and develop all of the Wing Chun techniques on the wooden dummy as well as working on your footwork in order to understand the correct distances at which each technique is most effective.

There are basically two kinds of wooden dummy: fixed and floating. The floating one is preferable as this enables you to strike it and have the dummy "give" so that it does not transfer all of the rebound energy back into your striking arm/leg.

WING CHUN TECHNIQUES

TAN SAO - palm up block
A Palm up block where the palm of the hand is straight and the fingers are held together with the thumb cocked in and held against the top side of the hand. By holding the thumb in there is a natural tension gained that helps to catch an opponent's incoming power, if you do not hold in your thumb then you risk the block being weak and unable to deflect your opponents strike.

BONG SAO - wing arm block
The Bong Sao (wing arm) uses the little finger side of the arm to deflect your opponents strike with the palm facing the opponent and the fingers held relaxed in line with the center of the body. The elbow forms a 135 degree angle with the wrist lower than the elbow and the elbow higher than the shoulder (depending on the height of your opponent). The thumb is held loose in this block which ensures that the strength is on the little finger side of the arm to correctly deflect the incoming sr tike.

FOOK SAO - controlling arm
It is often said that the Fook Sao is patterned after a foxes paw in that the fingers and the palm should be pointing downwards with the elbow kept tucked in to protect the mid section.

PAK SAO - slapping hand

This is a very effective block similar to a parry used in boxing where the hand is used to slap away your opponents strike to your head. The key to using the Pak Sao is to use it efficiently by ensuring that you only move your hand the minimum amount so that you slap your opponents punch just enough so that it misses you, if you Pak Sao too far then you run the risk of being trapped by your opponent should he pull your Pak Sao down and trap your other arm with it enabling him a free shot at you.

LAP SAO - pulling hand

The Lap Sao is used to pull one arm of your opponent and making him off balance whilst simultaneously striking him with your other hand for example after a Tan Sao block you maintain contact with your opponents striking arm and you rotate your wrist into a Lap Sao and pull him forward onto a strike with your other hand.

Original Wing Chun - Yip Man & Yip Chun 2

Introduction

Wing Chun is an organized means of teaching almost anyone to be effective fighters.

Wing Chun does not rely upon athletic ability, strength, or quick reflexes. Its theory of simplicity and economy of motion make it scientific in nature, unparalleled in close quarter combat, even against multiple attackers.

Wing Chun is the 'equalizer', the 'sawed-off shotgun' of martial arts.