Bamboo Dummy

[marcoma]

A while back I read about a Bamboo Dummy used in Ithink it was a Vietnamese lineage of Wing Chun (known in Vietnam as 'Vinh Xuan')

Does anyone have experience of this dummy and is there any film available demonstrating its use.

Also is it a traditional training tool or is it something made up in more recent years.


Marco

[KPM]

Hi Marco!

I was hoping someone would answer your question. :-) I have limited knowledge of the bamboo dummy, but I will share what I know. I believe at one point it was part of the YKSWCK lineage. A few years back I asked Zopa Gyatso about this and he sent me a picture of the thing. It is basically multiple lengths of bamboo mounted to a base as "arms". Technique is worked against the bamboo "arms" in a way similar to the wooden dummy. It may have also been used to work the knives, depending how how far apart the bamboo arms were placed. It didn't look like a very efficient training device to me. Now what I have found interesting is the long pole dummy used in the Chi Sim WCK family. It looks pretty useful!

Keith

[byond1]

the chuk jong is found in the yuen chai wan and i believe yuen kay san systems......yiu kay (son of yiu choi, yuen chai wans only fatsn student that i jhave heard aobut) states there are 8 hand cycles and 4 kick practised on the chuk jong....some say that fok bo chun taught yuen cahi wan the chuk jong but students of ycw in vietnam and fok choi maintain this didnot come from fok bo chun but from yuen chai wan himself...he felt the muk yan jong was to ridged for good snake hand wing chun;)
\ b

[reneritchie]

It came from Fok Bo-Chuen and was taught to both Yuen Kay-San and Yuen Chai-Wan. They knew several different types of dummies, not only wood and bamboo. Back in the old days, WCK was still very secret and the bamboo dummy was a way to work chi sao-like reflexes when a partner was not available.

In modern times, some WCK people have developed spring mounted dummy arms for a similar purpose.

Like anything (be it rattan rings, wooden dummies, or even partner training) you have to know specifically how it is used, or be intuitive enough to know how to use it properly, or you risk deforming rather than improving your skills.

Nowadays, since partners are far more plentiful, its not used much.

[byond1]

rene said "its not used much"

guess you havnt been to my house!!

b

[reneritchie]

I don't mean it hasn't been adapted by some people into their training (like the spring dummy), just that it hasn't been kept up by the lineages that teach it the way the wooden dummy has. You could have a Malay style iron dummy too, maybe even a nano-bot dummy? Who knows? LOL!

[Oldyela]

Rene do you have any pictures or know a seller of "spring" dummies?

[YiWan]

"Bamboo dummy" exists in two versions. The first consists of just two bamboo sticks hammered in the land one behind the other. Practitioner stands behind them and tries by the first strike to push away the first stick and with the other hand to hit the second stick. In other exercises student also push the bamboo stick and reacts to its movements. Second version of "bamboo dummy" is a board fixed on the wall. Board has several holes into which are plug in bamboo sticks (long approximately as arm), which are used by practitioner to perform certain techniques utilizing elasticity of bamboo. Some schools of Wing Chun practice also "Juk Jong" form. This form is speciality of schools that come form lineage of master Yuen Chai Wan "Sheh Ying Wing Chun" - "Snake style Wing Chun" (Ng Mui->Yim Wing Chun->Leung Bok Chau->Law Man Kung->Kok Bo Chuen->Yuen Chai Wan (brother of Yuen Kay Shan) and consists of 12 techniques - 8 hand movements and 4 leg movements.

Here Lau Su Gwan sifu from Fatshan (Yuen CaiWan - Yiu Choi - Lam Yeun Bo - Lau sifu) show some movements :
http://www.oxfordwingchun.com/Pictures/Resources/item7a1.gif
http://www.oxfordwingchun.com/Pictures/Resources/item8a1.gif

[reneritchie]

Oldyela - They were regular style dummy arms with heavy duty spring at the back. I don't know who's selling them now. There were some injuries many years ago when they were sold commercially (not very bright people getting their faces too close and getting their jaws broken when the arm sprung back) so they might not even be sold anymore. I have a couple from a friend and they're fun.

YiWan - I think Sheh Ying Wing Chun was an insult hurled at the Yuen brothers by some others, and not something they actually called themselves. We can see examples of this today where petty political attacks are made asking if the Yuen brothers only knew the "snake" element of WCK and missed the other half (crane).

[Oldyela]

The dummy my sihing made had springs on the front. Do you have any pictures?