Wooden Dummy

[trubblman]

The arms should always be parallel. However I find it very difficult to find a dummy on the net anywhere with exact parallel arms.

The arms only have to be "parallel" only if everyone of the opponents you anticipate encountering has shoulders of same height. If you do a cursory research you will see Yip man's don't all use "parallel" arm dummies. The dummy is only an abstraction of a human and not even an ideal abstraction.
I am assuming that when you say "parallel" you mean equal-height arms. It's been sometime since I have done geometry but my understanding of parallel is of 2 lines equidistant at any 2 points along the length.

[CFT]

Sifu Phil's video explains it all. Nothing more is needed.

Hard to believe he is a Vietnam vet. He only looks like he is in his 40s!

[LoneTiger108]

The arms only have to be "parallel" only if everyone of the opponents you anticipate encountering has shoulders of same height. If you do a cursory research you will see Yip man's don't all use "parallel" arm dummies.

A valid point, and I have to agree. The majority of guys I know that have learnt the wooden man all have the right arm higher than the left as this is how it was when they learnt the form back in the eighties.

I know that the even arms can now be 'acheived' because of the developments in arm design, but if the only reason is so that we practice evenly on both sides (as mentioned somewhere in the thread) then I don't feel that's a good enough reason.

Were all the previous Wing Chun ancestors wrong just because they didn't possess the engineering skills??

[chusauli]

Sifu Phil's video explains it all. Nothing more is needed.

Hard to believe he is a Vietnam vet. He only looks like he is in his 40s!

Don't let his looks fool ya - he is real old... LOL!

He's a senior citizen and eligible for AARP!

[sanjuro_ronin]

Sifu Phil's video explains it all. Nothing more is needed.

Hard to believe he is a Vietnam vet. He only looks like he is in his 40s!

Older than the hills on granny's chest and twice as dusty !

[Grumblegeezer]

A valid point, and I have to agree. The majority of guys I know that have learnt the wooden man all have the right arm higher than the left as this is how it was when they learnt the form back in the eighties....

Were all the previous Wing Chun ancestors wrong just because they didn't possess the engineering skills??

Spencer, you have a valid point. The really early dummies weren't even "sprung"... they were the "dead dummies" set in the ground. Similarly, the arms with off-set tenons for level mounting came along later... so clearly you don't need them to train the dummy set. But, like the "sprung" frame, they are helpful. My objection is your reference to the "eighties". Sheesh! I'm a child compared with Joy, yet I began training in the seventies, and the dummies I saw had level arms. My own Koo Sang teak dummy was made in the early eighties and it has level arms too, so they have been around for a while.

[couch]

The next time I get my a$$ed kicked - I'm going to blame it on the fact that my dummy arms are all screwed up and that it has nothing to do with me applying my skills in real-time.

[Vajramusti]

Spencer, you have a valid point. The really early dummies weren't even "sprung"... they were the "dead dummies" set in the ground. Similarly, the arms with off-set tenons for level mounting came along later... so clearly you don't need them to train the dummy set. But, like the "sprung" frame, they are helpful. My objection is your reference to the "eighties". Sheesh! I'm a child compared with Joy, yet I began training in the seventies, and the dummies I saw had level arms. My own Koo Sang teak dummy was made in the early eighties and it has level arms too, so they have been around for a while.

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Lone Tiger- I began wc in 76. My koo sang dummy's arms are level. Ditto for my other two jong's. My sifu's main dummy which he brought over in 68- the arms are level. My sigung began with IM in the 50's his dummy's arms are level.


One can adjust to non level dummy but a level set of dummy hands will help with square body equal
balance on both sides.. an important principle. imo.


BTW- the old so called dead dummies had some give-because at their bottom there were rocks
which gave a little.


Phil R sure is a young chap.

Wing chun siempre adelante .

joy chaudhuri

[Sihing73]

Phil,

I was wondering when you would put up a video of you doing the dummy while using a walker or one of those four pronged canes? Lord knows you're old enough and having met you in person I am sure you could use one

Just don't use the dummy you stole, er I mean bought , from me in your demo.

[Phil Redmond]

Phil,

I was wondering when you would put up a video of you doing the dummy while using a walker or one of those four pronged canes? Lord knows you're old enough and having met you in person I am sure you could use one

Just don't use the dummy you stole, er I mean bought , from me in your demo.

Er, what did you say Sonny? I can't hear you . . . . lol

[LoneTiger108]

Advice on how to train our 1st Form, 4th Set, 1 Method.
http://www.flystudio.co.uk/media/film/film.html

... I think some will find it interesting as its kinda linked to the wooden man thread and it gives one example of why ours has 'un-even' arms.

[chusauli]

As I commented in a previous post, you can (almost) level your arms by simply turning the tenons.

I took some pics at my gwoon this weekend, and if you experiment, you can level your Jong arms.

Paul, if you want to attach a scantily clad woman pic to this, be my guest.

[LoneTiger108]

As I commented in a previous post, you can (almost) level your arms by simply turning the tenons.

IF you have been supplied with two arms like that. My Koo Sang design only got delivered with one. In fact, My Sifus wooden man has a totally different type of arm tenons that were personally made.

As long as you're happy with your reasoning as I am with mine...

[sanjuro_ronin]

Well...

[chusauli]

IF you have been supplied with two arms like that. My Koo Sang design only got delivered with one. In fact, My Sifus wooden man has a totally different type of arm tenons that were personally made.

As long as you're happy with your reasoning as I am with mine...

Koo Sang used to make the Jong arms as mine are... I remember in HK his way of making them.

I am surprised your Jong does not have arms like that. I guess this would spawn why the younger generation does things differently or perceives them differently.

BTW, Paul, very nice! I knew I could count on you!