Wing Chun consists of three open hand forms, a wooden dummy form, a butterfly sword form and a staff form. Traditionally, the open hand forms are learned first, next the dummy and then the weapons are last. The weapons are supposed to be an extension of the hands. As a result, they are taught last.
A common misconception is that the dummy form is superior to the three open hand forms. Some people would say that all you need to do is learn the dummy form and you are set. You don’t have to learn the first three. This is incorrect. The order in which you learn the forms is a training process. The first three open hand forms are designed to give you a basic knowledge of Wing Chun. It is part of the foundation. These forms are designed to train your flexibility, strength in your joints (not muscles) and your concentration. The wooden dummy form is a culmination of the first three forms. Many of the techniques are repeated in the wooden dummy. As well, when first training in Wing Chun, one is encouraged to stretch his/her limbs in each motion, in an effort to train flexibility. Once the practitioner learns this flexibility, he/she learns to minimize his/her movements when training, in line with the centerline philosophy of Wing Chun. That is, the student is taught to keep his/her arms and legs in a tight area in the center of the body when training. This is exactly where the dummy falls in.
The arms of the dummy are positioned so that there is little space between them. A Wing Chun practitioner using the dummy can thus use it to make sure his/her arms are aligned in the center when applying the techniques. In other words, the dummy serves as a guide post to make sure the movements are in the correct position.
Another misconception is that the dummy is for training strength. Wing Chun is a southern martial art. And like most southern arts, it is a soft style with focus on the upper body. Beating the dummy with all your strength is not the point. And besides, it would hurt! Notice that the arms of the dummy are loosely fitted into the main shaft. Therefore, when you contact the dummy’s arms, they give a little, so that you won’t feel the force of hitting a solid piece of wood. So when properly applying Wing Chun techniques to the dummy, it shouldn’t hurt at all. Because in Wing Chun, the techniques are designed to use the opponent’s energy. So don’t be too impressed when you see somebody seemingly hitting the dummy with arms of steel. As for speed, you may have seen many online videos or movies (Jackie in Rumble in the Bronx) hitting the dummy at crazy speeds. Again, this is nothing magical. When hitting a dummy, you will feel a springy force push you back. The dummy should be mounted on a spring or set of springs. Combine that with the loose fitting of the dummy limbs, hitting the dummy is actually like hitting a huge rubber band. As a result, this reaction force actually helps your own hands pull back faster and you can launch your next strike quicker. So the final result is that you seem like a superstar when you are training with the dummy at high speeds.
Finally, once one is proficient in the dummy form, there is a variation called the “air dummy form”. Essentially, this just means training the dummy form without the dummy. This becomes a lot harder because you no longer have the guide post. And without the huge rubber band to help you, you cannot do the form as quickly. And of course since you are just hitting air, your elbows actually have to handle more torque each time you stretch your hand out. As a result, you actually tire more quickly.
Below is Jackie in Rumble in the Bronx showing off his speed on the dummy.
