The wooden dummy form

In the previous article we examined the history and
development of the wooden dummy as a training
apparatus and as a formal set of the WingTsun
kung fu style. This time we are going to take a look
at the training methods associated with the
wooden dummy which include the form itself and
how the application is taught for practical fighting.
The translation of forms into live reactions is one of
the top goals of every WingTsun practitioner –
without this we are simply practicing dead routines. Fortunately, the WingTsun (WT) system has
a number of training protocols both old and new to
insure this ability to translate rote movement patterns into fighting reactions.
their curriculum. This way it is not required to learn the
whole form before learning the application. This method
also ensures that the knowledge of the application and
chi sau reaction improves the form and vice versa.
The wooden dummy form
After a senior WT student has successfully attained the
abilities to apply the first three forms in both chi sau and
in real fighting, formal training of the wooden dummy
form will commence. However, this is not the first time a
WT practitioner will practice on the apparatus. Even at the
very junior levels of WT there are a number of supplementary drills and exercises taught to students on the dummy
to improve angles and other skills. This is especially important if there is no partner. Since the actual techniques of
the dummy belong to the advanced skills of WT, they are
generally taught to senior students only.
Learning the wooden dummy is much more than repeating
movements and mimicking a form. Careful attention must
be paid to applying the movements with the correct angles
and with the appropriate type of force. When the form is
practiced correctly the dummy will make certain sounds as
feedback for the practitioner. As much as many people try,
these types of details can only be learned from a qualified
instructor and never just from a book or video.
The wooden dummy form has a number of movements
already familiar to the practitioner from the other forms,
especially the biu-tze form. However, the wooden dummy
form also teaches a number of specialized techniques, tactical footwork, as well as the eight kicks of WingTsun only
found in the dummy set. A few techniques specific to the
dummy include (but not limited to) the man geng sau
(neck pulling hand), kau pek (pluck and chop), po pai
jeung (double palms), sup gee geuk (cross kick), and the
jeet gerk (sweep/stop kick). All of these require patience,
practice and a qualified instructor to master.
Learning the form is just one isolated part of a much bigger picture. In the WT system a student will learn specific
chi sau and fighting applications for each set of the
wooden dummy form as he or she learns it according to
WingTsun’s threefold path of
training
The wooden dummy training follows the same threefold
path as the rest of the WingTsun system – which is form,
chi sau and finally sparring. This means that all techniques are first learned as a form, or simply put, a movement pattern. Patterns and forms are the best way to
teach simple mechanics as a sequence allows a student
to recall the movements later for self-practice. Forms are
not limited to the formal sets (siu nim tau, chum kiu, biu
tze, dummy, etc) but also the basic training, chi sau
A chi sau exercise for the first section of the wooden dummy
form involving the neck pulling hand:
1- Both partners engage in poon sau (rolling hands)
2-Sifu Alex uses a double jut sau to create an opening.
3- Sifu Alex sets up the neck pulling hand
maintaining arm control and sets up the sweep.
4- Sifu Alex sweeps his partner to the floor and
kicks his ribs.
A sparring application from the first section of the wooden
dummy form:
1- Attacker & WT fighter square off.
2-Attacker fires a left straight, WT fighter sends hands
forward to protect.
3- After contact is made the WT fighter uses the man geng sau
(neck pulling hand) from the first set of the dummy form.
4- The WT fighter combines the neck pulling hand
with the lifting punch from the chum kiu form.
programs and others. The second stage is to practice
these movements in chi sau. This allows the student to
learn and feel the appropriate timing for the technique as
well as positions and angles. The WT system has formalized sections (sequences) for teaching the wooden
dummy chi sau, set by set. The wooden dummy chi sau
is the glue that binds the single movements into reactions.
After the student has learned the chi sau programs associated with each set of the wooden dummy form then the
sparring training for the wooden dummy techniques commences. This is perhaps the most important step as it
truly translates the individual skills and techniques of
both the form and chi sau into practical reactions. Sparring itself in WT can take many different faces depending
on the desired outcome. In addition to free-sparring
where two WT trainees just go at it, there is also skillspecific sparring training. An example of this would be
were one person assumes the role of the “bad-guy” or
attacker and does specific types of attacks. For example
one person tries to apply a certain lock or a kick in the
middle of sparring repeatedly until the other trainee can
reliably defend it. This type of cooperative training is vital
to skill development, much more so than competitive
sparring. Competitive sparring is used to assess current
level of skill, so a trainee would rarely apply techniques
they are unsure of. In certain non-competitive sparring
drills, a trainee can specifically focus on working on one
or two new skills. Non-competitive sparring does not necessarily mean it is soft or easy. They are perhaps the
most challenging as the trainee must try to specifically
use certain moves as opposed to the ones they already
know.
It’s also important to realize that although we are using
the wooden dummy techniques as an example, this
threefold path is used for the entire WingTsun system’s
teaching. Regardless of whether a student is at the chum
kiu level or even the wooden dummy level, the ultimate
goal is to be able to spar and apply the movements
freely.
For further information about the wooden dummy form,
chi sau and applications please check out Grandmaster
Leung Ting’s brand new book “WingTsun Wooden
Dummy Techniques” available online at the City WingTsun Shop at www.citywt.com
SIFU ALEX RICHTER
Chief Instructor—City Wing Tsun, Manhattan, New York
About Sifu Alex Richter:
Sifu Alex Richter is the chief instructor and president of
City WingTsun Kung Fu. Within a few short years, Sifu
Alex has built City WingTsun from a small class in a Manhattan dance studio to a two-floor WingTsun training center. He has been featured in Harper’s Bazaar, the Discovery Channel, Kungfu/Taichi Magazine and PBS among others.
Sifu Alex Richter has been training in the martial arts since
the age of eight. Alex received most of his early WingTsun
training at Langenzell Castle, the former headquarters for
the European WingTsun Organization (EWTO). It was
there that he trained WingTsun full time, six hours a day,
five days a week. While in Europe he studied under the
top masters of the EWTO from that time period in addition
to training with his own Si-fu, Grandmaster Keith R. Kernspecht.
Alex’s previous martial art experience includes seven years
of Taekwondo (black belt), as well as Chinese wushu,
grappling and Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do.
Alex prides himself on producing quality students by
teaching WingTsun with strict standards just as he has
learned it. A perpetual student, Alex continues on his
WingTsun path through private instruction from Great
Grandmaster Leung Ting and Sifu Carson Lau both in
Hong Kong and stateside.
Although born in Los Angeles, Sifu Alex is a die-hard east
coaster at heart. He grew up in New Jersey and has lived
all over the USA and in Europe. He was born to German
and Cuban immigrants and is proud to by the first “Sifu” of
Cuban decent in the International WingTsun Association.
Sifu Alex is part of a new breed of instructors specializing
in applying modern training methods and sports research
to improve how WingTsun Kung Fu is taught. He is available for seminars and private instruction.
Contact www.citywt.com for more info.