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History of the Wooden Dummy

The wooden dummy known by it Chinese name Muk-Yan-Chong is pronounced "muck-yahn-chong" and goes back centuries within Chinese culture via the Monks. Legend has it that there was a hallway containing 108 dummies and it was a set challenge for each monks right of passage to accomplish certain tests on each dummy before they could leave the temple.

At this time the dummies were used with the animal kung fu forms as taught to the monks. It was not till later that the Nun Ng Mui introduced it to Yim Wing Chun as a training aid, it stands to reason that if Yim Wing Chun was the first student of Wing Chun she had no partner to train with so the dummy was introduced. For those that do not know yes you've guessed it Wing Chun was the first students name hence the name Wing Chun.

Rather than have 108 dummies Ng Mui turned it around so that all 108 techniques could be practised on the one dummy. Of course I am only relaying on what I have heard as history truly does get fabricated a little with time with that in mind I am sure there will be an element of truth to it all.

Apparently the original/traditional dummies were a lot different to the current ones, we have Grandmaster Yip Man to thank for our modern day dummies as he had no place to plant a traditional dummy in the ground so his student Koo Sang came up with the wall mounted design.