The Wooden Dummy as the Teacher of Wing Chun Theory
My new Jong has really given me a lot to think
about. Besides the immediate questions of engineering that go into
making a piece of equipment like this functional, it is also forcing me
to study and rethink aspects of the form that had gotten a little fuzzy
in the last few years.
First one must learn (or review) the basic sequence
of movements taught in every modern lineage of Wing Chun. Yet the
actual “arguments” and “questions” advanced by the dummy form go well
beyond realm of mere choreography. Of all of the forms in Wing Chun, I
believe that the dummy’s is the most interactive and requires the
highest level of thoughtful engagement by the student.
Wing Chun’s basic unarmed forms tend to be
abstract. This is the easiest to see with Siu Lim Tao (the introductory
set), but the same quality is also present in Chum Kiu and Biu Jee.
Siu Lim Tao presents the students with a set of movements. Unlike in
other Asian martial arts, these are not arranged into a mock battle or a
“shadow boxing” routine. There is no enemy to visualize when you are
doing the forms. Or if there is an “enemy” he would be incredibly
erratic.
Instead these forms read like reference books on
the basic structures used by the system. In Siu Lim Tao the new student
is introduced to the fighting zones, the basic punch, and then all of
the different ways that the arm can move as a variant of that one
punch. As Ip Ching has observed, in the introductory form one movement
comes after another, but there is no logical dependence of the second on
the first. There is no tactical reason to expect that the second
movement should always come next.
One way to think about Siu Lim Tao is as an
organizational system to help the student think more systematically
about the possibilities of human movement and how they might apply to
fighting. It is not random. It has its own logic, but it’s the same
sort of logic that one would encounter if you were to sit down and read
the dictionary.
Siu Lim Tao presents the new student with a
collection of basic movements that form the alphabet of Wing Chun. In
the next two forms students are shown how to string those letters
together into words and sentences. But the project remains somewhat
abstract. And as an abstract conversation about the nature of human
movement, it is also pretty universal.
All of this changes when a student approaches the
dummy. Different chapters of the dummy form display some variety in
their logic, but all of them have a tactical progression. In each case
there is a very specific reason that one movement follows the next. In
some instances the student reacts to an “attack” by the dummy, in others
he strings together movements into simple combinations or complex
patterns of entry and evasion. Whereas the early unarmed forms were
about establishing a language of movement, the dummy asks its
practitioner to begin to formulate these into more complex arguments
about the nature of fighting.
This has a definite impact on the attitude that one
must approach the dummy with. As Ip Ching and Heimberger have argued,
this form requires a high degree of mindfulness (see Ip Ching and Ron Heimberger. Mook Yan Jong Sum Fat. 2004
for what remains one of the best discussions of the Wing Chun wooden
dummy tradition). Rather than simply stringing the various movements
together in a choreographed routine, students must strive to “react”
instantly and naturally to the dummy’s actions. Only in this way can
you begin to build the correct power and intent into the various
sections of the form.
One of the areas where this becomes evident is in
the footwork and movement of the dummy set. This form cannot be
practiced from a static position. Instead different chapters require
students to move into, or away from, the dummy at various angles. One
must apply the lessons of Chum Kiu to move from one side of the dummy to
the other while still projecting power forward, into its core, rather
than just sliding across the arms. Vitally important is to learn how to
coordinate the hips and subtle shifts necessary to give the movements
their proper alignment, speed and power.
Of course all of these things should also be part
of chi sao. Students should be used to starting from “unbridged”
positions. They should be comfortable working on entry and kicking.
Yet, for a variety of reasons, this often doesn’t happen. A lot of chi
sao is somewhat static, focusing only a single range with limited
structures. This is often the case when working with students who are
still new to the system. The dummy forces the more advanced student to
integrate and apply various aspects of the system in new ways.
Of course Wing Chun is not the only southern art to
employ a wooden dummy. It is interesting to do a comparative study of
various Jong designs and how they reflect/facilitate the training forms
that have developed in conjunction with them. Choy Li Fut, which has
its own more mechanically complicated dummies, employs a number of
broad, sweeping, long distance punches. The
length of its Jong’s arms and the strategic placement of ricebags
allows for the forceful applications of these special techniques.
I don’t think it would be possible to approach a
Wing Chun dummy in quite the same way. One of the points that Ip Ching
has argued is that all of the movements in his father’s dummy form are
essentially reactive. They all suppose that the dummy has done
something, presenting the students with a question that he or she is
then forced to respond to. This closely mirrors the classic Chi Sao
strategy of establishing a solid structure and being sensitive to
mistakes or openings in your opponent’s actions that can be safely
exploited.
In short, much of the actual distinctive physical
culture of Wing Chun, from specific combinations and defensive
techniques, to broader questions of fundamental strategy, are
encapsulated and taught through the dummy form. Again, none of this
material should be totally new to the student. Each of these elements
will have likely been introduced somewhere else. And students will
spend a lot of time working the specific “lessons” or “applications” of
this form. But the dummy is unique in its ability to bring all of these
fundamental insights together in one place, while challenging students
to build a more complete understanding of the various aspects of their
art.
The Mook Yan Jong allows students to study,
practice and contemplate aspects of the Wing Chun system in a way that
is unique. It disciplines and amplifies the style’s approach to
combat. In some senses, the dummy form is where we move beyond the more
universal elements boxing and begin to contemplate Wing Chun’s specific
answers to the question of interpersonal violence.
“Embodiment” has become an important topic in the
academic study of the martial arts over the last ten years or so. These
fighting systems do seem to have a remarkable capacity to generate and
convey transformative understandings of the self from teacher to
student. Ethnographers have noted that much of this instruction happens
through non-verbal channels of physical culture, as individual
postures, energies and motions are conveyed from one generation to the
next.
Of course it is pretty much impossible to learn a
meaningful version of the dummy form without a teacher. Still, I have
always been struck by how large a percentage of Wing Chun’s theory is
actually taught and reinforced by this one unique training tool. For
advanced Wing Chun students it opens an avenue for solo exploration and
experimentation that is somewhat unique for a “sensitivity” based art.
Indeed, the image of the lone Wing Chun master, working with his dummy
for hours on end, has recently come to dominate the popular imagination.
Nor is this image wholly inaccurate. Once one
begins to “respond naturally” to the questions posed by the dummy, it is
pretty easy to lose an hour on free flowing experimentation and
improvisation.
