According to Wing Chun legend, the Wing Chun Mok Yun Jong or Wooden Dummy was based on the legendary 108 Wooden Men in the Shaolin Temple. Each of one of the 108 Wooden Men taught a specific technique. After the destruction of the temple by the Manchus, Nun Ng Mui created a single Mook Yun Jong (Wooden Dummy) in memory of 108 Wooden Men at the Shaolin Temple. The wooden dummy we have today was based on specifications set by Yip Man.
The wooden dummy is a critical part of the Wing Chun (Ving Tsun) system. So much, that it can be considered the ’symbol’ most closely associated with the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun. The ‘Mok Jong’ is the incorporation of the three empty hand forms (Sil Nim Tao, Chum Kiu & Bil Tze) along with introducing techniques found only in the Dummy Set.
Many of the Wing Chun families believe that the Wooden Dummy is for conditioning the arms, and as such they turn the Mok Yun Jong into a striking tool. In the Moy Yat – Nelson Chan line, we believe that ‘the Jong’ is not meant for toughening the arms, but that conditioning of the arms is just a byproduct of training. at the Neworld Martial Arts Centre. This form will teach the student that through the use of the Wooden Dummy a student will learn:
- Proper Footwork
- Proper angles
- Proper power focus
- Proper alignments & structure
- Proper facing
- Technique Flowing
- Sticking