The Muk Yan Jong (木人樁; pinyin: mùrénzhuāng; Yale Cantonese: muk6 yan4 jong1; literally “wooden man post”) is a wooden dummy used in Chinese martial arts training. It is associated with the martial art of Wing Chun and other Kung Fu styles of Southern China.
The muk yan jong has three arms and one leg, which represents an opponent’s body in various positions. The wooden slats on which the muk yan jong is traditionally mounted have a springiness that is similar to a human opponent’s involuntary reaction and allows the user to practice absorbing energy into his stance.
Practicing with the muk yan jong should involve the use of the whole body. All of the principles evident in the three Wing Chun routines should also be evident in muk yan jong practice.
Traditionally made from wood, the muk yan jong can now be made from steel and plastic. No matter what material is used, it is still called a “wooden man post.”
We’ve included here blueprints for wing chun dummies that were contributed by Sifus. You will notice that no two lineages, even under Yip Man, use the exact same specs. This is one reason Everything Wing Chun and MasterPath researched many wooden dummy blueprints before coming up with a standardized set of measurements for their dummies. If you would like to buy a dummy, or wooden dummy arms or legs, we recommend working with Everything Wing Chun to do so. They are very knowledgeable in this area. (Visit their dummy page here: http://www.everythingwingchun.com/wooden-dummies-mook-yan-jong-s/33.htm).
Here are some free dummy blueprints you can paruse to get an idea of how to make your own. Keep in mind these blueprints are copyrighted are shared for your refernece only.:
Blueprints from Duncan Leung
Blueprints from Ray Van Raamsdonk
Blueprints from Ip Ching’s WCKFA
Blueprints from John Wahnish
