Mook Yan Jong (wing chun wooden dummy)

Looks awesome. So you started from square lumber and made it round? How did you do that? What’s the idea with those two upper “limbs” with the offset tenons? They are really intriguing. Is the arrangement totally traditional? Looks too good to kick, if that’s what you do! Thanks for posting the project.

-- Dave, Christchurch NZ

That is incredible.
I remember them in the films but did not pay much attention to the detail.

Your detail and finish is great.
Jamie

-- Who is the happiest of men? He who values the merits of others, and in their pleasure takes joy, even as though 'twere his own. --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Hey Scott,
Nice job and sweet finish…well done.

Looks awesome. I always loved watching Bruce Lee and others use these. Most recently, they made a movie, Grand Master Ip Man, starring Danny Yen. Awesome movie, although its not entirely accurate to Ip Man’s life you get a sense of who he was as a person and the troubles he had to deal with. Ip Man was a consultant to the movie and Danny Yen did spend time living with Ip Man to learn his mannerisms.

-- - Eric Indianapolis, IN

What do you do with it?

-- Homer : "Oh, and how is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain."

Old video of Ip Man himself training with one. Ip Man was a mentor of Bruce Lee’s.

-- - Eric Indianapolis, IN

Great job! what a nice finish you put on that.

-- Paul "Riz" Erie, PA "Share your wisdom, it is the way to achieve immortality"

Awesome…I’ve been thinking of making my own dummy for some time. I can’t remember the form, though.

For those who are a little confused by the device. It is a training device to practice blocks and punches. Yip Man is the person who brought Wing Chun out of a family passed on instruction and brought it to the masses. He did indeed teach Buce Lee. What Bruce Lee did in the movies is not Wing Chun, though it has nuances of it. Wing Chun is too subtle and small for blockbuster movies.

The two limbs up top represent high punches. The limb in the middle is a low gut punch. The leg below is a kick. The mortises are all very loose. The limbs rattle around in the pockets. The tip of each limb will move a couple of inches. The idea is that you do not need to block a punch 3 feet to the side. 1 inch will do. If one puts a lot of energy into blocking something a long ways away, he gets out of balance. The dummy reinforces blocking just far enough. When the limb stops moving, we need to stop applying energy. Sorry, hard to explain, but that is a good start.

Yip Man->Yip Ching->Simon Lau->Phillip Nearing->David Jeglum-> Me.

Rick

Fantastic! The mortises look phenomenal… it is so shiny and new; don’t beat on it too much!

-- GX

Thanks for the compliments everyone. I appreciate your remarks.

-- " 'woodworker'.....it's a good word, an honest word." - Sam Maloof

I like the finish. Can you tell me what it is? I would like to try apply it to my mook jong. The finish looks like Minwax Gunstock.

What kind of lamination technique did you use? Are the boards simply flat-stacked, or did you “wrap around a core? I’m looking at making my own, and yours is the best I’ve seen.

-- Robert - Visit my woodworking blog: http://littlegoodpieces.wordpress.com

Please send a private message for inquiries on the Mook. This post is not the place to do so.

Thanks.

-- " 'woodworker'.....it's a good word, an honest word." - Sam Maloof

This is just amazing. Would love to have a dummy that nice!