Muk Yan Jong
| Mu ren zhuang | |||||||||||
| Chinese | 木人樁 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Literal meaning | "wooden man post" | ||||||||||
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| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | mù rén zhuāng |
| Yue: Cantonese | |
| Yale Romanization | muk6 yan4 jong1 |
Muk Yan Jong (Cantonese: muk yan jong/Mandarin: mu ren zhuang) 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. Traditionally made from wood, the dummies are now also made from synthetic materials such as steel and plastic.
The Wing Chun wooden dummy is the most popular form of wooden dummy. A popular legend says it came about when 108 separate wooden dummies from the Shaolin Temple were combined into one by the nun Ng Mui to make training more efficient and effective. The Wing Chun wooden dummy uses an arm and leg configuration designed to cultivate fighting skill and chi simultaneously. The Hong Kong wooden dummy is a wall mounted version of the Wing Chun Wooden Dummy that hangs using two wooden slats through the body of the wooden dummy. Older versions of the Wing Chun wooden dummy were originally placed in the ground. The modern design was created by Yip Man in Hong Kong to fit the needs of living in an apartment. The Wing Chun version of the muk yan jong has three arms and one leg, which represents an opponent's body in various positions and the lines of force the body can give out. The wooden slats on which the muk yan jong is mounted has a springiness that is similar to a human opponent's involuntary reaction and allows the user to practice absorbing energy into his/her stance. Due to this springiness, this type of dummy is considered an "alive" dummy. Therefore, the older version of the dummy without mounting is commonly called a "dead" dummy.
Bruce Lee, a student of Yip Man, had also made and modified a Wing Chun wooden dummy for his martial arts philosophy of Jeet Kune Do which had a modified neck and a metal leg. Many of the principles of Wing Chun are central to Jeet Kune Do.
Ching Jong (balanced dummy) has a different orientation to the arms more suited to Choy Lee Fut style's arm motions. In this version, the single top arm, protruding straight out from the front, moves up and down, anchored traditionally with a rope and heavy weight (the origin of the namesake) and anchored with a spring to the rear in modern times. Furthermore, the two middle arms now protrude outward in a "V", and also an additional lower arm that can be substitute with a traditional Wing Chun dummy's leg. Also, sandbags are mounted on the front and sides, which are struck for hand and finger conditioning, similar to makiwara.
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