Is this dummy any good? As I get more into Wing Chun, I’m of course very interested in getting a wooden dummy, which is fairly important to any serious training.

The muk yang jong is designed to help practice technique, sensitivity, and positioning when working alone. In the olden days, these were buried in the ground. Later, they came to be mounted on a frame, which was great for indoor use. The unfortunate part of this is that they take a lot of room, so I’ve been curious about finding a free standing dummy.

I came across this site which sells a variety of dummies, including ones that are free standing. In that, they appear to be pretty unique. This free standing model looks like it’d be pretty awesome to use.

However, I’m wondering how such a dummy can remain in position, when striking it. Sure, it weighs like 150 pounds, but wouldn’t it move all over the place? The site claims that “these height adjustable freestanding dummies are very stable and cannot be tipped even with the strongest blows and kicks in a normal workout.”

Anyone tried these out? It looks like a good option for me, but at $600, I’m a little skeptical.

My sifu noted that with Chinese martial arts: “If you miss a day, you regress a week. If you miss a week, you regress a month. If you miss a month, you regress three months.” This was something he was told by his sifu, and he claims that non-Chinese styles are not like that. Since his background includes training in two different styles of Karate, Hung Gar, and Wing Chun, he has some means of comparison. With Wing Chun, the details are all in the subtleties, as well as in building contact reflexes, so I can see how that might be. I know that when I took a three week hiatus, it certainly felt like starting over.

Don’t take one step when two will do. In footwork, as in training, I often want to get from one place to another immediately, leaving myself open for attack. If I cut the movement into more steps, I can maintain my defense, while getting into a better position. Be aware of what you’re doing, break it into smaller parts, and don’t overextend — at that point, even the impossible becomes possible.

No, it’s not a strip club. It’s a martial arts supply store in Boston’s Chinatown, at 38 Kneeland Street. Go in, wander upstairs, and engage the owners in conversation. It’s fun!

I needed to pick up a pair of kung fu pants, so figured I should go check them out. They’d been highly recommended by various fellow students, as well as places online. They have the standard complement of martial arts accessories, albeit with a stronger focus on Chinese arts, as well as a rather impressive collection of martial arts texts.

The store appears to be affiliated with the Nam Pai Academy, which holds classes next door. Both soft and hard styles are practiced (Yang and Chen Tai Chi, Yi Chuan, and Hung Gar), so the staff is pretty knowledgeable. They certainly are friendly enough, and more than happy to discuss various aspects of martial arts and internal medicine.

I took some time to talk to one of the people there, and he discussed reflexology briefly with me. He demonstrated with a couple “magnetic soles”, which use pressure points and magnetic energy to improve bodily force. Was there a difference? Sure, I felt a difference. Was it convincing? Not entirely; I tend towards the skeptical, but I didn’t feel like asking, “let me try it this way or that way”. Besides, I know that he has a vested interest in getting more students for his school, so wouldn’t be surprised if he used a little exaggeration. Go there and give it a whirl and ask for details. They appear very open to discussion about it.

On the flip side, I did touch arms briefly with him, which Wing Chun practitioners know can tell you a good deal about someone intrinsically. To me he appeared skilled. No, I didn’t do chi sao or anything like that; contact is often enough to tell you a bit about how they move. (By the by, if that seems a little too mystical for you, I recommend you check out blink by Malcom Gladwell.)

I definitely like this place. There’s a good feel to it, they offer items with more of a Chinese flavor (rather than the standard Japanese and Korean-style focus), and they have a good knowledge of various arts. I’ll probably be visiting again, if only to browse through their library of books.

It’s surprising how unknown non-Yip Man style Wing Chun lineages really are. It’s not really argued that Yip Man broke Wing Chun to the public at large, so the fact that most styles originate from his lineage does follow. Considering I’m currently studying a non-Yip Man lineage, though, I was especially interested in details of the other styles. Yet, very little is typically known about other styles outside of Yip Man. That’s where Complete Wing Chun comes into play.

Robert Chu, Rene Ritchie, and Y. Wu, the authors, each were working on just that, when they realized they were all doing similar work at the same time. Through collaboration on the phone and the Internet, they produced this book, which is perhaps the most definitive guide to the different styles and histories of Wing Chun.

This book takes a fascinating look at a variety of different lineages — Yip Man lineages are just one chapter here. I can certainly appreciate the chapter on Gu Lao style, as well as the brief write-up of Pien San style, from which my training descends. If you’ve ever asked the question, “are there non-Yip Man lineages, and what are they?” this book will provide the answer.

The book stops short of making any definitive statements about the “true” history, leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions. I can appreciate this, with as much controversy as there is surrounding the histories each style presents. Was Yim Wing Chun a real person, or was she a creation to hide radicals? In the end, it’s left up to the reader to decide how they want to answer that question, or decide if it’s important to answer at all.

At times, this book can be repetitive, but that’s to be expected, because they treat each lineage separately. Since Wing Chun shares a common background, albeit passed in differently by different teachers, there’s bound to be a lot of crossover when it comes to the history. However, it’s the differences that really make for fascinating reading. Regardless of the early history, the later history (which seems to be reasonably accurate) also provides an interesting look at the main figures and events of other styles.

Yet, the title seems somehow misleading. While this is perhaps the most extensive and complete compendium of information on different styles, it also brings up the point that it’s probably impossible to provide a truly complete resource. How many other lineages are still to be found in mainland China? How many lineages just died off altogether?

This book provides the best descriptive and historical research available on Wing Chun, and is highly recommended to anyone curious about other styles. No holier than thou attitudes here; just good, honest research and a wealth of information.