Make Your Own Wooden Dummy

Mook Yan Jong - literally translates "wood man post", but is generally called a "wooden dummy" in English, or "mook jong" for short. The dummy consists of a trunk, called the body, with two upper arms, a lower arm and one leg, suspended on a framework by two crosspieces.


The wooden dummy is most commonly used in the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun (known as the type of kung fu Bruce Lee practiced) as well as other martial arts. Although there are other versions, the Wing Chun wooden dummy is without a doubt the most popular form of a wooden dummy. 

Make no mistake, you can make your own wooden dummy. I made my first wooden dummy many years ago with my Wing Chun teacher's guidance. I found a piece of a cut-down wooden light pole, drilled some holes, made some arms and hung it on a couple of posts in my back yard.

Here are wooden dummy specifications: 






NOTE: I highly recommend seeking a qualified Wing Chun instructor to show you the subtle details of the wooden dummy. Its not just about the movements. As simple as the movements may look to imitate, you are doing yourself an injustice by not understanding the deeper energies related to training on the wooden dummy. 

Images: springtimesong.com. Sifu Adam Williss is an Orange County, California-based martial artist / teacher. He is the founder of The Dragon Institute Orange County Wing Chun.