I've been doing my wooden dummy drill for around two weeks now, maybe even three weeks. I practise Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays in the evening and Saturdays in the morning for about 20 minutes each time. I have noticed some developments, and there are two main ones:
- my footwork has improved. I'm instinctively moving my feet around the dummy's leg now, whereas when I first started I had to clumsily - and slowly - step around the leg. Now it just comes automatically when I move left to face, face to right and back again. Result!
- my footwork is better coordinated with my strikes now, meaning that, for example, I can move from left to face and strike at the same time. This is a great breakthrough for me. I'm stepping and striking at the same time, which is obviously better than clunkily stepping into place and then striking. Will this mean I can manoeuvre around my partner better in chi sau? I'll let you know. I've got a class tomorrow, but I haven't chi saued for three weeks, so the results will be a little clouded my my lack of training.
- strikes are more fluid and continuous. This is what I designed this wooden dummy drill for, so mission accomplished (to a certain extent anyway). I can see that further improvements are necessary, of course, and I don't doubt that they will be made with more practice.
- the tight pak/punch combination is becoming easier (see step 5 in the wooden dummy drill). I know it's coming so I'm position myself better for it.
- there is more precision in my strikes.
Looks like I miscounted.
The improvements above are only means to an end, though. They're meaningless if they don't translate into better performance during chi sau. And chi sau itself is meaningless if it doesn't translate into a better chance of defending myself on the street. But that's another matter.
Honestly, my wooden dummy has been one of the most fruitful investments I've made and I'd recommend that anyone serious about improving their Wing Chun should buy one, funds allowing. In the absence of a clone of myself to chi sau with, the wooden dummy is an excellent substitute. Ideally, I'd like to clone myself and practise on the dummy. Over to your professor Hawking. Could you make the clone better looking, though? Actually, I couldn't do with the competition... Just make him better at Wing Chun.
When time permits, I'm going to break down the "rules" for freestyling on the dummy. I think if I can understand just what I can and can't do to the dummy from any particular position in relation to it, that will help. For example, if I'm on the left of the dummy at 45 degrees to it with right leg forwards and right tan on the left dummy arm, what are my options: 1) right laap/left chop or 2) left pak/right punch or 3) right palm strike/left wu sau or 4) right kick etc. If I can drill all possible options from random positions, that will help improve spontaneous action.
I'll post something about freestyling on the dummy soon.










