Wooden Dummy Plans

These were some wooden dummy plans I used in 1982 to build my first wooden dummy. The original Wing Chun wooden dummy was just a log stuck into a square hole in the ground and that idea was what I used first. We all just got logs from the beach and built our own wooden dummies that way. Later I ordered a Teak wooden dummy from Hong Kong. The price was $200 Canadian dollars. However by the time it got shipped to my house it cost me $800 but it was a very good wooden dummy. These days there are many plans around and also videos to show how to make these dummies. Ideally they should be tailored to a student’s size. But if you have a lot of kinds of students that may not be practical for a smaller club. So hence everyone should have their own.

Here is my main teacher Dr. G.K. Khoe who was a student of Master Wang Kiu in Holland. Wang Kiu was a private students of Ip Man (Yip Man) but later moved to Holland to teach. Both have passed away (R.I.P.) The photo is when he came to Victoria from Vancouver to teach my basement group Wing Chun. Everyone was very impressed with his skill and his teaching methods.

This plan was the wooden dummy plan from one of my fellow members at the University of British Columbia Wing Chun club. what is hard to see from these diagrams is the exact feel the dummy should have. It should not have too loose a feel but it should not have too tight a feel. A good wooden dummy makes you feel like using the dummy everyday. It is like having a good musical instrument. If you have a cheap guitar or a cheap piano or cheap violin, then you will never feel like practicing on these cheap instruments. Investing in a good dummy is important for anyone serious about Wing Chun.

One of our female members Bev Ripley in the early 1990’s made a couple of wooden dummies for our club. I was impressed with her wood working skill. She was a medical professional.

Here is a nice dummy design for kids. This 8 year old girl is an internet sensation on Instagram.