Wooden Man Training-Traditional Training Part 2- An Article by Mr Russell Suthern Chief Instructor WCMA

Another favourite training tool of WCMA is the Wooden Man. I can still remember watching old Jackie Chan movies years ago and being amazed at the speed of his movements and the rat-a-tat of his arms crashing against the wood.

It is a common misconception that Wing Chun is the only style that uses a Wooden Man. My research has shown that many different styles use a wide variety of Wooden Men in their training.

The White Crane Wooden Man is free standing and can swivel on its base. This means the practitioner can move around the dummy as well as moving the dummy from side to side, which creates a more natural movement.

The practitioner should start with soft, Suang Yang style movements, performing set block and strike routines, slowly building the speed, power and complexity of the moves until they are being performed at full fighting speed and power. At first it seems quite awkward to use the Wooden Man, but like anything consistent practice yields tremendous results. Once familiarity is achieved, this kind of practice can give a fantastic work out, providing technique and skill training along with stamina and conditioning work.

The Wooden Man has several advantages compared to training with a live partner. You can’t hurt the Wooden Man and it will never get tired, give up and go home for a cup of tea!

As I have mentioned before, using the Wooden Man, gives me a real connection with the Masters of Old. Everyone today is trying to reinvent the wheel, but sometimes you just can’t beat the Old School!

[Check out gallery section of Website for more Wooden Man Pics]

Mr Russell Suthern

Chief Instructor

WCMA