Muk Yan Jong ~ translates as 'wood man stake', but is usually referred to as the wooden dummy or the Jong

The Wing Chun Wooden Dummy allegedly originated from the Siu Lam (Shaolin) monastery of Mt. Sung in the Honan province of China, where it is said that there was a hall or corridor of dummies through which the Shaolin Monks must pass. These dummies had moveable arms and legs, controlled by the monks, which were used to test the skills of the departing monks before leaving the temple. This became known as 'wooden dummy alley'. Whether this is true or not has been lost over time, what is known is that originally the Wing Chun dummy was a long stake partly buried in the ground (Dei Jong). Sometimes referred to as a 'dead' or fixed dummy, this type of dummy hardly moves and it can still be seen in use in Fatshan in the Guangdung Province of China. When the Late Wing Chun Grandmaster Yip Man moved to Hong Kong 1949 and started to teach Wing Chun there, it was impractical in the modern high-rise apartment blocks to use a stake in the ground, so the dummy was fixed onto a timber frame, stood on the floor and fixed back to a solid wall. Known as the 'live' dummy, this provides some degree of movement when force is applied to it due to flexing in the horizontal struts on which it is supported. This flexing reduces the risk of impact injury (though the dummy is not for hitting) through forceful contact and returns some of that force back into the practitioner, testing their stance and arm structure.

In the dummy form taught by Wing Chun's Grandmaster Yip Man, and practiced by the majority of Wing Chun practitioners, there are 116 movements in the form. Originally there were 140 movements, but the grandmaster consolidated them first to 108, a number considered lucky in Chinese culture, then later he increased the number of techniques to 116 to include 16 training techniques for kicks and leg usage. The dummy form consists of a systematic set of movements and techniques which utilise the essential movements, positions and structure of the Wing Chun system and combine the most advanced parts of all the empty hand forms of the system. The advantages and benefits of correctly and intelligently training on the wooden dummy are numerous. The dummy will develop and improve the shape, structure and position of the Wing Chun techniques, develop better mobility through proper footwork, refine the correct application of elbow energy, instill a greater understanding of the correct distance and body positioning and enhance the ability to flow between techniques. Footwork is improved by stepping in, out and around around the leg of the dummy.

Since Wing Chun does not fight force with force, this aspect of the footwork training is an essential ingredient to avoiding an opponents force and momentum, whilst obtaining an advantageous position. It is often said that the dummy acts like a protractor in that it defines the correct and optimum angles of attack and defence through correct body positioning and distance. Speed is developed through familiarity of the techniques and the practice of flowing smoothly between the techniques. It is important to stick to the dummies arms as much as possible and not to retract the hands and crash onto the dummy harms with force. Diligence and patience are the prerequisites of dummy training; through correct practice and understanding the dummy enables the practitioner develop an appreciation of the correct angles required to apply techniques successfully - if the technique feels awkward then angle and body position need to be adjusted.