The Ching Jong dummy is a must have for any serious and dedicated choy li fut practitioner. 
“The Ching Jong dummy will never get sore, bruised or tired, nor will it ever complain.”
Chan Heung was born in 1806. His kung-fu training started shortly thereafter under uncle Chan Yuen Woo’s watchful eye. Over the next 23 years he learned both northern and southern kung-fu styles. After thoroughly digesting the information, he created choy li fut in 1836. The name itself is a tribute to his teachers Choy Fook and Li Yau San. Fut is a Chinese term that means Buddha.
During his martial career Chan Heung needed a way to accelerate training while simultaneously conditioning his body. This is when the Ching Jong wooden dummy was needed. The oldest and most synonymous supplement known to choy li fut is the Ching Jong, more commonly known as the wooden dummy. Making it one of the system’s signature trademarks is a solid square body and movable upper arm.
Adopting the Name
In Cantonese, the name Ching Jong simply means, “balance scale”. These are small hand-held scales typically used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to weigh and measure herbs.
The large pivoting upper arm of the dummy travels all the way through the square body and protrudes out the backside. Weights, springs or bands attached to this portion of the arm allow the practitioner to push or pull down on the arm with resistance. This up-and-down motion abstractly mimics the movement of the balance scale, which is where the dummy gets its name “Ching Jong”.
Benefits of Use
With today’s busy lifestyle and relentless schedule, supplementing with the Ching Jong dummy has never been so important. It will be there anytime you are ready to train—late nights and early mornings are never an issue. The Ching Jong dummy will never get sore, bruised or tired, nor will it ever complain. It is a patient instructor and the lessons taught are only limited by the practitioner’s drive to learn them. Training dummies take up little space and can be placed almost anywhere. For additional convenience they can even be mounted on a movable base or platform. This is a must have for any serious and dedicated choy li fut practitioner.
The Theory of Attack
Choy li fut stylists do not initiate the first attack, but they do strike first. At first glance this statement may seem to be a little confusing but a closer inspection sheds light on the theory. When an assailant throws an attack, we either hit him first or block and strike simultaneously, voiding his initial attack. Choy li fut students first learn to be defensive. During the next tier of training, practitioners train both in the defensive and offensive aspects of the art.
This may sound counter-intuitive but choy li fut are offensive in defending themselves. At this level of mastery, blocks effortlessly become strikes and strikes become blocks. This is where the arms and legs of the choy li fut dummy come into play. We use them for blocking while simultaneously striking the bags with pinpoint accuracy and devastating power. Footwork becomes key as the practitioner constantly puts his body into the ideal position to deliver his strike with maximum power and minimal effort.
The Fit
Practicing with a dummy close to your own size is a convenience not to be overlooked. It’s like sparring or fighting a person who is the same height and has the same reach as you. A good martial artist should be able to adapt to any situation or adversary. Ching Jong dummy training is no different. However, having a dummy built to the correct specifications will make understanding complex choy li fut techniques and movements of application much more accessible.
Keep in mind that your training does not stop there, nor does this replace human partners, forms or equipment. The Ching Jong dummy is only a supplement to your current training. This concept is similar to taking vitamins; they do not replace food or meals, but only serve to complement what you are already consuming.
Building a Dummy
Start with an eight-inch square piece of hardwood about your height. Hardwoods will wear slower and over a lifetime of use will be less apt to break or fracture. Choy li fut exclusively uses a square body Ching Jong dummy whereas round-bodied dummies are typically used in different martial art styles and systems. Securing two pieces of wood together that measure 4” x 8” will be the easier route; 8” x 8” stock is typically difficult to find.
The movable upper arm has a pivot point that will align with your shoulder. This arm protrudes upward toward the practitioner’s nose level. Traditionally, this arm returned to its rest position with the use of weights. More recently, practitioners switched them out for heavy-duty springs or bands for a more positive feel and a much faster snap-back. This upgrade proves most beneficial when practicing at full speed.
The double arms will line up with your naval area. The lower bag is located at groin height; below this bag is the lower leg. All four appendages extend to the same plane as shown in the accompanying photos. This plane will dictate the angles for both the upper arm and lower leg. The two middle arms and the top spindle all run parallel to the floor.
Note: The end of the arms and legs that run into or through the body are square, whereas the forward protruding section that interacts with the practitioner is rounded over much like a human arm or leg would be.
The striking bags measure approximately 7” x 7”. They are typically filled with dry mung beans, plastic pellets or sand. Avoid using metal shavings or lead pellets, because over time small quantities can leech out of the bag and into your skin, creating a potentially toxic situation. The bag’s outer skin is most commonly made of canvas, leather or any other durable material. Avoid mounting the bags with external hardware like screws or bolts as they can be in the way while practicing.
Refer to the sizing photo for further clarifications as to how the Ching Jong measurements and angles are to be calculated. You can see that they are in alignment with the face, shoulder, groin and overall height of the practitioner. The reach of the upper arm, the two mid-arms and the leg all extend out to the same plain.
Layers
Striking the dummy has a multitude of benefits, including body conditioning and overall mental toughness. For over a century, choy li fut students have needed to deliver a powerful strike without injuring themselves in the process. Daily training on the Ching Jong will do just that. Start with light but constant impact, maybe 10 minutes per day. In about three months the practitioner can increase striking impact and session duration to 20 minutes per day. In time, the practitioner’s fingers, hands, wrists, forearms, knees, shins, ankles and feet will get tougher and tougher while their bones, muscles and skin will grow more dense and stronger. Take your time; this is a methodical process that should not be rushed. Bruises, broken bones and damaged skin will slow down the conditioning process, because the body needs to fully heal before training can resume.
30,000 and Counting
Before you build or buy a Ching Jong, consider this: it is one of choy li fut’s treasured secrets. Chan Heung only taught this form to his sons and immediate students. To this day, this form is typically reserved for high-ranking and extremely dedicated students. The Plum Blossom Federation has more than 200 schools in 33 countries with over 30,000 students worldwide. With that said only a handful of practitioners per school know this very, very special form. The lesson here is quite simple—patience and perseverance will be your everlasting martial goal.
Secrets Relieved
One must learn to walk before he can run; dummy training should be viewed the same way. A student must learn stances, footwork, punches, blocks and kicks, along with distance, timing and rhythm before progressing to the wooden dummy. These skills are not necessarily developed on the dummy. Speed and power will be honed during the latter part of dummy training. If one skips straight to dummy training before these basic skills are secured, no significant advantage will be gained. To paraphrase a wise master, “Take your time. Learning is like a piece of fruit ripening on the vine. Be patient. There is nothing you can do that will speed up the natural process.”
The Ching Jong dummy shown in accompanying photos was custom built by the Eastern Ways Martial Arts School of California and was presented to grandmaster Doc-Fai Wong in 2006. The second is an antique Ching Jong dummy with years and years of use still left in it. Both are staples in the Doc-Fai Wong Center and are used daily.
Bio
Shawn Thomas Kunkler is a full-time instructor and program director of the Doc-Fai Wong Martial Arts Center, which is the International Plum Blossom Federation Headquarter School, located in Northern California. For more information visit www.plumblossom.net
Written by Shawn Thomas Kunkler
