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Immortal USA Synthetic Muk Jong
A
Product Review by Phil Elmore with Sifu Anthony Iglesias
Sifu Anthony Iglesias of the
Syracuse Wing Chun
Academy recently drove to Delaware from Central New York. The trip
was an important one, as he was to see for the first time and bring home
with him one of
Immortal USA‘s Muk Jong units.
Immortal USA Muk Jong (left) and traditional wooden
dummy.
Immortal and the Syracuse Wing Chun academy are now working
together to bring these “wooden” dummies to the public in the Central New York
area. Sifu Iglesias is filming a product video to go with Immortal’s
Muk Jong, in which he demonstrates different aspects of using this
invaluable Wing Chun training tool.
Sifu Anthony Iglesias (center) instructs students in
Wing Chun Kung Fu.
The Muk Jong is used in several different Kung Fu styles but
is closely associated with Wing Chun. It is the means through which Wing
Chun practitioners perfect the angles of their techniques. While a
limited amount of conditioning can also be done using the “wooden dummy,” any
practitioner who boasts of regularly breaking the arms from his Muk Jong is
violating Wing Chun principles and generally ignorant of how the style is
trained.
Traditional “wooden dummy” forms involves a lot of moving in
and around the dummy, striking its arms and kicking its leg while adjusting
the angles of one’s blocking, striking, and hooking movements. A good
dummy has a tone that is unmistakable when it is repeatedly struck. It
sounds almost like a wooden chime being played.
Sifu Anthony Iglesias works with a traditional wood
Muk Jong.
Immortal USA’s synthetic Muk Jong is made of recycled
materials and is very heavy. The base is deceptively stable, providing a
solid platform against which the body of the Muk Jong can give while
remaining in position. It is textured almost like rough wood and has a
pleasing tactile quality despite its plastic appearance.
The Immortal Muk Jong immediately
had the author wishing he could buy
one, even at ~900 USD.
Sifu Iglesias described his initial impression of the dummy
to The Martialist’s publisher.
“I started to inspect the dummy,” he said, “and gave it a
few whacks here and there. It seemed like this thing could take a full hit
from a baseball bat and not suffer any damage.”
Working different forms with the Immortal Muk Jong,
Sifu Iglesias concluded that he liked it a lot. The waterproof,
warp-proof construction is a big plus, he explained to me. You can do
things with this dummy that you would not do with a traditional wooden Muk
Jong, such as storing it outside.
This picture of Yip Man, venerated Wing Chun
master, adorns the SWCA training hall.
“As much as I like it,” he pointed out, “there are a few
things I’d change. I wish it was adjustable for height,
because as a smaller guy I find it a little tall for my taste. The body
also seems a little thin; the standard wooden dummy is nine inches
thick, while this one is six. I also think the arms are a little on the
short side. They’re supposed to be roughly the size of a man’s forearm
and aren’t quite that long. I was still able to work with them, though.”
Another instructor who works closely with Syracuse Wing Chun Academy, Sifu Bob
Maucher, put the Immortal Dummy
through its paces on a
recent evening at the school. The pleasant tone of the dummy, surprising
from a synthetic piece of equipment, rang through the training area.
Sifu Bob Maucher works with the Immortal Muk Jong.
“The truth is,” Sifu Iglesias said, “for about $899 plus
shipping and handling you can get a damn good dummy that is guaranteed for
life and can be placed virtually anywhere.”
That’s an offer most Wing Chun
practitioners will find hard to refuse.