I asked this question in my other thread, but I think this is too specific and needs a thread of it’s own…
I searched all around for wooden dummies on the internet and came up with a few that LOOKED like they were high quality and a reasonable price… However, I noticed the SAME pictures are used on multiple wooden dummy sites, but are said to be made of much different wood… so apparently what I see on some sites may be much different from the actual product.
Does anyone know of a good place to get wooden dummies from?
Has anyone gotten a really poorly made wooden dummy from anyone?
What kind of wood is the best for dummies?
It looks like www.woodendummy.net has the best deal for the quality… Has anyone gotten a wooden dummy from them, and are they happy with the craftmanship?
What kind of stand would be the best to get?
I plan to spend under 1000 dollars if possible…
Also, I noticed alot of woodendummy makers include METAL legs with the option to made it wood for 50 dollars more. Is the metal a better idea? Or would a standard wood leg be just as durable?
Thanks alot… I’m considering getting a wooden dummy as I feel it will help with my training since I can’t practice at the WC school too often because of distance… Also, I’m sure that if I quit wing chun some day that the dummy would still be useful for other martial arts as well, though I plan on doing WC for awhile :).
I guess you’re in America? I’m in Australia, so can only comment on general stuff, not anything specific to American dummies.
I don’t know all the different stands that are available, other than stands that you put up against a wall (free-standing ones and ones bolted to the wall) and ones you put in a corner. Apart from choosing a well-built one, the main criterion for selection is where you’re going to keep/mount your dummy.
My dummy has a wooden leg and I like it, but I guess metal ones should be OK - it’s a matter of personal preference.
I think the Wing Chun dummy’s designed specifically for Wing Chun and wouldn’t be much use for other martial arts, so that’s a good reason to stick with Wing Chun for the rest of your life!
do a search there’s been a few good threads about this subject in the past with ppl posting links to good net dummy stores
i’m curious as to why you are looking now when you just began wing chun. Does your teacher teach dummy rountines already?
Wood versus metal depends on what you can take. In the stances you’ll be (if you do this correctly) making contact to the “leg”. For me I like the look and feel of wood better.
Dave Lidell at Arizona Wing Chun Supplies in the Phoenix metro
makes very good custom made dummies with choice hardwoods.
His website is down but I can forward inquiries to him.
Carina ( akung fu sister) in Oracle outside of Tucson also makes very good dummies. Her outfit is Little Raven Studios. She also makes very good wooden bot jam dos for practice.
It is good to think of the long run. Lots of dummies are badly made- also many begin to show cracks if people dont know their woods relative to climates including humidity.
I plan on getting a wooden dummy some time in the near future because I feel that 8 months is long enough for me to realize that I want to stick with Wing Chun for awhile and because I can’t always go to my WC school too often because of distance, so a wooden dummy would be a great training tool in my opinion.
Also, wooden dummies are probably only getting more expensive, so even if I can’t use one right this second than it is still worthwhile to get.
So far my teacher has taught me moves to practice on a dummy but not actual dummy forms.
"Dave Lidell at Arizona Wing Chun Supplies in the Phoenix metro
makes very good custom made dummies with choice hardwoods.
His website is down but I can forward inquiries to him.
Carina ( akung fu sister) in Oracle outside of Tucson also makes very good dummies. Her outfit is Little Raven Studios. She also makes very good wooden bot jam dos for practice.
It is good to think of the long run. Lots of dummies are badly made- also many begin to show cracks if people dont know their woods relative to climates including humidity."
Do you know what an average wooden dummy mounted to a wall would cost from either person? Someone I know will be in Phoenix later this month, so he could check out the dummies first hand if the craftsman has them on display. I’d really like to know how much they charge though, since I can’t really afford a dummy over 1200… And it looks like I can get a pretty nice dummy from www.woodendummy.net for under 900.
I still want to look at the possiblities before I decide on one of their dummies though…
I’m searching through wooden dummy threads as I speak… so far I’ve only found 1 result out of two hundred that match what I’m looking for though :p.
I don’t particularly like the PVC wooden dummy idea, and from what I hear wooden main bodies are better for developing proper sense of how much power you need to apply…
Sorry about that keep looking. If I have the time I"ll try to find it for you…they are there somewhere…
Yes that would be correct. The wood helps you hear your hit. Helps you judge the power and ging. Helps you hear if your strikes are simultaneous when they are supposed to be or a double hit if you messed up. However what’s to say that PVC cannot do that as well? Main thing is you can still train your positioning, stances, arms, flow, etc
It may be much cheaper than ordeing a big heavy wood trunk to be shipped, or going elsewhere and transporting it back
Try not to spend more than $1000 if you can on a dummy. Too bad you do not live in Can. Our dummies are less than that and in Can funds too! Really good quality over her as well…Sunny Tang makes some great stuff though you still need to make your own frames and slats. High quality rosewood and cherrywoods go for 1000-1200 and cheapr woods for 500-800.
Other ppl I know sell and includes frame and installation for $500. Other sell the dumy with arms and leg for a crazy $150-200. Very useable only cheap finish.
I decided to purchase a dummy from www.thewarrior.com and have never for a minute regretted my decision. A little about the dummy I purchased:
First, I purchased the “traditional” dummy from this company. They offer quite a few more models but, I felt the “traditional” one was best for me. This dummy sits on a triangular base that can be filled with either sand or water for stability. It has wooden arms and leg and a PVC body. The PVC body is nice because it is covered with a 1/4 inch, or less, foam padding and then covered with a very durable canvas cover. More than likely the canvas is marine grade.
Here are my likes on the dummy:
I can hit it with as much power as I want.
Because it is free standing and not wall mounted, it takes up VERY little storage space.
It moves and feels like a traditional wooden dummy.
It cost me $700 U.S.
Here are my dislikes on the dummy. (Just barely worth a mention IMO)
The body is slightly smaller in diameter than a traditional wooden dummy.
If hit too hard, the body/base can slide a little.
Again, my dislikes are so slight that it wouldn’t hold me back from recomending one of these. (FYI I solved the sliding action by putting an extra sandbag on the base)
That’s my two cents. I’m VERY happy with this dummy and I hope you have the same success in finding the right dummy for you.
the pics are too dark to make out but it seems as if the triangle part protrudes past the base of the dummy’s PVC body thereby blocking one from using the entering stance by the leg.
More than likely due to stylistic differences, I’m not entirely sure of what this approach entails. However I will attempt to answer your question with this statement.
If I am facing the dummy head on and call that 0 degrees, I can essentially move 135-140 degrees around the perimiter of the dummy, both ways, before I run into the base of the dummy. So in essence, out of a full 360 degrees I am losing about 80-90 degrees in the BACK of the dummy because of the base.
Hopefully that answered your question. If not, post again and let me know.
This is a big mistake people do and end up paying for it. Do research. Do ask for many opinions! Think about the type of wood. Do you want a solid body or a body that is glued together? Do you want a PVC dummy? Think about the size of the dummy! This is very important! Especially the stand and the dimensions of the body, arms, and the leg. There are many types of stand with various sizes. Think about the space that you have available for the stance.
My Sifu has a PVC and it works great! He is no ordinary Sifu either! That’s another story… Anyway that’s Bull about the feeling of correct power on the wood! People would tell you unproven stories to
sell you something! To make money!
Don’t believe what people tell you! See it for yourself! I purchased an excellent affordable wooden dummy from Lion Heart. It’ s made out of the wood they use in bowling alleys. If you can find them, check them out! Their dummys sell themselves! Anyway don’t look down on the PVC.
Before you buy from Great lion make sure you look else where. I met 2 individuals that where not that happy with their products. However there might be many who are happy? So just don’t rush it! Good Luck with your searching! I hope in the end that you are Happy! Remember the dummy will be your second wife!
I don’t plan on rushing into it, hence the thread :). I probably won’t be buying one for a few months at least.
I’m asking for as many opinions as possible about the dummies that people currently have. I’ve seen good opinions about great lion dummies aswell. I thought alot of people on this board would have a dummy though… I’d appreciate it if some of them state a quick opinion about the dummy they have and where they got it from :).
I will search around for the lion heart dummies… do they have a website?
I prefer the look and feel of real wood… And from the prices I’ve checked out PVC dummies are NOT that much cheaper.
I feel compelled to explain what I meant about hitting the dummy with power and what I use the dummy to train for so I don’t mislead you. Especially if you are only eight months into WT,WC,VT.
I use the wooden dummy to mainly train my angles, position, and transitions through both. I DO NOT use the wooden dummy to increase or train power by hitting it as hard as I can all the time. To me this is an incorrect way to train the dummy. I am a firm believer of the Force=mass x acceleration theory in regards to developing power. ( My alter ego serves as an Electronics Engineer by day. )
There is a good thread going on right now about this called:
“Concern about the power (or lack of) in WC punches”
And I think “Marky” does a good job of explaining this in the post
What I meant about hitting my dummy is that when I do start flowing on the dummy and REALLY get into it, I won’t break my hand or elbow when I come in for that one or two harder than hell hits on the dummy. (And there’s no cracking in the dummy body!)
