Wing Chun - Wooden Dummy or Bob Dummy?

[Graywalker]

Well, "durability" is relative. So ...if you live in a place full of termites, carpenter ants, woodpeckers, and giant beavers... a wooden dummy would not last nearly as long as a plastic "Bob"dummy.

Now I have a bone to pick with you guys. How come nobody reacted to my super-adolescent post regarding the "Boob dummy" above. That was like ....my best attempt at deliberately juvenile humor in weeks. Sheesh y'all are a tough crowd!

And if you live in a fire, the Bob would melt in a matter of minutes.... everything is relative to the situation.

Oh and I searched as soon as you posted the picture, there is a few bob knock offs

 

[RagingBull]

 

[Gerry Seymour]

View attachment 26803

Good thing BOB's got no arms.

 

[BlkTaco47]

I have used both, a wooden dummy is by far a more durable product. The "Bob" didn't last a week before it fell apart.

Maybe it was simply a bad day for it, but I am still reluctant to purchase another.

wow! I beat the hell out of mine....empty hands, feet, gloves, eskrima sticks.....no damage at all. these things are designed to last many years. Our head instructor, GM Taboada as well as other FMA instructors do the same and nothing.

To the OP, get the BoB bag much more versatility. I have the room and have both (i make my jongs). If you have a bit of space, even outside, you can easily make one.

 

[Nobodaddy]

If someone was wanting to learn and practice Wing Chun at home due to the Covid lockdown. If you could only buy one or the other which would you think is the better option to buy for yourself and why?

Either a Wing Chun wooden Dummy
Or
A Freestanding Bob Boxing Dummy.

I am asking as I am tooing and frowing between which to buy. I can only afford, and only have the space for one but I am not sure which to get.

I recommend a (good) Jong, as it provides you with a tool for practising Wing Chun technique. You could also consider getting a wall bag. My family also plays with Bob, but its applications are more limited and focus on striking.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

I would assume that was the case. I do know that this specific one, didn't last. Students beat on it for about a week and it was garbage.

I'll have to second the idea that you either got a cheap knockoff or a very rare defective model. I've seen and worked on a number of Century Bobs over the years that have been through years of heavy abuse and I've never seen any of them show more than the most minor of cosmetic damage.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

To the original question - the wooden dummy and the Bob are intended for very different uses. The wooden dummy is intended for use with a specific form and drills which are primarily about testing your structure for specific WC techniques. The Bob is meant for beating on with full contact. The Bob doesn't have the arms & leg for those structure-testing specific WC drills. Conversely, I wouldn't recommend punching the wooden dummy full force unless you've spent years developing the level of knuckle conditioning which will probably lead to arthritis down the line.

 

[NightOwl]

If someone was wanting to learn and practice Wing Chun at home due to the Covid lockdown. If you could only buy one or the other which would you think is the better option to buy for yourself and why?

Either a Wing Chun wooden Dummy
Or
A Freestanding Bob Boxing Dummy.

I am asking as I am tooing and frowing between which to buy. I can only afford, and only have the space for one but I am not sure which to get.

As the others pointed out it really depends on what you want and what your emphasis in MA is. If you are committed to Wing Chun, then I would go with that because the arms especially will help you with the tactile feel of close combat and the angles you need to get in close. If you want to add some striking there are additional targets and pads you can buy. If your primary focus is distancing and striking with some full force kicks thrown in then BOB would be your better option or even just a good heavey bag that you can use for multiple exercises if you mount it from a strong ceiling rafter.
I hope this helps.
Sincerely NightOwl

 

[Graywalker]

I'll have to second the idea that you either got a cheap knockoff or a very rare defective model. I've seen and worked on a number of Century Bobs over the years that have been through years of heavy abuse and I've never seen any of them show more than the most minor of cosmetic damage.

Could be, I did purchase it at a local sports store. But I think folks are stuck on the crappy bob thing.

For wing Chun, a wooden dummy would be much better, for practicing Wing Chun techniques, than a Bob.

Really, that is what the OP asked.

 

[Grandmaster Yue men quan]

If someone was wanting to learn and practice Wing Chun at home due to the Covid lockdown. If you could only buy one or the other which would you think is the better option to buy for yourself and why?

Either a Wing Chun wooden Dummy
Or
A Freestanding Bob Boxing Dummy.

I am asking as I am tooing and frowing between which to buy. I can only afford, and only have the space for one but I am not sure which

 

[Grandmaster Yue men quan]

As the others pointed out it really depends on what you want and what your emphasis in MA is. If you are committed to Wing Chun, then I would go with that because the arms especially will help you with the tactile feel of close combat and the angles you need to get in close. If you want to add some striking there are additional targets and pads you can buy. If your primary focus is distancing and striking with some full force kicks thrown in then BOB would be your better option or even just a good heavey bag that you can use for multiple exercises if you mount it from a strong ceiling rafter.
I hope this helps.
Sincerely NightOwl

I think a Dummy will serve you longer.

 

[AIKIKENJITSU]

If someone was wanting to learn and practice Wing Chun at home due to the Covid lockdown. If you could only buy one or the other which would you think is the better option to buy for yourself and why?

Either a Wing Chun wooden Dummy
Or
A Freestanding Bob Boxing Dummy.

I am asking as I am tooing and frowing between which to buy. I can only afford, and only have the space for one but I am not sure which to get.

I've taught Kenpo for fifty years and I still do at home studio. I always teach just adults. I have a 3/4 wooden Ip man wooden dummy on my studio wall, plus a floor punching bag. If you have room for just one, I would advise you getting a round floor punching bag like a Wavemaster punching bag. Later, you can get the wooden arms of a wooden dummy and wrap them around the bag; they sell them on Amazon
You can always harden your forearms and shins with a wooden fighting stick.
Party on!!
Sifu

 

[geezer]

I've taught Kenpo for fifty years and I still do at home studio. I always teach just adults. I have a 3/4 wooden Ip man wooden dummy on my studio wall, plus a floor punching bag. If you have room for just one, I would advise you getting a round floor punching bag like a Wavemaster punching bag. Later, you can get the wooden arms of a wooden dummy and wrap them around the bag; they sell them on Amazon
You can always harden your forearms and shins with a wooden fighting stick.
Party on!!
Sifu

What do you mean by a 3/4 dummy? ....like just the upper part without the leg? ...Or one of those partial dummies mounted on a wall?

Also, not being a Wing Chun stylist, do you feel the dummy benefits your Kenpo?

BTW, in Wing Chun, the dummy may incidentally cause some toughening of the arms, but that is not the intent. If you are smacking it hard enough to do serious arm conditioning, you are not approaching it correctly from a WC/WT/VT perspective. Other systems may differ.

 

[Grandmaster Yue men quan]

I think a Dummy will serve you longer.

Reason I say this is your doing wing chun, and you can't practice trapping on a bag you can always practice your six gates and 8 directions on a bag or a piece of plywood learning against a wall and you can always practice your forms in a space. Boxing and other martial arts that are not heavy in contact drills or flexible range will prefer using a bag but in wing chun flexible range contact drills are very important. Also chi sau you can practice by buying a set of flexible arms along with your dummy. Its kinda why the wooden dummy was used in wing chun instead of a bag. Also as you progress the dummy will answer you if you do techniques wrong the dummy will actually hurt you so some guidance will make it easier. And it will tell you when you used sufficient power because the dummy is made to be hard so when you issue power into the dummy it will have a solid character to your strike. Just a personal opinion but if you can afford a dummy I'd get that first if you do wing chun because you can always go get a used heavy bag for a couple dollars at a used sports store.

 

[RagingBull]

no substitute for a real training partner. Dummy or no Dummy. Don´t understand why all these guys go crazy over a wooden dummy. probably will sit in a corner being used as a coat hanger. waste of money. also most who i know buy it and are no where near the standard to use it.
But hey it´s the Ip Man feel.... Feckin wise up if you do get a dummy go for the Bob.

 

[Martial D]

no substitute for a real training partner. Dummy or no Dummy. Don´t understand why all these guys go crazy over a wooden dummy. probably will sit in a corner being used as a coat hanger. waste of money. also most who i know buy it and are no where near the standard to use it.
But hey it´s the Ip Man feel.... Feckin wise up if you do get a dummy go for the Bob.

The Bob helps range and accuracy a lot. The wooden man only really helps your wingchun form. I guess it depends what you find more valuable.

 

[RagingBull]

The Bob helps range and accuracy a lot. The wooden man only really helps your wingchun form. I guess it depends what you find more valuable.

real fighting? so i will go with Bob

 

[jergar]

If someone was wanting to learn and practice Wing Chun at home due to the Covid lockdown. If you could only buy one or the other which would you think is the better option to buy for yourself and why?

Either a Wing Chun wooden Dummy
Or
A Freestanding Bob Boxing Dummy.

I am asking as I am tooing and frowing between which to buy. I can only afford, and only have the space for one but I am not sure which to get.

Hi depends on what you want to learn. The wing chin dummy can teach you how to block and move . It will teach you distance and toughen your arms and legs. Go online and find a book or video or dvd to show you how. Bob is really a heavy bag that looks like a human you can learn where targets are and how to hit them. The wing chun dummy will help you learn more in the long run. Wing chun is a linear art, you move on straight lines, but you can add angle movements to your training to give you more options if you ever have to use what you are learning. Hope this helps .

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

The wing chin dummy can teach you how to block and move .

Are you saying that the WC dummy is good to train defense (such as how to block a punch), and not good to train offense (such as how to knock your opponent down)?

- WC talks about Tan Shou, Fu Shou, Bon Shou (defense skill).
- Boxing talks about jab, cross, hook, uppercut (offense skill).

Why?

 

[Jules Vincent]

If someone was wanting to learn and practice Wing Chun at home due to the Covid lockdown. If you could only buy one or the other which would you think is the better option to buy for yourself and why?

Either a Wing Chun wooden Dummy
Or
A Freestanding Bob Boxing Dummy.

I am asking as I am tooing and frowing between which to buy. I can only afford, and only have the space for one but I am not sure which to get.

Similiar dilemma T but opted for the Bob XL (striking) and a 6 x 8ft mirror (forms) mounted on the wall in my downstairs gym. As background I started learning Wing Chun about 6 months ago - I go 2x per week. The school has 4 Dummies but since I'm a relative newbie I don't spend much time working them.

As to "Big Bob"...I workout with him 3-4x per week - bare hands. I usually start with 200 meridian punches with a heavy focus on structure, then 3-5, 3min rounds of targeted strikes - BoB is ideal for throwing shovel hooks and uppercuts. I also practice palm & elbow strikes, as well as all manner of strikes to the throat, neck and eyes. I then finish-up with an additional 200 meridian punches

I looked at the Wavemaster XL but I opted for BoB primarily for its anatomical design. I also considered a heavy bag but "CINCHOUSE" was not onboard with ceiling/wall mounts.

As for the Dummy, I definitely plan to purchase one w/in the next year. Whatever you decide to get just make sure you put it to good use! Cheers!