WCI Review - Randy Williams - Wooden Dummy Vol 6: Advanced Exercises
As with all videos by Sifu Randy Williams, this one contains generous amounts of detailed instruction. Although the video is about Wooden Dummy drills, it offers additional instruction and several two-man drills.
The video is 62 minutes long and, if I am counting correctly, is divided into 16 chapters. The format tends to be Sifu Williams showing the drills on the Wooden Dummy and then demonstrating the same drills with Gavin, his training partner.
The video starts with "Straight Punch Drills", covering several Wing Chun moves such as Pak Sao, Tan Da, Jum Sao, etc. As with many Randy Williams drills, a kick is often inserted into a drill once the basics have been taught. Fook Sao, Bong Sao, Fak Sao, straight punches and palm strikes are some tools of the trade demonstrated in this chapter.
The next chapter deals with Huen Da and a low palm strike. In the third chapter, Williams discuss half-turning taken from the eighth set of the dummy form. The fourth chapter deals with slow attacks, and then we move on to the largest part of the video, which relates to the well-known Lop Sao drill. It was intriguing to see how Williams does the drill without a partner, and on the Wooden Dummy. The drill is, of course, better practised with a live partner, but it is interesting to see a simulation of the drill performed on the Wooden Dummy.
Chapters five to nine relate to the Lop Sao drill and various switches during the drill. Some of the switches demonstrated include the Biu Sao switch, the Gam Sao switch and the Pak Sao switch. As with all the Wooden Dummy drills, Sifu Williams shows the Lop Sao switches with his training partner Gavin.
Sifu Williams' creativity is demonstrated once more in Chapter 10, where he demonstrates Luk Sao ("Rolling Hands") on the Wooden Dummy. Even though you can't do it perfectly and precisely on a Wooden Dummy, it's the best you can do if you don't have a live partner. Gho Sao attacks of the roll are demonstrated in Chapter 11, followed by a demonstration of the "Invincible" or "Shadow Kick", shown in Chapter 12. Chi Gerk is demonstrated in Chapter 13, and leg hooks in Chapter 14.
Chapter 15 presents the "8 Kicks Dummy Drill", followed by the last chapter, an Iron Palm sequence on a sandbag. Sifu Williams has demonstrated the same training in another video I have reviewed, which makes me think he must highly value this kind of training, which is frequently presented in many of his videos. A variety of strikes are trained, including palm strikes, a chop, a hammer fist, Ginger Fist, Phoenix Eye Fist, a claw, etc.
In a nutshell, this is an enjoyable video that can transmit some good ideas about how to play with the dummy beyond simply practising the standard Wooden Dummy form of each lineage.
Randy Williams - Wooden Dummy Vol 6: Advanced Exercises
Language: English
Running Time: Approx. 62 min.
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