Jong Fabrication

[MizuRyu]

We're starting to get into Jong training in Wing Chun, and I looked into buying one to train at home.... unless I can magically pull $1,000 out of the thin air, I'm pretty much Jong-less.

Any tips on making your own? I'm not much of a woodworker so I'm not sure where to start... let alone how to really do it. The concepts simple, but I want a high quality piece.. I just need the info to make it.

[MenteReligieuse]

What's a jong? The 9ft pole?

[MizuRyu]

The "wooden man" dummy

[Muaythaiboxer]

honestly if you make your own you will be very disapointed you need to be a trained carpenter to make quality, dont order from catalogs either, show a desine to a local carpenter and he will be able to make one for about $500

[MenteReligieuse]

Ah, never knew it's chinese name. Yeah well good luck making one :s .

[ovine king]

my advice.

most places that sell dummies also sell arms and legs for them. if i were you, i'd look into buying decent set of arms and leg cos these take a bit more effort to turn and not everyone has a lathe in their garage.

for the body, ask around your local parks/council about what they do with their felled trees or replaced telephone poles etc etc.

ask at garden centres for similar things (nine inch poles/logs) or, finally, places that sell logs can sometimes rescue and keep a trunk whole for you is you ask.

these three options will be much cheaper than a properly kiln dried and treated dummy body.

spend a little time to make up the frame and just use the 'cheap' log bodies. When the body cracks beyond all possible use, just get another one.

to maintain the body for as long as possible, use some of them metal 'cable ties' that they use on large shipping boxes. use a few where you don't normally strike, then wrap a good few layers of duct tape over it just in case.

you can find plans for dummies on the net (or i have one stashed somewhere on a disk somewhere)

all you need then is a drill, the correct bit, and a chisel.

and maybe two hours of your life.

getting a carpenter to make one up for you isn't always the cheapest option nor is it always the best option.

the most important thing is to use the best possible wood which never comes cheap, especially when you are asking for a properly dried and treated 4-5 foot long nine inch pole.

the alternative is to use not so good wood but to join up sections around a hexagonal core to maintain uniform strength and to further prevent cracking. unfortunately, this way doesn't work out cheaper because it is a lot more work for the carpenter.

[giang_hu]

if you don't have a jong at home you can still do the form without one.

[ovine king]

you can but one of the major points of the dummy is that it gives you a physically refence to a centre to face as well as giving you a fixed thig to work around, something test your balance and something to check your footwork.

[Sensei Rick]

I have heard of people making the arms out of baseball bats and a fewminutes on a lathe. I have a friend who found one in a thrift store and paid 60 bucks for it! I love the thing but it's built for someone much shorter than me, so I'd have to build my own too. oh, and I'm cheap (poor)

[Goju_boi]

I've seen some that are like the arms of it like a shell perse that u could just strap on a punching bag.