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Martial arts: precision training with an anatomical skeleton

During our advanced training sessions, we use a life-size human skeleton (similar to the one in the photo) as a training dummy (read All the training dummies). The goal is to get used to manipulating the human rigid internal structure.

Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course).

In this article, we want to explain, in martial terms, the use, the advantages and disadvantages of such an “unorthodox” tool (read The use of unorthodox methods).

What is the skeleton dummy for in 6 Dragons Kung Fu?

The goal is to understand / find precisely:

Where to hit the opponents
Where to defend ourselves
Why hit a certain part of the body
Why use or not a certain part of the body
How to hit correctly the various body targets
What parts of our body are better to use to hit our opponents
What parts of our body are better to use to protect ourselves
…

Substantially, working with the “nude” skeleton helps us to better understand its physical dynamics and therefore to obtain better combat results in terms of:

Attack
Defense

A note by Master Kongling – Proportionally to what we can learn from it, an anatomical skeleton is not too expensive but for a beginner, it is certainly a totally useless expense (there is much more to learn before arriving here). In our school, even for the training dummies, we have a sort of gradual evolutional path: we start from a simple pole (read Basic Kung Fu exercises: Poles Training) and then we move toward more and more complex tools (read Martial arts training dummies [MINI-GUIDE]).

The benefits and the limits of this particular training dummy

A note by Master Kongling – Before continuing, it should be emphasized that we are not talking about a Halloween toy (those are useless and counterproductive) but rather a rigorously constructed medical piece of equipment.

Advantages:

It allows us to precisely understand our bone structure and the one of our opponents (weak and strong points, bending areas, length / proportions of the limbs, etc.)
It allows a better and more detailed study of the articular levers’ force directions (read Chin Na)
It allows us to test what kind of mobility the body is naturally favorable or not to perform (in terms of weights, directions, balance, etc.)
It allows giving consistency to what otherwise (without direct observation), would remain in the imprecise field of theory
In most anatomical skeletons, the fingers can be discreetly positioned (they are generally fixed with displaceable wire) and the bones structure is light / manageable (about 15 kg)
It can be hung via a hook located on the top of the skull
…

Disadvantages:

Obviously, this is not a training dummy born for the martial purpose (as we said, it is not strange to find it from a physiotherapist or in a school)
It is made of plastic and its joints are connected with extremely delicate screws
Although advertised as very robust, it has not been designed to withstand shocks or heavy loads
If it falls, it breaks easily; skullcap, teeth and shoulders are very fragile and even if they can be repaired with glue, it is better to avoid any risk
If we do not hang it, the support structure is extremely unstable (a slight push is more than enough to make it fall ruinously to the ground)
…

How to use the skeleton dummy

With due precautions (and great caution), in addition to the mere theoretical study, it is possible to combine a slight martial practice: let’s see how.

Preparation:

Let’s mount our anatomical skeleton (it is not a bad idea to replace the screws and reinforce them with elastic glue)
Let’s temporarily remove the pedestal from our dummy (as we said, it is extremely unstable and fragile)
Let’s hang up the dummy to a solid cord / chain by the head (in most models the metal hook is at the center of the skullcap)
The skeleton must remain suspended at a human height (2-3 cm from the ground is ideal)
…

Exercise execution:

Let’s practice any striking (read for example How to punch (simple explanation)), trapping (read for example Trapping’s basics: control and act) or Chin Na (read for example Chin Na technique: twist the elbow) technique but in slow-motion and without power, speed and intention (read also 4 Tips to effectively apply any fighting technique)
Let’s concentrate on softness, harmony, precision and a flow of good quality
The goal is to become familiar with the mobility of the limbs of a human being in terms of angles, lengths, spaces, etc. (beyond the influence of muscles, tendons, etc.)
…

Variations:

We can also work with our eyes closed (or blindfolded, read Advanced training: gradually learn to fight in the dark) to sharpen our anatomical spatial intelligence (read The most important skill in combat)
The exercise can also be performed with the dummy lying on the ground or, always hanging, with bended knees (eg. to work on the levers to the lower limbs) but in this case, we need to pay even more attention
…

Final notes

A few conclusive thoughts:

We should use a plastic relatively low-cost skeleton (there are also very expensive versions with part of the body muscles but they not worth the expense)
The important thing is to buy a life-size anatomical skeleton (not scale versions); again, let’s avoid Halloween toys (as they are not anatomically correct)
Let’s also repeat that this dummy is useless for beginners (instead, for an intermediate practitioner it could be useful even only to test it one time)
The skeleton dummy must never be used with strength (read The path to the soft movements)
Last but not least, we can also add some customizations to make it more durable and effectual (reinforcement, pressure points indicators, muscle simulators, etc.)
…

In-depth video courses

Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu Exercises – All the crucial exercises to build real martial skills
Advanced speed and reflexes training – An advanced level course about how to build high-level combat speed performance
Body manipulation for combat – How to exploit weaknesses and strong points of the human structure in combat
Muscle chain for martial arts: how to – The secret path toward the use of our body as a single, incredibly strong, muscle
Structures for combat: liquid, solid, fluid – An explanation of how to adapt our body to every combat situation

In-depth articles

Introduction to the idea of Precision Control – How to do a big step forward in our martial growth
A Wing Chun wooden dummy like in PVC – How to build a low-cost Wing-Chun-like wooden dummy (only for beginners)

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

Have you ever tried to manipulate an anatomical skeleton (eg. at school)?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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