We are gratified to announce a new Joanna Zorya DVD, Martial Power. Before Joanna’s untimely death several years ago, she told us of several unfinished projects that she was working on. Sadly, she did not have time to finish them all, such as the anticipated second volume to the Xing Yi series. But her friend […]
Oct
10
2017
10
2017
Feb
28
2012
28
2012
New Views: Joanna Zorya and Zhu BaoZhen Bagua
Here are a couple of site-local videos we just put up. These are previews of our different products. With all the styles we show this make take a while… Some of Joanna Zorya’s work and the bagua of Zhu BaoZhen. Hope you like them.
Mar
8
2011
8
2011
Words Inadequate: Joanna Zorya
No longer standing in our ranks is instructor Joanna Zorya. She passed from us Sunday, March 6th…
Jan
21
2017
21
2017
Question and Answer, PLUM style…
It would be difficult to admit that we’ve been contemplating such a page for SO LONG and have only and finally gotten to it. We at PLUM are lucky to have such stimulating customers with such great questions so we’ve been saving the salvos for a little spare time to post them. Such time has […]
Aug
23
2015
23
2015
Testimonials!
My package arrived so quickly, it was as if you guys shot it out of a cannon! ~AA Everything about your site is fantastic, though to be honest, you could use a more modern page design. That said, on a scale from 0 to 10 (0 being a horrible experience and 10 being everything […]
Mar
18
2014
18
2014
My Experience with the San Cai Sword (and How it Failed Me)
I can’t tell you how delighted I am to see that the San Cai Sword is available in this new set of DVDs by Adam Hsu. It is truly a great sword set and worth the time to master it. First, of course, is the fact that the single person performance set is almost exactly […]
Feb
21
2010
21
2010
Will The Real Reeling Silk Please Stand Up …
Many people evidently have the impression that “reeling silk” merely means that movement is not allowed to cease once it has started.
Dec
28
2009
28
2009
… One Arm
Zhengmanqing once famously told his students “last night I dreamt I had no arms” and this marked the beginning of an interesting training method within the lineage
Sep
7
2009
7
2009
Restock: Bagua and Tai Chi
Click Restocked title above for items.
Jun
13
2009
13
2009
What is your Intention? Part Two
I once walked with my brother through the middle of a gang of twenty-one skinheads who would seriously have quite happily attacked either one of us …
May
25
2009
25
2009
Who, What, Where, When , How and Why?
Although it almost sounds too vague to be useful, comprehensive martial training should concern itself with 6 essential questions…
Apr
22
2009
22
2009
To Push, to Stick or to Hit?
Initially we differentiate three distinct categories of Sensitivity Drill: Push Hands, Sticky Hands and Hitting Hands…
Nov
27
2008
27
2008
What is Your Intention?
It is said that you should “practice forms as if facing an enemy and face an enemy as if practicing forms.” The first piece of advice is a safeguard against allowing your solo training to become too abstract to be useful.
Jul
25
2007
25
2007
Gentle Persistence Brings Just Reward.
Taijiquan is known as a martial art that has hardness within its softness “like a needle wrapped in cotton …
Mar
25
2006
25
2006
Understanding the Six Harmonies
Here, spirit doesn’t refer to any kind of ethereal or divine spirit. For martial arts purposes, spirit could perhaps be read as martial spirit –
May
23
2005
23
2005
Purpose, Quality & Direction
In Taiji circles, people get very hung up on shapes and up to a point they are correct to do so…
Jan
25
2005
25
2005
The Way of Water
One of the most commonly used metaphors within Daoism and Daoist martial arts is that of “being like water.” But what could be meant by this? What is water really like? Firstly, let’s look at the Peng strength of Taijiquan. The Taiji Classics tell us that Peng is like “water that supports a moving boat.” […]
Nov
10
2004
10
2004
8 Uses for Reeling Silk Power
From my own study of Chen style Taijiquan I can only conclude that this list was meant to be illustrative rather than exhaustive. I have therefore expanded the list …
Sep
25
2004
25
2004
FA JIN (Releasing Power)
Bruce Lee once said that the difference between a Karate punch and a Gongfu punch was that a Karate punch is like being hit with a crowbar, while a Gongfu punch is like being hit by a metal ball on the end of a chain.
May
25
2004
25
2004
Five Steps
… it can be seen that the 5 steps of Taijiquan are not specific techniques or prescribed methods, but …
