Finally. At last. The wait is over. Lam Chun Fai’s Iron Wire Fist book/DVD, Tid Sin Kuen, has JUST arrived. The 240 page book is bound in a heavy, textured paper wrapped cover, with both black-and-white and color interior pages. It also contains a bonus 9 minute DVD of Sifu Lam performing key movements from […]
May
11
2017
11
2017
May
5
2017
5
2017
Meditation’s Secret Treasure
Meditation’s Secret Treasure, by Steve Strasnick, is the story of someone who was not already indoctrinated with mystical assumptions, who did not bring a cosmology (at least, not a religious one) to the table. Yet, he found himself “Awakening to the Mystical World,” despite his feeling about himself that he was not “inclined” in that manner. […]
Apr
14
2017
14
2017
Kung Fu Saber: The Tiger Leaps
A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, Plum pre-announced our newest book/DVD package by Ted Mancuso on the Kung Fu Saber. Needless to say, it took us just a bit longer to produce these than we expected, but we are thrilled to say, THE SABER IS HERE! This is the third in […]
Mar
12
2017
12
2017
Mizong Jia: Shaolin Mizong Kung Fu style
Here’s a pop quiz (no cheating!) What style is the inspiration for the two films, “The Chinese Connection” (with Bruce Lee) and “Legend” (with Jet Lee)? Want a hint? This style is associated with Kung Fu Master Huo YuanJia, Head Instructor of the famous Ching Woo Association. Ok, so the title of this post gives […]
Feb
17
2017
17
2017
Jan
27
2017
27
2017
Jan
16
2017
16
2017
Dec
28
2016
28
2016
The Karate/Kung Fu Connection: Bubishi
Just arrived, TWO books: the premier translation of the martial-world famous Bubishi by Patrick McCarthy; AND more stock on the gorgeous hardcover edition of The General Tian Wubeizhi: The Bubishi in Chinese Martial Arts. The convergence of these two—the translation (Bubishi) and the commentary (General Tian’s Wubeizhi)—mirror the revelations contained in these two texts concerning […]
Dec
16
2016
16
2016
A Wire of Iron
What a year the monkey has been! Now, we have so much good stuff coming in we can act like the Rooster Year is already here, and can start to crow a bit. In the next couple of months, we’re looking forward to adding more and more top quality books and DVDs, often in English. […]
Dec
2
2016
2
2016
Bubishi Classic, Like You Have Never Seen Before (Updated)
Plum treasures our close affiliation with Lionbooks in Taiwan, both for their extensive library of authentic, hard-to-find martial arts literature, and the exceptional job they do of making these books beautiful. So, we are excited to announce their new english language study of the Bubishi, the foundational text of Karate, including two Bubishi manuals, both […]
Nov
24
2016
24
2016
Who’re You Calling Hurt?
We just refreshed our “Hurt” books section and, boy, do we have a great selection of sale-priced gems—there are about 40 of them! As we’ve said in the past, the title “hurt” is a little misleading, since 99% of these are indistinguishable from new copies of the same title. “Hurts,” in the book industry, are […]
Nov
17
2016
17
2016
Chen With Your Hands Full
A quick announcement of three new book/vcd packages in one of our favorite series; these are on Chen Style Tai Chi Ball, Double Maces, and Eyebrow Staff. This series, which you will find scattered throughout the Plum site, gives you a book in both Chinese and English (en face) plus a VCD (in Chinese, subtitled […]
Oct
20
2016
20
2016
Three Classic Training Texts Translated
Published anywhere from 50 to over 80 years ago, here are translations of Kung Fu books emphasizing applied technique and training. We now offer Iron Thread from Hung Gar, one of the crowning forms of this style. Then there is the popular text on “Shaolin training methods,” which has been reprinted over and over for decades. […]
Jun
9
2016
9
2016
A Walk in the Young Forest: Northern Shaolin vol. 1
This is the first volume, by Sifu Wing Lam, of a proposed series on Northern Shaolin containing history and development of the art. It outlines the shape of that branch associated with Iron Palm master Gu Ru Zhang. In the background section there are a lot of stories and facts about the temple and some […]
Jun
5
2016
5
2016
Practical Qin Na: Second volume arrives
We’ve just received the second volume in Zhao Da Yuan’s big series on Qin Na (Chin Na). This new text reveals dead-hand training, live-hand loops, counters, and even anti-weapon work. An entire curriculum on Qin Na; not just a few moves as so many others do it. This valuable multi-volume set is projected for at […]
May
26
2016
26
2016
Kong Han Ngo Cho: Five Ancestors of Kung Fu
What a great book! If you have any interest in Five Ancestors Fist (Ngo Cho Kun) or Southern Boxing in general, this large, well-illustrated volume is a must-have for your library. The Five Ancestors is one style that combines five forms of Kung Fu fighting. Its core style is TaiZu, named after an Emperor of […]
May
8
2016
8
2016
Li Tianji’s Xing Yi Legacy; Andrea Falk’s Dictionary
Plum is adding another text by Andrea Falk, a translation of significance to Xing Yi practitioners: Li TianJi’s The Skills of XingYiQuan; 311 pages, with hundreds of illustrations. This is a thorough text on the style handed down to Li Tianji from his father, Li Yulin. It’s very well laid out with sections covering basic […]
Apr
4
2016
4
2016
Jan
22
2016
22
2016
The Basics
Jack Yan has emerged as one of our more favored writer/translators. His exhaustive series on the teacher Chen Zheng Lei has brought a lot of attention to this branch of the art, and his own series on Tong Bei is a welcome addition to what is otherwise a very under-represented field of texts and DVDs. […]
Jan
6
2016
6
2016