In traditional Kung Fu, we often talk about the shape of an Art, although that shape cannot always be easily defined. It might include a short list of specific qualities, a couple of hard-won principles, certain approaches to its qigong, methods learned from its secret songs…It is elusive and typically closely-held. The experienced eye might […]
Mar
28
2021
28
2021
Mar
21
2021
21
2021
Sifu Bow Sim Mark
I believe that I first saw Sifu Bow Sim Mark perform at Brendan Lai’s 1984 All Master’s Kung Fu Demonstration in San Francisco. Those were the pre-pre-youtube days and, other than pictures of her in the Kung Fu magazines, I had never seen her movement. I—along with the friends who accompanied me that night to […]
Jan
25
2021
25
2021
New Sha Style DVDs
In between our filming and editing of our new Bagua Zhang book/DVD project, we have also been doing some cataloguing of material we have neglected. Two of these DVDs are from Sha GuoZheng style, on Liu He Tong Bei Roads 1 and 2. From our experience, Sha’s work is always an interesting and, at times, […]
Dec
28
2020
28
2020
Xiantian Bagua Zhang: Gao Style Bagua Zhang Circle Form
This may be one of the Bagua books you did not know you were waiting for. C.S. Tang has produced another excellent and comprehensive text, this time on Gao Style Bagua Zhang. Tang Sifu, known and respected for his martial scholarship, has produced a large fine volume, inclusive of everything from origin stories to advanced […]
Dec
23
2020
23
2020
Dennis Rovere’s Chinese Military Combat Series
Happy to announce the addition of Dennis Rovere’s 2 Volume (3 Disk) DVD series, Secret Fighting Skills of the Chinese Military. Mr Rovere, an Independent Scholar who has both trained and taught widely in Combat Techniques, is also represented on Plum by his popular and authoritative book and DVD, Xing Yi Quan of the Chinese […]
Nov
9
2020
9
2020
Bagua Zhang and Xin Yi Quan
Got in a short stack of great books—limited copies on each, at the moment, but thought we would let you know about them. One of them, the book on Dai Style XinYiQuan, incorporates those QR Codes instead of including a packaged DVD, so that with a simple scan from your phone’s camera, you can watch […]
Oct
31
2020
31
2020
Bagua Zhang’s Ji Ben Gongs—Plum’s New Project
Here is a short interview with Ted Mancuso, Plum’s director, on his upcoming book/DVD project. Covid slowed us down, but now we are back at work again, and hope to have this finished in the new year. Q: Your new book is on Bagua Zhang Gongs. What is a Gong? Ted: In […]
Oct
7
2020
7
2020
The Newest Great Items
Today’s diverse selection of new material available is really all about the classics: two DVDs of an older master presenting the rarely seen style of “Xin Boxing;” a completely redone and reimagined instructional DVD on Water Boxing (LiuHeBaFa) from Helen Liang, whose original work on the subject was one of the first; and the original […]
Sep
1
2020
1
2020
A New Book Bevy
Well, we are happy to mark ourselves safe from the devastating fire that, over the past two weeks, destroyed over 80,000 acres in and around Santa Cruz county, the place we call home. Several friends had to evacuate, but none lost their homes or lives, although almost 1000 residences were destroyed, and it will take […]
Aug
8
2020
8
2020
Adam Hsu Tan Tui
Decades ago, when I taught franchise information to a group of fledgling martial school owners, I was exposed to a process known as “total immersion.” This was an unstructured method of training where a manager might be awakened at 3:00 am by “some potential student” pretending to want information in the middle of the night. […]
Jul
11
2020
11
2020
Wang ShuJin’s Swimming Body DVD
Some things take a long time to materialize, but when they finally show up, they are worth the wait. Such is the case with Kent Howard’s Bagua Swimming Body Palms DVD, companion to his excellent and popular book of the same title. Howard’s style is clear and clean, and one realizes that he sincerely intends […]
Jun
19
2020
19
2020
Three Clean Quarters
We have three new books for you, all in Chinese and well presented. The first book, Wu Jin, starts us off with an historical and cultural text so old we have no knowledge of its author. Among unnumbered pages is presented authentic military strategy, along with close hand combat. This is a general’s text with […]
Jun
18
2020
18
2020
May
25
2020
25
2020
Taijiquan Books & DVD, Spiced with a Touch of Xingyiquan
At Plum, we are always seeking the best of the best and rejecting those that really don’t have all that much to offer. Sadly, there are more than a few from that batch. But today’s offerings are already classics in their field—solid, innovative, in some cases path-defining. Click each image for much more information about […]
May
7
2020
7
2020
Stocks and Restocks, From Bagua to Xing Yi
A literal stack of books for you, the five (in Chinese) newly posted, the two (in English) are returnees. Click each to see more information and, perchance, to order. We only have a couple copies of some of these…
Apr
17
2020
17
2020
Special Knowledge
This week we offer an unusual mix aimed mostly at more advanced information, each in its respective art. For instance the many insights of Yang style Tai Chi Chuan performed by Lin MoGen are embodied in an unusually relaxed and natural version that takes over an hour to […]
Apr
2
2020
2
2020
From Principle to Practice
Hello out there. We hope this finds you all safe and healthy. Today’s offerings range from theory to practice: two DVD lectures from the George Xu group on 10 Animal and 12 Animal Xing Yi, presented by Qian Zhao Hong and Jiang Bao Kang, respectively; two instructional […]
Mar
21
2020
21
2020
Chen Style Taijiquan—A Tangled History
Happy to announce the arrival of a new book to our Plum catalogue, Mark Chen’s Chen Style Taijiquan: Collected Masterworks—The History of a Martial Art. Chen has done wide and deep research on the origins of Chen Taiji, not an easy matter. His main focus is Chen ZhaoPi, but he incorporates other voices in the […]
Mar
17
2020
17
2020
Southern Shaolin Fists and a Pole
Three energetic offerings from the Southern Shaolin Temple: a ‘light’ fist (Golden Arhat Light Fist), a ‘heavy’ fist (12 Pound Fist) and a Shoulder Pole shaped like a long thick cigar (sometimes a cigar is only a shoulder pole). By the way, these inexpensive VCDs ($7.95 each!) come with english subtitles. Click each […]
Feb
28
2020
28
2020
Lofty Mei Hua Quan
We’ve all seen the pictures: stealthy practitioners holding postures (usually single-legged) atop wooden poles. These, my friends, are the iconic images most associated with the under-recognized style of Mei Hua Quan (Plum Blossom Boxing). But under-recognized no more! This new book, Mei Hua Quan Tong Yi, adjusts the balance of how little (or much) is […]
