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 […]
Apr
2
2020
2
2020
Mar
30
2020
30
2020
Beng Jin: Kung Fu’s Hidden Skill
Here’s a new short video on Beng Jin (Beng Energy) that we created for our local sequestered students. If you are a Tai Chi student, you have most likely heard your teacher lecture on this special quality, and are undoubtedly practicing this right now! But Beng Jing exists in all styles of Kung Fu, and […]
Mar
27
2020
27
2020
Inner Circle Tai Chi Daily Neigong
Our illustrious and accomplished colleague and friend in Sacramento, Sifu Robert Nakashima, has generously created and shared his daily Neigong routine. Running about 20 minutes, even just watching this video provides calm and comfort, although getting up and trying it yourself is highly recommended. The setting, the presentation, even the light chirping of birds in […]
Mar
24
2020
24
2020
Mar
22
2020
22
2020
Safe, Sound and Shipping
Dear friends, Just a note to let you know that we at Plum are all healthy and safe and still open for correspondence and business. We are monitoring the shipping situation around the world and, so far, packages are being delivered, although it may take a few extra days to receive them. Having suspended classes […]
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
19
2020
19
2020
Free Livestream Qigong Class, Thursday, March 19
Next session, Sunday, March 21, at 10am PDT, on Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/953395301 Our friend and colleague, Sally Chang, sent this to us this morning… With news in a nosedive, I decided to offer this Qigong class FREE for EVERYBODY. No experience necessary, I’ll guide you the whole way. Invite a friend, and show up with whoever […]
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 […]
Mar
14
2020
14
2020
3 Minute Qigong For Lung Health
Our good friend and colleague, Sally Chang, created this short video of a simple qigong to strengthen lungs. Thanks, Sally! Sally Chang is Chief Instructor or Evergreen Taiji Academy, a seasoned Acupuncturist and Martial Artist. She integrates Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) into her teachings, providing a whole health perspective. Sally brings a warm, focused presence […]
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 […]
Feb
26
2020
26
2020
Pakua Journal: Vince Black on Li Zi Ming
One of the richest resources we represent on Plum is the CD compilation of Dan Miller’s Pakua Journal. This CD contains ALL 38 issues (over 1000 pages) of this extraordinary magazine that ran from 1990 to 1997. CLICK HERE for a complete article from Volume 5, written by Vince Black, on the remarkable Li Zi […]
Feb
12
2020
12
2020
Yue Family SanShou 18 Forms
A new translation for the New Year by Joseph Crandall, this one on Yue Family SanShou 18 Forms, one of the foundational styles from the ancient Yue Family Boxing. Yue Style is pretty much the Mixed Martial Art of its time, related to Chuo Jiao, Fanzi, and fundamental Shuai Jiao. Unvarnished.
Feb
7
2020
7
2020
Jan
19
2020
19
2020
Second Look: Wisdom of the Taiji Masters
Our renewed look at Nigel Sutton’s “Wisdom of the Taiji Masters,” was inevitable. Like a good British murder mystery, there is more to the search and intuition than to the closet full of clues. Despite the wealth of time spent by professor Cheng’s and other Tai Chi students on the secrets and questions posed by […]
Jan
2
2020
2
2020
Dec
27
2019
27
2019
Everything Old Is New Again
“A guy who can stand for two hours is a guy you don’t want to fight.” -Sifu Ted Mancuso Traditional Tai Chi training, back in the day, was markedly different from what is practiced today. There was considerable emphasis on stance training. Before students were taught a form, they spent countless hours perfecting/holding postures. It […]
Dec
25
2019
25
2019
Useful
Today we offer just a single DVD, but one that is packed with interest and—even more useful—Usage. Although this DVD, Original Striking Taiji Sanshou, claims legitimate membership in the Tai Chi camp, it comes from Master Wan Lei Sheng’s lineage, and his specific approach adds techniques that fall outside of the Tai Chi curriculum. Instructor […]
Dec
7
2019
7
2019
Fundamentals of Pakua Chang, Volume 2
For several years, there has been a noticeable hole in Plumpub’s book catalogue, namely Park Bok Nam’s Fundamentals of Pakua Chang, Volume Two. Although we reprinted Volume One a while back, the manuscript for Volume 2 was in an inaccessible format. Nonetheless, we persisted, and are happy to announce, right before this year’s end, that […]
Nov
29
2019
29
2019
Iron Palm, Through the Back, To the Mind
We’ve been so busy that we’ve neglected the great stack of Chinese books we are slowly adding to our collection. Even though in modern format, many of these books detail early styles and histories of this ancient art. Today’s entries include a book and DVD combination on ShanXi Tong Bei (through-the-back) boxing, a truly long-arm […]
Oct
28
2019
28
2019
An Interview with Hung Gar’s Sifu Donald Hamby
Here is a wonderful interview conducted by Sifu Pavel Macek, with our friend, Hung Gar Sifu Donald Hamby. Sifu Hamby talks about his roots and the LA Kung Fu scene back when he started in the 1970’s, and some of the qualities and applications of Hung Gar (with a short demo showing usage, at the […]
