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
19
2020
19
2020
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 […]
Oct
15
2019
15
2019
Three Fighting Stars: Xin Yi, Chang and Gong Li Quan
All three of these new Chinese texts—on Xin Yi Liu He, the ancient Chang family style, and Five Ancestors boxing—demonstrate applications that give a good sense, in each case, showing them as pragmatic and functional. The Gong Li Quan is one of the styles that comes under […]
Sep
28
2019
28
2019
Tai Chi: Loss and Gain
It’s true. The older you get, the more people want to force feed you a philosophy of loss. Everything appears to dwindle, leaving whatever you were gripping to stabilize yourself, a phantom in a shadow. Sometimes the effect of this “negative advancement” is itself positive and salubrious. But even in positive circumstances this […]
Sep
22
2019
22
2019
A Transformative Art—Tom Bisio on Xing Yi
Teacher Tom Bisio’s newest book, Xing Yi Quan: Art of Inner Transformation, is a well-balanced read on the fundamental ideas and goals of Xing Yi (Shape of the Will Boxing). It is a basics manual written by someone who has intimately absorbed the basics in his own training—in other words, he did not just learn […]
Sep
2
2019
2
2019
“Baji” vs. “Taiji”—Only “One” “Dot” Different
Here is a new piece by Adam Hsu. This article contrasts two superstars of Chinese martial arts: TaiJi Quan Chuan and Baji Quan, each of them a brilliant martial art, each based on some profound principles, each a model for understanding Chinese Wushu. Never disappointing, he examines these two seemingly opposed arts and uncovers similarities […]
Aug
27
2019
27
2019
Rare Hao Style, Hong Style, and Bagua Leg Techniques—Available Now!
Delighted to announce the addition of five strong books into the Plum library. These gems from Hong Kong, all with boh Chinese and English text, are beautifully designed and laid out with large, easy to read photos, on subjects we just never see in English. KH020 Hao Style Tai Ji Quan Developed by Master Liu […]
Aug
17
2019
17
2019
Southern Exposure: Pak Mei and 10 Animals
YIKES! Update! Wait! We were wrong about one of the Pak Mai books—instead of sending us 2 Sam Choi books, the publisher sent us one Sam Choi and one Thomas Cheng book on Pak Mei! This is the revised post. So sorry! Some great news: we have been (finally) able to restock three extremely popular […]
Aug
12
2019
12
2019
The Road to Tan Tui (Redux)
A long while back, we created and posted a free series of video tutorials on the famous 12 Road Tan Tui; the series is made up of 14 videos which include step-by-step instruction PLUS applications for each road. For years, this has been popular on our site, but when we recently reviewed it we were […]
Jul
21
2019
21
2019
New Chinese Books: Taijiquan and Chin Na Restraints
What a slew of great new books we have for yew you… In addition to those above, we have restocked the following previously out-of-stock titles:
Jul
17
2019
17
2019
Q&A: The Yoke Punch in Tan Tui: North and South
Q: I’d like to ask why is there a different alignment of the arms with the Yoke punch as demonstrated in the Tan Tui 12 Road and the 10 Road forms respectfully? In the 10 Road video Sifu gives specific details about the arm alignment (90° in one instance and 135°? In another instance… depending […]
Jul
8
2019
8
2019
Jun
21
2019
21
2019
Two Views of Sifu John Leong
At Plum, we are lucky to represent not one but two views of Hung Gar Kung Fu Sifu John Leong, in two new books added to our collection: Beginning Hung Gar Kung Fu, a classic text, and Living Kung Fu, a recently released photo collection of Sifu Leong’s martial journey. “Beginning Hung Gar Kung Fu” […]
Jun
16
2019
16
2019
System, Not Style
We are pleased to offer this presentation—long overdue by us—of Di Guoyong on Xingyiquan, Sifu Di’s systematic explanation of that deeply loved and appreciated style, Xing Yi Quan. Contained in these three volumes is a full roster of forms along with comprehensive descriptions, from basics all the way to weapons forms and partner practice. We […]
Jun
7
2019
7
2019
