If you are learning the art of TC sword, or even just want to appreciate the style, you have picked one of the great martial arts weapons. This double-bladed instrument — whether wooden practice or combat steel — is unlike any other in the Tai Chi arsenal. It encourages direct concentration aligned with movement — […]
Mar
20
2022
20
2022
Mar
5
2022
5
2022
Spinning Bagua
When we think of Kung Fu and its long history, we tend to think of its venerable age, lineage, and established methods. But everything in Kung Fu was new once — VERY NEW — and innovative. Responding to environment, population and, most influentially, technology, these impulses sparked revolutionary changes, as well as temporary (and sometimes, […]
Feb
19
2022
19
2022
Hawk Splits Sky: Good News and Great Reviews
Good news! Hawk Splits Sky: Jibengong Practice, Bagua Zhang Mastery is back in stock after selling out the first printing, and available to order. Good reviews! In the shameless praise department, we are delighted to read what people have to say about our new book/DVD package. Here’s a new sampling: It’s a masterpiece. I’m not […]
Feb
6
2022
6
2022
No One Is Perfect: Books That Go Bump In the Shipping
Honestly, considering the amount of shipping we do, both sending and receiving, it is remarkable how few bumped corners we have to report. But things DO go wrong, every once in a while. Take, for instance, a recent order from Taiwan. A few lovelies received minor bruises, hardly anything to rise up over but still, […]
Jan
10
2022
10
2022
Gao Style Baguazhang
We have been receiving some exceptional Bagua material lately, so if you think we’ve been a little tilted toward the Bagua circle, you would be correct. Bagua Rubbing Bagua linked Palms Compiled, at least of this writing, is the last for a while, but it is a mighty nice offering on which to pause. Lionbooks, […]
Jan
1
2022
1
2022
QA: The Benefit of Reeling Silk in Bagua
A little while back, we published a short video tutorial on Reeling Silk exercise in Bagua Zhang. We just received a nice comment on it from Lyn, plus a couple of questions… Q: Very interesting little video. The informal style of it made it easy to watch–& a disappointment when it ended! I always tend […]
Dec
24
2021
24
2021
Essence of Baguazhang Back in Stock
Just a quick note, since a lot of you are waiting: just got our copies of “Essence of Baguazhang: The Biography of Liu Yun Chiao” back in stock. They are going fast, but we did get a nice stack of them, so hopefully they will last for all orders… And if you do decide to […]
Dec
21
2021
21
2021
First Reviews of Hawk Split Sky Have Landed
Our new book, Hawk Splits Sky: Jibengong Practice, Bagua Zhang Mastery, is selling well. This is always good news to us as both authors and publishers, but the truly great moment comes when the first few reviews come in. Here they are: The Hawk splits the sky arrived this morning. I have to compliment both […]
Dec
15
2021
15
2021
It’s Alive!
Neither rain nor snow nor sleet nor covid has been able to stop our new book by Sifu Ted Mancuso, “Hawk Splits Sky: Jibengong Practice, Bagua Zhang Mastery,” from publication. But it’s not like the forces of nature haven’t tried really hard. Nonetheless, the boxes of books and the spindles of DVDs are now arrived, […]
Dec
3
2021
3
2021
Kittens, Newbies, and an Old Favorite
Sort of hard to believe it is already December. In-between projects and cataloguing and writing articles, we have been keeping an eye on our two new wrestlers, Uxmal and Notte, a 6 month old (kitten) sister act who have taken up permanent residence in our home (and hearts). When they are not sleeping or eating, […]
Nov
10
2021
10
2021
Sifu Paul Koh’s Tiger Crane Matching Set
So happy to see another volume in Paul Koh’s expanding series on Southern Shaolin Tiger Claw. This one is special, in that it is instruction and background for a matching set, in this case the famous Tiger Crane Two Person Routine. As with Sifu Koh’s other books, the set is traditional in its approach, while […]
Nov
4
2021
4
2021
Liu YunChiao’s Bagua Zhang
We received several requests for this book before we even saw it, so we are pleased to actually have it in hand. And what a book! We have seen other memorials to Liu YunChiao, all admirable, but this book, Essence of Baguazhang, honors him especially by including both written remembrances, by those who studied with […]
Sep
30
2021
30
2021
Continuing Our Hung Gar Week
Finally, finally! Yesterday we received our long-delayed and even longer-anticipated GORGEOUS copies of Lam Chun Fai’s Tid Sin Kuen book. To be perfectly honest, we were a bit disappointed in the printing of the first set, so we went back and reprinted. To remind: Plum has become the official publisher of this important text; for […]
Sep
26
2021
26
2021
Who Doesn’t Love a Price Drop?
Prices are going up EVERYwhere. It is undeniable. So the chance to announce a price reduction brings us real pleasure, and when it is attached to a fine series of products, that makes it all the better. Sifu Donald Hamby has dropped the prices on all of his Hung Gar DVDs to $29.95 each, which […]
Sep
24
2021
24
2021
Paul Koh’s Butterfly Knives Flash!
Another great book just landed from Paul Koh: Southern Shaolin Tiger Claw Double (Butterfly) Knives. This beautifully presented text, with full-color, full-page photos, includes History and Origins, Fundamentals, Techniques, Maneuvers, a full routine developed for him by Master Tak Wah Eng, and a beautifully told story of a young man’s encounter with the knives. As […]
Sep
5
2021
5
2021
Hands and Swords
As promised, we have finally added the two latest great books to our catalogue: Adam Hsu’s San Cai Sword, and Zhao Da Yuan’s Practical Qin Na (translated by Tom Bisio). A recent customer mentioned that it is not just the books themselves, but the types of books that Plum represents that excite him. We’re prejudiced, […]
Aug
24
2021
24
2021
Forthcoming, and Then Some
A brief pause in our cataloguing work to tell you about a few items coming up that would be here sooner if we didn’t keep pausing to tell you about them…well, you get the picture. Anyway, a little while back we added a gorgeous new Chinese book from Sifu Adam Hsu on Tan Tui, this […]
Aug
10
2021
10
2021
Kent Howard’s Essentials of Bagua Zhang
Thrilled to announce Sifu Kent Howard’s newest book and companion DVD, Introduction to Baguazhang: From Circle Walking to Advanced Practice. Sifu Howard includes the essentials of any Bagua practice, generously teaching routines while also emphasizing Basics and other lesser addressed topics such as response time in stress situations. His clear instruction already makes him a […]
Aug
6
2021
6
2021
Jul
24
2021
24
2021
Paul Koh Interview Part 3: Present and Future Approaches to Kung Fu
This is the third in a four-part interview with Sifu Paul Koh, who has just released a series of beautifully designed books on traditional forms. Sifu Koh was gracious enough to grant Plum an interview, which turned out to exceed our expectations in terms of length and depth. Since the interview is lengthy, we decided […]
