Displaying posts filed under

Pigua Zhang

Jul
8
2019

Sifu Hamby’s 4th Gathering: Expertise & Camaraderie, Side by Side

Once again, Sifu Don Hamby has indeed “gathered the masters” in the 4th exhibition of long-studied and highly trained lovers of Chinese martial arts. Watching the skills displayed we are reminded of the power and beauty in this vast art. This well-attended showcase in Monterey Park (Los Angeles), sponsored by the Traditional Chinese Martial Arts […]

Aug
16
2018

Four Books, Five Elements: Tong Bi With a Dash of Qigong

Announcing FOUR new books in our Traditional Chinese Section! The first three display an abundance of riches; all are on Wu Xing Tong Bi, or Five Elements Through the Arm Boxing, a style of ancient moves and modern popularity. Like Bajiquan, attention to this style is growing rapidly. Distinctive, fast, elegant and powerful, Tong Bi […]

Jun
27
2018

A Gathering Indeed

Friday, we drove south, over 350 miles to Monterey Park, in Los Angeles, in answer to Sifu Don Hamby’s invitation to attend his 3rd Annual Kung Fu Gathering of the Masters. Despite expectations based on decades of tournaments and events, we could not have anticipated what we encountered once the drumming started. Sifu Hamby, widely […]

Sep
20
2015

Adam Hsu’s Basic Kung Fu Training Books

Much earlier in his career, Adam Hsu Sifu created a special series of three linking sets. Each of these were progressively designed to waste as little time as possible, getting that crucial fundamental information to the students. For instance, there are no repetitious sections. Also, each movement is a crucial basic. Two of these sets […]

Jun
3
2015

Training and Training: Practice with Adam Hsu

There’s training and then there’s training. In Kung Fu there is a kind of training that so challenges the way of thinking AND the body that people successfully ignore it for years and even decades. So begins Shifu Mancuso’s newest article, printed on our sister site, adamhsukungfu.com. Click the picture to continue reading. We are […]

Jan
23
2015

The Bowman and the Tiger: excerpt

The following story is told in China: A hunter in ancient times was out on a moonlit night when he saw a tiger seated some ten meters away. Frightened, he tensed his bow and with all his intent he let loose his arrow, because if he did not kill the tiger fast, the tiger would […]

Oct
31
2014

Face-to-face translations

What are “en face” editions?

Jul
26
2014

Stamp Your Feet for Bajiquan (Pachi Chuan)

As mentioned, we have a lot going on at Plum right now, and here is just the newest in our list of great events: the FIRST book in english on Bajiquan (Pachi Chuan.) Not only that, but it comes  from the renowned teacher, Su Yu Chang, whose lineage through GM Liu Yun Chiao adds to […]

May
25
2014

Some Favorite Styles…

Sometimes readers ask me for suggestions without specifying any certain style. They leave that open. In essence, their exacting and sometimes highly technical queries often boil down to ”what styles do you like?” Of course the real answer is “a lot of them” since I am a lover of Chinese martial arts. Strangely enough, many […]

Jun
25
2008

PIGUA ZHANG

PiGua can be variously translated as Split-Deflect or Ax-Hitch Boxing. In the old days this was a form of Kung Fu used when warriors wore armor. The very famous Ming general Ch’i Chi-Kuang (Qi Jiguang) in his book New Essays on Martial Arts the act of fighting while armor-clad.