Displaying posts filed under

Praying Mantis

Apr
11
2023

The Return of Spring and Mantis

Here’s some good news: We have a couple of short stacks of Sifu Paul Eng’s classic books on Praying Mantis back in stock. These two volumes, Mantis Steals the Peach, and Single Thrust Blossom, have been gone since 2020, and we are hoping to bring back the rest of the series, but for now, these […]

Feb
13
2023

New Books!

We’re starting up the engines again, and digging into the ever-growing pile of new material coming to Plum. We’re excited about these first three:                 Sifu Paul Koh once again brings us a comprehensive book on Tiger Claw’s Eight Diagram Fighting Set. This new text, literally, takes it to […]

Oct
12
2022

Mantis!

Today we add two new/old books to our catalog from the esteemed Sifu Lee Kam Wing. Sifu Lee has created a compendium of Mantis forms and practice texts, covering the foundations and routines of Seven Star Praying Mantis. Some of the volumes are now out of print, but Plum has gained access to Volumes #2 […]

Aug
5
2022

Wow!

At Plum, we keep a wantlist for things that go out of stock, out of print, or just disappear into the ether. This is such a common occurrence with the traditional material that we represent, that despite our sincere collecting of customer lists, even we must admit that many books and dvds never return. But […]

Jun
11
2022

A Mighty Book: 300 Years of Praying Mantis Boxing History

Once upon a time, we were fortunate to represent an exceptional book: “A Discourse on the History of the Praying Mantis Boxing for the Last One Hundred Years,” written by Huang HanChao. Sadly, it sold out, with demand seriously exceeding supply. But wait! Never say “Never” at Plum.  We have just received a gorgeous new […]

Aug
6
2021

Sifu Sam Chan’s Mantis and Wooden Dummy DVDs

Last week we pre-announced a gaggle of goodies about to be released into the Plum catalogue. Here are the first two: DVDs from Sifu Sam Hing Fai Chan — one on the Wing Chun Wooden Dummy, the other on Praying Mantis Bonk Bo (Beng Bu). Sifu Chan is best known on Plum for his excellent […]

Feb
14
2021

Two Paths, One Road

Praying Mantis Fist (TangLang Quan) is a famous style with a distinctive hand position known as a “Hook.” Although I shouldn’t write “a distinctive,” when, actually, this famous style has TWO versions of the key hand style, each to represent the same special hook shape for the hand. The first and most iconic version starts […]

Dec
9
2020

Plum December Sale Catalogue

We thought we would try something different this year, and pick out some of our favorite books and DVDs—a few older, many more recent—to highlight for a December sale. Plum carries over 3000 books, VCDs and DVDs, so choosing among them is not easy, but we at least made sure we have enough copies to […]

Mar
24
2020

Bong Bo Kuen (Beng Bu Quan)

Really exciting news! We have been working with Sifu Tak Wah Eng to bring some of his valuable, out-of-print material back to our world, and we are happy to announce that his long-gone DVD on Bong Bo Kuen (Beng Bu Quan) is once again available at Plum. Bong Bo is considered to be the foundational […]

Feb
7
2020

6 Harmony Mantis DVD Back In Stock

Yeah! These exceptional Liu He Tang Lang DVDs have returned. All placed orders will ship by Monday, and we are able to accept and ship new orders. Click image to be taken to more information, and to order; if you see a notice that they are out of stock, pay no attention. It just takes […]

Jan
2
2020

Six Harmony Praying Mantis (Liu He Tang Lang)

Several months ago, Plum published Sifu Adam Hsu’s significant book, “Life Is Too Short For Bad Kung Fu,” in which he outlined some crucial methods to save traditional Wushu from extinction. He might have had Sifu Tsai Yong Huang’s new DVD on Liu He Tang Lang (Six Harmony Praying Mantis) in mind when he reiterated […]

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 […]

Jun
5
2019

Many Great Titles

Plum has seen an upsurge in English language texts for Chinese Martial Arts. Great! However, this has taken some energy from the site’s mirror-side of Chinese texts. Not that we don’t have a pile of those, too, to catalogue, but they take a little more time due to translation, acquisition, etc. Still, we will try […]

May
2
2019

Su Yu Chang’s Passing: April 29, 2019

SU YU-CHANG (1940-2019) Su Yu Chang started his training in martial arts at a early age with the famous Kung Fu style known as “Lost Track.” Master Chang Te-Kuei also introduced him to the art of Praying Mantis. When he was 17, in Taiwan, he continued his studies there with Wei Xiao-Tang and Li Kuen […]

Mar
14
2018

LiuHe Tanglang: The Short Strike Form

We’ve added a new DVD to our collection: LiuHe Duan Chui, the second installment from Teacher Jian Gao, exhibiting one of the rarer styles of Praying Mantis—Six Harmony Praying Mantis—or what some might call a mantis variation of Liu He Quan (Six Harmonies Boxing). This style incorporates key points from many others, such as Monkey, […]

Nov
6
2017

A Little Bit of Hakka Boxing, A Few More Restocks

Hakka Unicorn Boxing DVD by Tyler R. Rea Hakka Boxing style Kei Lun Kune (Unicorn Boxing) is a famous form not only in Chinese Kung Fu, but also in boxing styles from other countries, such as Malaysia. This DVD offers a rare presentation of this form, aided by some innovative breakdowns and demonstrations. Every action […]

Mar
6
2017

Plum ♥︎ Mantis (and here’s some proof)

Guess who’s back! OK, the book covers probably give it away, but in case you want a name, it’s Wong Han Fun (Huang Han Hsun). We have restocked, FINALLY, 13 nicely-done reprints of some of his hard-to-find titles. And when we say “nicely done”, what we mean is some of the clearest, crispest photos that […]

Feb
17
2017

One Good Return Deserves Another

This addition (or should I say re-addition) contains a few books that have been unavailable for years. We know that our cutomers are loyal, but even so, we’ve been surprised that people who’ve had these on their want list for more than five years (!) still want them the moment they become available again. These […]

Jan
16
2017

Three Texts: New, Old, Reborn

Our storms are done here (we hope). It seems like during the time we holed up and watched the wind change the landscape, we also acquired a host of new products and long unavailable reprints. We have just added three of these books, each in a different phase of the publishing process. NEW: First is […]

Feb
19
2016

3 Worthy Additions from Shifu Jou

Shifu Jou’s series of instructional and lecture DVDs has definitely attracted some attention. There is a tendency right now to emphasize the mainland, but people should not forget what a treasure trove of skill Taiwan is–at least for a little while longer. For instance, the first of the new ones presents an in-depth discussion/lecture on […]