Displaying posts filed under

Weapons Work

Aug
28
2022

Jimmy Lee’s Poison Hand, and some Clean Staff Techniques from China

Continuing our Summer of Stars, we have two new offerings today. If your jaw drops on this first one you are not alone: Plum’s was on the floor when this book came to us: Jimmy Lee’s classic on Iron and Poison Hand Training, “Modern Kung-Fu Karate.” We have  been in business for almost 30 years, […]

Feb
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, […]

Sep
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

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

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 […]

Jun
27
2021

Southern Kung Fu Makes An Entrance

              Fu Jow Pai Sifu Paul Koh has just released 4 new titles, and we are excited! These new books are beautifully done, and add English language instruction to the Southern Kung Fu canon, which is always in need of traditional material. The books, all found HERE, cover Tiger […]

Mar
21
2021

Sifu Bow Sim Mark

I believe that I first saw Sifu Bow Sim Mark perform at Brendan Lai’s 1984 All Master’s Kung Fu Demonstration in San Francisco. Those were the pre-pre-youtube days and, other than pictures of her in the Kung Fu magazines, I had never seen her movement. I—along with the friends who accompanied me that night to […]

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 […]

Oct
9
2020

Short Stick Superior: The Whip Stick

One of the questions readers most ask us is , “What short stick videos do you recommend?” People love the short sticks. We do actually represent quite a few on our site, and among the best is Sifu Jack Yan’s Whip Stick book/dvd combo. So we are always happy when our customers agree! Thanks to […]

Jul
18
2020

Bear Bones

Thanks to our student, John, for sending this to us. And as one keen observer on youtube noted, those are three-sectioned sticks, not nunchakus. Not that the bear cares…

Apr
23
2020

Shaolin Sheltering: Weird Weapons

Among the first commandments for stifling COVID-19 is ‘do not touch your face’. This was extremely difficult for me. Spring is allergy season. It makes me cough and sneeze, and the last thing I want to be right now is a coughing sneezing Asian. What’s more, my nose is always itchy. To keep from scratching, […]

Apr
17
2020

Special Knowledge

              This week we offer an unusual mix aimed mostly at more advanced information, each in its respective art. For instance the many insights of Yang style Tai Chi Chuan performed by Lin MoGen are embodied in an unusually relaxed and natural version that takes over an hour to […]

Apr
11
2020

Copper Whiskers

    This is an article about one of the great weapons, a weapon that has been employed in real combat but which is also considered an instrument of beauty and style. People react variously to a two-edged straight sword; some see its performance as art. This is rare. Traditionally, scholars wore a straight sword […]

Dec
11
2019

Instructor’s Notebook: Tiger Hook Blades

INSTRUCTOR’S NOTEBOOK The life and death of our art depends on the Quality of shared knowledge we maintain. Proper teaching informs the student while educating the teacher.  Confucius told us that “wherever a few are gathered, I have a teacher.” As we see, all faces of Kung Fu offer a deep well to draw from. […]

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 […]

Feb
13
2019

The Righteous Blade

INTRODUCTION You grip the Kuan Dao but you haven’t lifted it yet. Something is different here. The blade is thicker than a saber and yours may have more edges; at the butt end, the metal or wood shaft may be capped with bronze. Your Kuan Dao looks fierce as well as heavy, the kind of […]

Jan
24
2019

Change Is Good: Sifu Jack Yan’s Book/DVD Packages

Plum has represented Sifu Jack Yan’s book and DVDs on Tong Bei Quan, Whip Stick, and Eight Immortals Sword for several years. Sifu Yan’s excellent instruction is clear, his English text well-written, and his teaching generous. Initially, there was one book containing 3 forms, pointing to 3 separate DVDs. Now Sifu Yan has re-packaged each […]

Dec
14
2018

How Legends Grow

After 5000 years, an ocean of rumor and a mountain range of myth still proscribe the land of Kung Fu. And the stories that most attach themselves are often related to the origins of weapons. Not every weapon has a backstory and a legend. But the folk stories that accompany weapons—believable or not—range from the […]

Nov
30
2018

Two Times Three, But Who’s Counting?

Our offering today centers around “two”—a triplet of Chinese texts each with a special relationship to the number.  The first of these is a text recommended by Adam Hsu, on the rare “Wild Goose” saber, a cross between a saber and a straight sword. This unusual weapon balances perfectly the special features of both types […]

Jun
18
2018

Triple Irony

Martial artists always have something to do. In my case I have been reconstructing and improving my weapons skills—at least, I hope so, considering the practice put in. It can be a slow process. It’s tough enough to fight through the quirks of each weapon. You also have to overcome the tendency for former ghostly […]