Displaying posts tagged with

“Adam Hsu”

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 […]

Feb
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 […]

Dec
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 […]

Nov
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
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 […]

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
31
2020

Bagua Zhang’s Ji Ben Gongs—Plum’s New Project

    Here is a short interview with Ted Mancuso, Plum’s director, on his upcoming book/DVD project. Covid slowed us down, but now we are back at work again, and hope to have this finished in the new year.  Q:    Your new book is on Bagua Zhang Gongs. What is a Gong? Ted:     In […]

Aug
8
2020

Adam Hsu Tan Tui

Decades ago, when I taught franchise information to a group of fledgling martial school owners, I was exposed to a process known as “total immersion.” This was an unstructured method of  training where a manager might be awakened at 3:00 am by “some potential student” pretending to want information in the middle of the night. […]

Jul
23
2020

Heads & Tails: Adam Hsu on Martial Marketing

Plum’s new series, Heads & Tails, presents the thoughts, experiences and points of view from top martial teachers and practitioners (CMA). It is not meant to be a passive offering—these are ideas to wrangle, consider, argue for and against. This first excerpt comes from Sifu Adam Hsu’s newest book, “Life Is Too Short For Bad […]

May
26
2020

Adam Hsu on Chen Style Taijiquan

It is no secret that we at Plum greatly admire Adam Hsu (Hsu Ji) and his teachings. We have published some of his books and DVDs, excerpted and reprinted articles, and referenced his many principles and theories. He is also our teacher. Although many have read his works and seen his videos, it’s not exactly […]

Mar
10
2020

Lost in Translation: The Hidden Gems of Kung-Fu

 In speaking with another shifu a few weeks ago, he brought up something that I took notice of quite some time ago, something that has always stood out to me, something that I have always made it a point to rally against in my Kung-Fu training and teaching. He spoke of today’s state of affairs […]

Feb
15
2020

A Take on Adam Hsu’s “Life Is Too Short For Bad Kung Fu”

Grand Master Adam Hsu’s new book, Life Is too Short For Bad Kung Fu, is a call to arms to save Chinese martial arts.  In this book he examines the current path Chinese martial arts is taking.  There may be some ruffled feathers at some of his profound statements on areas of needed improvement to […]

Jan
9
2020

Book Review: Adam Hsu’s “Life Is Too Short For Bad Kung Fu”

Traditional Chinese Kung Fu is dying. When it dies it won’t be a homicide but a suicide. Shifus are peddling tricks to kids. Shifus that are preserving Kung Fu can’t find students to undergo the hardship of practice. Students that are willing to undergo the traditional training can’t find a Shifu to train them. Kung […]

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 […]

Dec
20
2019

1984

I’ve been going through some boxes, unearthing photos, notebooks, old patches, and all manner of things from my 50+ years in the arts. Here’s a poster from one of Brendan Lai’s famous expos. It was a time.   Among those present: Cliff Look, Shek Kin, John Leong, Marc Singer, Mok Poi-On, Lee Koon-Hung, Ping Chow, […]

Oct
22
2019

Life is Too Short For Bad Kung Fu

Yes, it’s true! A new book in English by Adam Hsu. If this were Hollywood, Sifu Adam Hsu’s new book, “Life Is Too Short For Bad Kung Fu,” would be the tell-all on everyone’s reading list; not because it is gossipy—he names no names—but because it fulfills its promise to reveal the good, the bad, […]

Sep
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 […]

Jul
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 […]

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 […]