We at Plum freely admit that we are big fans of Andrea Falk, in her roles as martial artist, writer and translator. It is this last role that we celebrate today. When we started Plum, almost 30 years ago, there were so many important texts available in Chinese that we never thought we would see […]
Oct
28
2022
28
2022
Aug
4
2017
4
2017
Muslim Kung Fu: The Fist of the Bodyguards
Comment: Of the over 700 articles and opinion pieces on the martial arts I’ve published, this one on Muslim Kung Fu has probably gotten the most reactions. Letters and question from all over the world have flooded in. There is a lot of interest there in Jiao Men, Islamic martial arts. Here is the first […]
Jul
27
2015
27
2015
The Water Styles
The class is warming up, you can hear the uniforms snapping, the floor jumping; but you are in the office with a potential student. He called your studio, set up an appointment. Now he sits across from you hoping you will answer his burning question: which style should he start with? I sit back, think […]
Jul
17
2015
17
2015
Tan Tui 3 Patterns
This new DVD by Sifu Adam Hsu takes a version of Tan Tui and shows three important ways of practicing, giving a new life to an old form. (Actually it could just as easily be performed with your particular version of Tan Tui; or any Chinese martial arts form for that matter.) This presentation discusses […]
Jun
17
2015
17
2015
The Other Side of Tradition
On the “Three Steps of Tan Tui” DVD When your tradition is so tight you can’t breathe, then it doesn’t matter how good it looks. There is a lot of tradition in the art of Kung Fu. Three thousand years of tightening tends to cause some gasping. Other big problems with tradition can make you […]
Oct
31
2014
31
2014
Face-to-face translations
What are “en face” editions?
Nov
8
2013
8
2013
Buddhist Yoga and a Muslim Fist
If contrortionists make you twitch, and joints creating odd angles makes you wince, you might pass on this one…
Jun
10
2013
10
2013
Master of Shaolin Kung Fu
His skills were so profound that he was often able to be victorious with just one stroke. His Shaolin Iron Palm skills were so good that people called him “Iron Palm Gu Ruzhang”…
Dec
27
2012
27
2012
Spring Leg into the New Year
We may be crazy but we love the Tan Tui form. Sifu Jason Tsou and Arthur Schonfeld, the creators of the Jian Shu sword fighting text, have returned with a complete 10 Road Tan Tui package that includes the form from the Han Ching Tan to Adam Hsu lineage along with a DVD and some […]
Aug
16
2011
16
2011
Cha, The Muslim Style
Everything in this small series is pretty much self explanatory as long as you have the limberness of a ballet dancer.
Mar
2
2010
2
2010
Product: Examining Cha Style Kung Fu
Cha Boxing is a large and popular art which has highly influenced the Kung Fu world…
