You’ve heard us say this before, but we get so many interesting books to review at Plum, we don’t always have the time we’d like to really get into and thoroughly read each volume before cataloguing and posting. But sometimes, in what we laughingly refer to as our ‘spare time,’ a specific book or dvd […]
Feb
7
2024
7
2024
Aug
5
2022
5
2022
May
9
2020
9
2020
Xingyi Sheltering
Practicing in isolation due to Shelter in Place orders has me reflecting on the time-honored tales of incarcerated Kung Fu masters. There is a story of when Xingyi Grandmaster Guo Yunshen (1829–1898 郭雲深) was imprisoned for accidentally killing an opponent in a duel. By some accounts, he was shackled in handcuffs and leg irons, limiting […]
Jun
15
2015
15
2015
XingYi Quan – The Five Elements: Shifu Adam Hsu
Admittedly, the prospect of sitting down to three DVDs about Hebei XingYi Quan is intimidating at best. Yet, almost immediately, you are taken into a story of practice, of history and, most importantly, Shifu Hsu’s absolute command of his topic. His enthusiasm and dedication become contagious even through the subtitles. And always there is his […]
Mar
16
2015
16
2015
A Better Book Returns
The Xing Yi Boxing Manual has skipped in and out of being available for a while now. But all is forgotten with the new edition—revised and expanded—of this important Xing Yi text. As it says in our page description, this is not only a major book of instruction on the five elemental fists, but the […]
Aug
18
2012
18
2012
Sun LuTang Returns to Plum
Plum’s first mission statement included the words, “…to preserve and promote Traditional Chinese Martial Arts.” That was almost 20 years ago…
May
6
2012
6
2012
Xin Yi Liu He: This Time, A Book
A few days ago, we added a great series of Xin Yi Liu He DVDs. Now, we are happy to announce the return of one of our favorite books on the same subject.
Sep
8
2011
8
2011
Butterfly Hands
The Butterfly Hands, often associated with a crossed-wrist position, comes up here and there in some styles of Kung Fu where you would least expect it. Hung Gar, for instance, has a nice Butterfly Set with fast, light hands and lots of body spinning. Here is a book on the Butterfly Technique of the Xin […]
Aug
24
2008
24
2008
What is a Warrior?
We asked a question about the meaning of being a warrior, soliciting those reactions that martial artists have mulled over and over as they refined their searches for meaning. Here are a few personal responses to our question… What is a warrior as it applies to martial arts? I’ve pondered this question in various ways […]