Although Plum, almost exclusively, represents books and videos on traditional Chinese martial arts, there are times when we bow or nod to important works from among our cousins; in this case, it is GM James Mitose’s classic treatise on Self-Defense techniques and theory, What Is Self Defense, that strongly influenced the development of Kenpo (often […]
Sep
4
2023
4
2023
Jun
5
2019
5
2019
Jun
28
2017
28
2017
The Cane, Practical Self Defense
Our Shaolin Cane DVD has engendered more questions and reactions than almost any other DVD we developed. This article focuses on those questions, partially in the hope that this weapon—which some people actually rely on for self defense—grows in popularity and improves in technique. Let’s first recognize the diversity of the instrument. It’s more than […]
Aug
5
2016
5
2016
ON ED PARKER AND KENPO
There are now a number of videos on the market showing the teaching of Grandmaster Edmund Parker. These are no doubt historic documentaries and show Parker at his best: making jokes, expounding key points, developing analogies that force practitioners to re-think basic concepts. But we’d like to address the issues surrounding the man, not the […]
Jul
21
2016
21
2016
Natural Speed: Three Step Program
I won’t keep you in suspense about what the three step is, so here’s the saying: “Slow is fluid, and fluid is fast.” On at least one level, pretty much everyone might agree with this. And, as your Kung Fu skills increase, that border between fluid and fast will start to wash away. The hard […]
Mar
18
2014
18
2014
New book! Wing Chun Wooden Dummy
Each book on the Wooden Dummy seems to contain a little more information than the last. Here is a new entry by Sifu Sam Chan, a practitioner of both Wing Chun and Jow Gar. (Have you noticed how must cross-training there is in the Southern style Kung Fu? Similarity of moves and theories?) It has […]
Oct
5
2012
5
2012
When is a punch…?
One of our DVD authors and a darn good self defense instructor, likes to ask the following question. “When is a punch a punch?”
May
7
2012
7
2012
PLUM Seminar, May 12th
We know that a lot of you are not exactly in driving distance but we thought we would keep you informed on our seminars in Santa Cruz, anyway. After all, you are family.
Jan
9
2012
9
2012
Explosive Punching and You
This DVD offering is from our “other” site, the one attached to our school in Santa Cruz, California. Our school, the Academy of Martial and Internal Arts, offers self defense training. The teacher for this is John Ottenberg, the instructor on the Beyond Technique series. We like to offer his series at Plum because it […]
Oct
6
2011
6
2011
Dec
17
2010
17
2010
Kung Fu’s Four Faces
Which Kung Fu Do You Practice? All around the world million practice Kung Fu. And every one of them has his or her idea what that is. I prefer the classic outlook refined by dozens of centuries. For me this tells the WHOLE story and everything else is a scene.
Apr
15
2009
15
2009
Tim Cartmell’s Standing Grappling
It is the bane of self defense techniques that they may look real fine in the book, look real good in the magazine or work like a charm when demonstrated by the teacher against a helpful crash test dummy, but in the clutch they do not work at all.
