Without a doubt, Ken Cohen’s ESSENTIAL QIGONG TRAINING COURSE is one of the best Qigong series ever created. Balancing book,CDs and DVDs, it covers a huge swath of the Qigong territory (including a few things we might not let beginners practice) skillfully using different media to detail methods, diagnosis, diet, philosophy and more. Here, at a huge discount, see one of the presentations that made Ken Cohen an acknowledged master in the field. Click image to go to page…

We are happy to announce a price drop on the monumental first series of Baji Thunder from Sifu Adam Hsu. The price on the 7-DVD set (over 8 hours long) will drop from $210.00 to $195, with the Plum price of $185.

And all orders received before the start of Chinese New Year will enjoy an even lower price of $175.

Shifu Jou’s series of instructional and lecture DVDs has definitely attracted some attention.

There is a tendency right now to emphasize the mainland, but people should not forget what a treasure trove of skill Taiwan is—at least for a little while longer. For instance, the first of the new ones presents an in-depth discussion/lecture on core principles in Kung Fu.

These DVDs also confirm this view as Shifu Jou demonstrates, in his two new Mantis DVDs (among other styles,) a hard-edged, powerful and yet unpredictable mantis. That’s one of the great things about the style: that you can have a Paul Eng with his elegance and moving quietude, and a teacher like Jou with powerful, deceptive and unusual actions.

This lives up to a lively instruction I received when I attended a seminar with teacher Su Yu Chang. He said, “Even if your opponent dies, he will be happy to have seen the real mantis!”

We’re getting great reviews of Shifu Jou’s work, such as: “I would purchase anything the man puts out…” We’ve posted some reactions from early viewers, so take a look.

The post 3 Worthy Additions from Shifu Jou appeared first on KaiMen.

We have been so inspired while reviewing videos from the newest addition to the Plum cast—that is, Shifu PouFu Jou—that we are preparing excerpts from each of his DVDs for you to take a look.

We have now posted three clips, with more to come: on Northern Praying Mantis LanJie and Lipi Quan, plus his  wonderful Q&A series on Kung Fu Principles, called Hall of Kung Fu. The entire playlist is available here.

We’ll update this post as we add more.

And to see all of Shifu Jou’s DVDs, click HERE

The post MORE Video Glimpses of Shifu Jou appeared first on KaiMen.

We’ve returned from our vacation and, guess what! Not one but TWO new volumes in Sifu Adam Hsu’s Baji Thunder DVD series are on the horizon. Volume Two should be available in the next month, and Volume Three will follow shortly after that.

It just gets better.

More on this very soon.

The post Your Future in Bajiquan appeared first on KaiMen.

Not for the first time, Sifu Adam Hsu is doing something remarkable. And, as with many projects that fall into the ‘remarkable’ category, it is also different enough that a few words of explanation are not mis-spent. In fact, he is producing something completely new based on one of the most traditional methods for teaching martial arts.

He will soon release, through Plum, the second and third volumes in his masterful series, Baji Thunder. Volume 1, which contains 7 DVDs, was titled, simply, “Foundations.” The forthcoming Volume 2 is entitled “Development,” and the third, to follow shortly after, is called “Advanced.” Foundations centers on Xiao Baji; Volume Two’s “Development” constellates Da Baji; and the third, “Advanced,” is a 4 DVD set teaching the rare Liu Da Kai, along with Ba Da Shi.

Just issuing a series with this much depth (three DVD sets, comprised of 14 disks) is a remarkable achievement. In them, Hsu Sifu turns the whole form instruction structure on its head. In a sense he is declaring that the forms are only a small part of the system itself. “Of course,” you would say, “a system is much greater than its forms.” But, typically, we still approach our learning by form instruction first, then the other stuff later. Sifu Hsu—in this series, especially—contends this backwards.

I recently wrote a piece on forms practice in Kung Fu. In this article I expressed my opinion regarding the place of forms in training: “It is much better to assume forms are for forms’ sake, and not rely on them to be incredibly functional. They aren’t functional, that’s the way it is.” What I meant was that the particular package we call a form is not intrinsically important to learning the Kung Fu skills of the form. The form may have great aesthetic quality, but that’s just a bonus.

Baji, as Sifu Hsu demonstrates, is especially clear about this. It tends to link well-practiced movements together only after they are understood. This revives a truly traditional method of instruction. And you can see it. Baji forms just look different somehow. The reason for this is that the practitioners actually understand what they are doing. This lends a special urgency and vitality to their performance. And remember: Baji is a fierce and well-tested fighting style. According to traditional beliefs, correct Baji basics training is far more important than the form.

A quick glance at a partial list of entries from Volume Two says it all.

As in any good teacher-student relationship, you, too, will have to contribute: your own knowledge of Kung Fu, your own skills, your own understanding of how to practice (although Sifu Hsu does offer much in this area) and, of course, your own dogged determination and training.

What you will not find in Volume 2 is step-by-step instruction for how to perform Da Baji. What you will find are the individual movements and their power, timing, and applications. Having started in this classic manner, you can thread the movements separately to assemble your final version of the form. (At the finish of DVD #2 there is also a very clear demonstration of the form in normal and slow motion. By the time you reach here, picking up the sequence will give you little trouble.)

For the many of you who already have earlier videos in your library, I offer this suggestion: put them aside and pause your Baji practice, follow the instructions in the new series, then go back to your own Baji and see if it does not add breadth and depth to what you have already learned.

We’ll keep you updated.

The post Remarkable Adam Hsu appeared first on KaiMen.

Liuhebafa seems to be growing in every direciton. This is the so-called “fourth internal style” and some people see it as having a more distinctly martial tone to its voice. We’re happy to add a nice representation to our already strong list. This is a peek directly into a lesson from a well skilled instructor to his Chinese student. Many details cleared up. Click picture for link to page.

The post 6 Harmonies 8 Methods, new appeared first on KaiMen.

Not for the first time, Sifu Adam Hsu is doing something remarkable. And, as with many projects that fall into the ‘remarkable’ category, it is also different enough that a few words of explanation are not mis-spent. In fact, he is producing something completely new based on one of the most traditional methods for teaching martial arts.

He will soon release, through Plum, the second and third volumes in his masterful series, Baji Thunder. Volume 1, which contains 7 DVDs, was titled, simply, “Foundations.” The forthcoming Volume 2 is entitled “Development,” and the third, to follow shortly after, is called “Advanced.” Foundations centers on Xiao Baji; Volume Two’s “Development” constellates Da Baji; and the third, “Advanced,” is a 4 DVD set teaching the rare Liu Da Kai, along with Ba Da Shi.

Just issuing a series with this much depth (three DVD sets, comprised of 14 disks) is a remarkable achievement. In them, Hsu Sifu turns the whole form instruction structure on its head. In a sense he is declaring that the forms are only a small part of the system itself. “Of course,” you would say, “a system is much greater than its forms.” But, typically, we still approach our learning by form instruction first, then the other stuff later. Sifu Hsu—in this series, especially—contends this backwards.

I recently wrote a piece on forms practice in Kung Fu. In this article I expressed my opinion regarding the place of forms in training: “It is much better to assume forms are for forms’ sake, and not rely on them to be incredibly functional. They aren’t functional, that’s the way it is.” What I meant was that the particular package we call a form is not intrinsically important to learning the Kung Fu skills of the form. The form may have great aesthetic quality, but that’s just a bonus.

Baji, as Sifu Hsu demonstrates, is especially clear about this. It tends to link well-practiced movements together only after they are understood. This revives a truly traditional method of instruction. And you can see it. Baji forms just look different somehow. The reason for this is that the practitioners actually understand what they are doing. This lends a special urgency and vitality to their performance. And remember: Baji is a fierce and well-tested fighting style. According to traditional beliefs, correct Baji basics training is far more important than the form.

A quick glance at a partial list of entries from Volume Two says it all.

As in any good teacher-student relationship, you, too, will have to contribute: your own knowledge of Kung Fu, your own skills, your own understanding of how to practice (although Sifu Hsu does offer much in this area) and, of course, your own dogged determination and training.

What you will not find in Volume 2 is step-by-step instruction for how to perform Da Baji. What you will find are the individual movements and their power, timing, and applications. Having started in this classic manner, you can thread the movements separately to assemble your final version of the form. (At the finish of DVD #2 there is also a very clear demonstration of the form in normal and slow motion. By the time you reach here, picking up the sequence will give you little trouble.)

For the many of you who already have earlier videos in your library, I offer this suggestion: put them aside and pause your Baji practice, follow the instructions in the new series, then go back to your own Baji and see if it does not add breadth and depth to what you have already learned.

We’ll keep you updated.

The post Remarkable Adam Hsu appeared first on KaiMen.

At Last!

After more than one year’s anticipation, not just the second installment of Adam Hsu’s magnificent Bajiquan trilogy, but the fabulous third and final volume have both arrived.

There is so much in this series of Baji DVDs that we’re just going to suggest that you either look at the descriptions on the sale page, or click to the Table of Contents for the whole series components. We sincerely consider this video presentation of Bajiquan to be the best, at present (and, most likely, the best that ever will be.)

See for yourself.

The post Adam Hsu’s Bajiquan Trilogy: Volumes 2 & 3 Are Here! appeared first on KaiMen.

There are a lot of well meaning martial practitioners out there that have probably never posed in front of a camera. They make honest, traditional and studied demonstrations of each particular style. Despite the special qualities of the style, the survey of their forms may be tepid and self-conscious. No disrespect to them, they did not sign up to be actors, just teachers.

On the other hand there are teachers who are dynamic from the salute. Jou Bao Fu is one of these. His explanations are direct and even a little edgy. His performance is never lukewarm. He moves like he’s taking a chance, even on the simplest actions. There’s an old saying that the school is held up by the spirit of the teacher. Sifu Jou’s may dip occasionally, but it never sinks.

We have just received a rendition of his Chen style Tai Chi which, as you may guess, has a lot of very martial movements along with some original insights and occasional applications. We have also added a DVD of his Mizong or Lost Track style and in that he really lives up to the name especially with the Lost footwork, crossing, leaning, twist, recovering. This would be a very difficult dance lesson.

We have a lot more coming but so far this year we have seen some of the best quality instruction and demonstration in a relatively short time. Let’s see what the rest of the Monkey year has in store.

The post From Taiwan: An Old Frame and a Lost Track appeared first on KaiMen.

There are two ways to make a DVD, irrespective of a particular style.

The first way is to follow your style’s structure: warm ups, basics, form and sampled applications. The second way, less common, is to offer, derived from your style, skills that might be universally helpful to appropriate seekers. Imagine a Long Fist practice that aids Shaolin, Hua, PiGua, Cha and more. On Plum, we represent some good sources for “fundamental” information about Bagua styles, such as Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang, Bagua: The Art of Change, Kang Ge Wu’s A Course in Bagua, Tom Bisio’s 3 DVD set. Some are more style specific some are not.

In his new series, Adam Hsu has crafted a series of lessons able to heighten any practitioner’s Bagua performance. These DVDs really do “decode” some key concepts. Volume One concentrates on the valuable basics of footwork, drilling, spine exercises and other crucial points unique to Bagua. Volume Two goes into numerous applications of the palms, hi-mid-low stance training, a whole discussion on Bagua’s Qigong, pole work with multiple poles, marching practice and more. It concentrates not on the general Bagua walking circle and form, but on major twisting and coiling concepts, and other examples proving Bagua to be as exceptional a style as Adam Hsu contends. Some of these (the Kuen-Zhong-Zheng-Guo Four Hands, the pole exercises, etc.) inspired me, years ago, to include them in my own teaching DVDs.

THIS is how Bagua is done.

These will ship in 3-4 weeks but PRE-ORDER now for a great price!
This series is divided into TWO VOLUMES, each volume containing THREE DVDs (over 3 hours per volume).

Each Volume:
Regular Price: $105,  Plum Price: $95

PRE-ORDER Price:
$90 for each Volume
OR
$170 for both Volumes

Click links below to order:

Volume 1
Volume 2
Volumes 1 & 2

The post This Is How Bagua Is Done appeared first on KaiMen.

This, our third post on this new 2 Volume set of DVDs (6 dvds in all) on the art of Bagua, is to say that these outstanding DVDs are now available. If you want to read our earlier announcement, click here.

If you would like to read more about the series, and to order, click here.

Exceptional instruction, truly secret material, and enough training to inform any Bagua Zhang practiitoner’s practice for a long time to come.

The post Adam Hsu’s Secret Files on Bagua Zhang appeared first on KaiMen.

What a year the monkey has been!

Now, we have so much good stuff coming in we can act like the Rooster Year is already here, and can start to crow a bit. In the next couple of months, we’re looking forward to adding more and more top quality books and DVDs, often in English. 

For instance, we have scheduled a beautiful book on Hakka masters; an original english translation of a new history and analysis of the Bubishi (Wubeizhi), plus a never-before-seen color edition of the essential text; an entirely new English language book and DVD on the Lost Track style and its key form; our own text in the Grandfather weapons series, this one on the Kung Fu Saber; not to mention recently posted items like Sifu Adam Hsu’s DVD course on Bagua Zhang. The Year of the Rooster is a good time for concentration and getting some important things done and that will be our goal and focus from this point on: more top-notch material on this great art, and more in-depth discussion about the core of the arts and each teacher’s response to it.

Another event enhanced this past month: we finally met one of our most popular instructors, Terry Dunn, after all these years. In four hours of non-stop talk we discussed everything martial, from our mutual Kenpo experiences to LiuHeBaFa; the skills of the Cheng Man Qing teachers; the proliferation of pseudo-Qi Gong; and much more. Known for his clarity of presentation on the subjects of Tai Chi and Qigong, you may expect more new materials onPlum, from Terry, in the coming months.

Another project just coming to publication is a rare event indeed: the Lam Family Hung Gar (Hung Kuen) version of the famous Iron Wire form, one of the pinnacles of Southern Kung Fu. This is the Lam family’s first presentation—in book and on DVD—of the knowledge locked in this exceptional form. Just to whet your appetite, take a look at the Table of Contents (you are the first to see this):

Part One

Chapter One: The history of Tid Sin Kuen

1. Origins

Chapter Two: Lam Family Hung Kuen

1. Lam Sai Wing
2. Lam Cho
3. Lam Chun Fai

Part Two: Techniques & Training

Chapter Three: Four Pillars of Hung Kuen

Chapter Four: Definition of Tid Sin Kuen

1. Breathing and Tones
2. Stances and Posture

Chapter Five: Introduction to 12 Bridges

1. The 12 bridge hands

Chapter Six: The Secrets of Tid Sin Kuen

1. Training Guidelines
2. the Benefits of Tid Sin Kuen

Part Three: 

Tid Sin Kuen Manual (Photos and instructions of the complete set)

Chapter Seven: Tid Sin Kuen by Lam Chun Fai

Part Four:

Memorial dedications to Master Lam Cho

1. Glossary of Terms
2. Appendix
3. Tid Sin Kuen DVD

Anyone who has seen the Iron Thread knows that they are watching something far beyond Qi Gong—rather, martial Nei Gong—that is, internal training, not just breath training. Everything else that has been produced by this family has been of superior quality. I am expecting no less here.

The post A Wire of Iron appeared first on KaiMen.

Here’s a pop quiz (no cheating!)

What style is the inspiration for the two films, “The Chinese Connection” (with Bruce Lee) and “Legend” (with Jet Lee)? Want a hint? This style is associated with Kung Fu Master Huo YuanJia, Head Instructor of the famous Ching Woo Association.

Ok, so the title of this post gives it away. Of course, you might not have known this because it is rare to see a new book and DVD in English on Mizong Quan (Lost Track Boxing), and even less common to have such a work on the important Jia, or Structure, form.

Which is why Plum is proud to announce that we are publishing a new work on Mizong by Sifu Lu Junhai—a full-color instructional text packaged with a 50 minute DVD. This is one of the few books and DVDs on Mizong published in English (the DVD is in Chinese, but well-subtitled). The text is clear, and the DVD contains at least 30 minutes of applications, another rarity these days in martial literature.

You can click HERE, or on the image, to go to the book page and read more about this work, and why the Jia Form is such a crucial form for Mizong practitioners.

The post Mizong Jia: Shaolin Mizong Kung Fu style appeared first on KaiMen.

There is such a diversity and quality of materials on all major Kung Fu styles, that we sometimes can’t keep up with the new postings.

Here is a version of probably the most famous and popular of Xing Yi style two-person sets: An Shen Pao. Not only does it  pair up the two players from the first moment, but the step-by-step applications and counters makes this two-man form one of the simplest to learn under teacher Zhang JianPing’s careful instruction.

In addition we have added a book by the world-famous Chen Taijiquan teacher, Chen Xiao Wang. This text “The Five Levels of Taijiquan” gives you the entire floor plan for what it means to understand “how good am I in Taiji?” This dense text of only about 100 pages also adds commentary in English by one of Chen’s top students that effectively doubles the original translated text by Chen Xiao Wang. This is an in-depth description of all levels of expertise in the world of Taijiquan.

The post Xing Yi and Taijiquan: 2 New Items appeared first on KaiMen.

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 how Tan Tui can be made more “fightable.” Demonstrations of ways to alter  the form are mixed with lectures on principles in Kung Fu, all of which makes a new contribution to Adam Hsu’s goal of rescuing the core of Chinese martial arts from a thicket of misinformation and lost skills.

(Click picture for more information, and to buy.)

The post Tan Tui 3 Patterns appeared first on KaiMen.

Three more DVDs from the latest workshop with George Xu, who seems an almost endless source of new ways to invigorate your study while nudging you gently toward higher skills. In this case the intriguing thing is that we have three levels of practice and George Xu is able to distinguish their complexity and features. On the highest we have power development exercises utilizing off-balancing and intent skills. Next is a series of movements perfect for the intermediate to advanced student, and especially focused on Tai Chi skills. Finally we have the camp/workshop with lots of practice methods and pretty much a bunch of exercises consistent with internal training but also with an external, anyone-can-do-it attitude. 

The post George Xu on Power and such appeared first on KaiMen.

If you are going to hang around Chinese martial arts (CMA) for a while you should probably acquaint yourself with Chen Pan Ling. Well-respected and right there when the future shape of CMA was being hashed out, his work—interrupted too soon—would have sent the entire field in a different direction than it did go. Here, for the first time in our product list, is one of his most famous refinements, the 99 version Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan. The differences in execution will be obvious, but so will be the similarities.

The post Chen Pan Ling Tai Chi: 99 Movement Form in DVD appeared first on KaiMen.

Today, we add the last installment of our selection on the Chen Tai Chi exclusive branch named Hong style. Chen style has a well-known “short fist” version. And this style, developed by teacher Hong JunSheng, presents a smaller frame, demonstrating a soft, slow elegance. This last DVD shows many throws and takedowns with high emphasis on technique and low on brute force.

Our second new offering is the Chinese text of the teachings on Wu style Tai Chi, derived from the work of the famous Wang Pei Sheng.  This rendition from Zhao Qin, Wang’s disciple, includes a number of applications. Zhao Qin continues on the road of his teacher as a strong promoter of the Chinese cultural viewpoint, considering works like the I Ching to present profound truths very simply..

The post Tai Chi: Wu and Hong styles appeared first on KaiMen.

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