New T-Shirts Coming

Posted on November 11, 2019 by school

What? New T-Shirts? New Design? We are looking forward to getting these new beauties in the next week or two, so keep an eye out when you come in for classes.

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Life Is Too Short For Bad Kung Fu

Posted on October 26, 2019 by school

Adam Hsu bookYes, 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, the ugly, the disappointing, the heartbreaking, and the inspirational. It’s all here.

In over 300 pages of aphorisms accompanied by short essays, Hsu Sifu examines the current state of Kung Fu and, true to his nature, honestly discusses both the ongoing challenges facing Chinese martial arts as well as some well-considered solutions. Just about anyone practicing traditional Kung Fu today has a sense that the body of Wushu is not as healthy as it once was. Sifu Hsu’s diagnosis is that of a thoughtful doctor with decades of experience, and an unwavering goal to bring the patient back to health.

We at Plum proudly announce this new publication; we are once again honored to produce and publish Hsu Sifu’s works. And for those in the know, this book is illustrated with 20 photos of Sifu Hsu demonstrating the rare Goose Feather Saber, as well as him practicing with the spear.

 

Order through November 15, and receive a 10% discount off of Plum’s regular price.

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Tai Chi For Health, 3 month class starts September 11

Posted on June 25, 2019 by school

nc_tccolor1• Learn a complete form in just three months

• Traditional, fluid, moving meditation

• Small Class, detailed instruction

• Emphasis on correct posture and form for health, balance, and vitality

• Authentic martial structure for strength and flexibility

tcclass_JoshPhilbw1• Move like you’ve never moved before!

Wednesdays 6-7 pm
New Class starting: September 11, 2019

$65 per month, or $165 if paying for full three month tcclass_karlandkirkcourse in advance

Academy of Martial Arts
1570 Soquel Dr. (Across from Dominican Hospital)

Taught by Narrye Caldwell, Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine, with 30 years Tai Chi experience. Narrye is a Licensed Acupuncturist with over 20 years of clinical and teaching experience. She has a private practice in Santa Cruz and is on the faculty at Five Branches University.

Click here for information.

 

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No Title

Posted on May 30, 2019 by school

Here they are at the 2019 Tiger Claw tournament in San Jose, promoting Plumpub and our studio and style, Bak Sil Lum.

 

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Kung Fu Planet

Posted on May 10, 2019 by school

Waves of energy, kung fu style.

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Tai Chi Straight Sword–Basics Class

Posted on March 7, 2019 by school

Great news! For the first time, the Academy adds an 8 week Tai Chi Straight Sword class to our revolving workshop menu.

If you are intrigued, in general, by the straight sword—it being one of the 4 grandparent weapons—or have been specifically wowed by the elegant yet effective Tai Shi Sword routine and usage, this series will introduce you to the basics, and of course teach you an authentic routine.

Teacher: Narrye Caldwell

Time: Wednesdays, 6:00 – 7:00 pm, 8 weeks, starting April 10

Location: Academy of Martial & Internal Arts, 1570 Soquel Dr, S,C.

Fee: $120 for the full 8 week course

For more information on the class, and to register (recommended, as there is a good chance this class will fill)

Inexpensive Wooden swords will be available for purchase if you don’t have one of your own!

No experience necessary.

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Tai Chi for Health: Deepen Your Practice

Posted on March 31, 2018 by school

Tai chi for health santa cruzGreat news!

We have just added a new 6 week class, starting April 25, to our very popular Tai Chi for Health Series.

This one’s for intermediate students, those who have completed the short Tai Chi set at the Academy (or the equivalent).

Co-taught by Narrye Caldwell, inestimable teacher of the Academy’s beginner Tai Chi For Health class, and Sifu Ted Mancuso, director of the Academy, it will focus on reviewing and refining the Yang Tai Chi short set, plus introduce simple push hand engagements and two-person loops.

For more info, CLICK HERE

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From Us to You

Posted on January 5, 2018 by school

Happy New Year to all of our dear students. We treasure and appreciate your continued study and community at the Academy. We would not be here without you.

We open this year with a small gift, a performance by Sifu Linda Darrigo. We filmed her performance during a class in Taiwan.

We all—Ted, Debbie and Linda— send our warmest wishes to you and yours, for great peace, health and happiness in the New Year.

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The Teacher’s Teacher

Posted on November 30, 2017 by Ted Mancuso

Last Sunday, I got a double-treat: my teacher, Adam Hsu, is in town for a couple of weeks and I had the opportunity to not only see and spend time with him, but to make his Long Fist Kung Fu class available to my own students, most of whom had never met him. Of course, there is always a bit of trepidation presenting your students to your teacher: will they look good to another and more experienced eye? Will my teacher take me aside and, without sarcasm, ask what the hell I have been teaching them? Will my students look at my teacher’s instruction and wonder what the hell I have been teaching them? Will they like him more than me? OK, admittedly, not all of these are mature concerns, but, even after 50 years, it would be a lie to say they don’t exist.

I won’t keep you in suspense: my students filled me with pride as I watched them working out with vigor, trying new things while applying themselves even more intently to the familiar ones. They followed routines they had never seen, exercises they had never attempted, angles they had never considered and, of course, lots of training we practice weekly at our Academy. Each was beaming at the end of the two hours. Continue reading →

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25th Anniversary Kung Fu Tai Chi Tournament

Posted on May 2, 2017 by school

Join us for the Kung Fu Tai Chi 25th Anniversary Festival and tournament in San Jose on May 19-21.

We don’t get out much—certainly not as much as we would like—but this year we are showing up to celebrate Tiger Claw’s Anniversary, by attending the festivities, including the Grandmaster’s demo on Friday night, the Saturday and Sunday tournaments, and the 8th annual WildAid Tiger Claw Championship on Sunday. Plum’s entire crew (yes, all three of us!) will have a table with some of our exclusive books and DVDs, and we hope to meet face-to-face with you—our customers, readers and friends.

Of course, the weekend itself will bring its own excitement. Tiger Claw is well-known for their professionally-run events. Additionally, Kung Fu Tai Chi is pleased to announce its cooperation with the International Wushu Sanshou Dao Association (IWSD) as they are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. Finally, this year’s Friday night performances will highlight a special roster of traditional masters, many of whom do not perform regularly.

If you are in the area, or thinking of travelling to visit, drop by and see us.

Kung Fu Tai Chi Tournament

FRIDAY
Grandmasters Exhibition and dinner
California Theatre
345 S 1st St, San Jose, CA 95113

SATURDAY
Kung Fu tournament and demonstrations

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Taekwondo and Tai Chi competition.
8th Annual WildAid Tiger Claw Championship

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Workshop Report: The Fine Art of Choking

Posted on February 28, 2017 by school

A demonstration and workshop on the fine art of choking was a change in schedule for the Saturday morning Kung Fu class last week. Black sash instructor, Mike Gruber—highly knowledgeable about Kung Fu, and an expert Judo player—opened the class, demonstrating basic chokes and strangles (not the same thing). He explained that knowing how to execute chokes would render them much less worrisome for the recipient.

At first everyone looked around, nervously, to see who would volunteer to be the first victim. But, once we started practicing the clear and safe instruction offered by Mike, everyone breathed easier. Next we pulled the mats out and worked anti-choke defenses from the ground. As predicted, key moves using the ground to neutralize chokes boosted confidence, not to mention effectiveness.

A good presentation is made great by clarity and simplicity, and Mike showed a systemized presentation increasing, for teachers as well as students, their knowledge and tactile experience with this valuable martial skill. 

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Year of the Fire Rooster–January 28, 2017

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Narrye Caldwell

Year after year, Narrye Caldwell’s annual Chinese Astrological analysis has been one of  our most popular and requested topics. We are happy to once again offer it here.

Fire RoosterAll Chinese wisdom traditions, including medicine, divination, astrology, and feng shui, are systems of pattern identification that guide us in adapting gracefully to change. A world in flux is assumed; it is the one constant feature of life. Astrology is best viewed as a tool to discern where we are in the shifting cycles of time so we can adjust our expectations accordingly and therefore, from the Chinese point of view, cultivate longevity by not wasting our qi trying to swim against the current.

Last year’s current schooled us all in crisis management as the Fire Monkey’s erratic impulsiveness and dramatic flare produced an unprecedented bit of theater in American politics. Continue reading →

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Adam Hsu Linking Fist

Posted on July 17, 2016 by school

Linking Fist from Adam Hsu’s popular children’s text.

We are happy and proud to teach one of the best beginning Kung Fu forms:  Sifu Adam Hsu’s Linking Fist. This combines elements of traditional practice with modern methods of instruction. The entire form is 16 movements with not one repeated. These take you through kicks, punching patterns and crucial stance training. A great beginner’s form!

For a glimpse of the set, go to  Sifu Marie Anthony’s Cupertino Kung Fu school.

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Fifty

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Ted Mancuso

Today I celebrate fifty years in the martial arts.50_3b

It has been long enough now to seem natural that it became my fate or, at least, a “way of life,” as everyone calls it. People ask me what could possibly be the attraction. I have to tell the truth and admit that I always believed that some human activities are as linked to us as the appetites 50_2band emotions we consider define a human being. It is true that, through historical changes, the aliens among us have warped some of these foundational approaches. But activities like dance, story-telling, religion, philosophy, love and celebration are all “arts” in ways that pre-date the commodity market we presently call society.50_1b

It is true that all too often “the winners write history” suggesting to us that the answers lie in understanding what came before written history. The next great empire will be built on the sands of still unexploited cultures where ancient insights (that really are insights) may be bulldozed beneath the machinery of necessity. It is in times like these we need tend to those things that the future may see as “useless,” things like kindness, contemplation, harmony.

Fifty years is a blink compared to these timeless pursuits.

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Your Lineage or, Keep Practicing That Punch

Posted on June 13, 2016 by Ted Mancuso

We couldn’t resist posting this clip here for a number of reasons:

  1. Here, at the biggest Baji Quan (Baji style Kung Fu) convocation in the world, your great-grand teacher, Liu Yun Chiao, is honored with everyone in the hall doing the same exercise we do here at the Academy
  2. The teacher chosen to lead all these students and instructors, many generations of practice, is your grand teacher, Adam Hsu (Hsu Ji).
  3. The front line of this grop is crowded with famous instuctors of this art.
  4. Here, at the Academy, you are part of a hands-on tradition from many generations.

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