Homemade Martial Arts Training Equipment: A Do-It-Yourself Guide [Paperback]

Michael Janich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2002

If you've priced commercial martial arts equipment lately, you know you could easily spend a small fortune amassing the gear you need for effective at-home training - and still not have exactly what you need. The good news is, you can make your own for a fraction of the cost. Author Michael Janich is an old hand at turning out homemade martial arts equipment. In this book he shares the best of his simple yet ingenious designs, providing step-by-step instructions for fashioning functional, durable gear from ordinary materials at nominal cost. The plans in this book cover a wide variety of home-built martial arts equipment, from heavy bags and speed bags to focus pads and air shields to sparring weapons, stretching machines and more. Whether you're on a tight budget or just enjoy the satisfaction of do-it-yourself projects, this book shows you that a little ingenuity and sweat equity can go a long way toward greatly enhancing your home training regimen.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael D. Janich is one of the foremost modern authorities on handgun point shooting and one of the few contemporary instructors to have personally trained with the late close-combat legend Col. Rex Applegate. In addition to making his own martial arts equipment, noted martial arts author and instructor Michael Janich has designed and engineered everything from blowguns to knives, including the highly acclaimed Masters of Defense Tempest folding knife.

Product Details

• Paperback: 101 pages
• Publisher: Paladin Press (July 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158160341X
• ISBN-13: 978-1581603415
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #784,402 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's easy for this book to pay for itself, August 10, 2004

By 

C. J Rives "pyrolyzer" (Amarillo, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Homemade Martial Arts Training Equipment: A Do-It-Yourself Guide (Paperback)

When I attended one of Janich's classes, we used some of his home-made training knives. I bought this book then. Since then I've built a few of the projects that he describes in the book.

Many pieces of martial arts training equipment cost $50, $100 or $250 if you buy them new. If you buy this book and build even a couple of the projects you WILL save money when compared to buying the pre-built training equipment.

Even if it does wear out faster than factory-made gear, most of the designs are so inexpensive, you'll save money by building them a couple of times than buying them once.

-Chuck

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing work from a good author, July 1, 2008

By 

Bryan (Indiana) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Homemade Martial Arts Training Equipment: A Do-It-Yourself Guide (Paperback)

I have several Michael Janich books and DVD's, all except this one are great. This one is really crap.

In this book, there was no real depth. All of the items he shows how to build ANYONE with ANY imagination at all could build. There isn't any craftsmanship, or even clever ideas to the equipment shown in the book. An example: the heavy bag construction was buying an old army duffle bag, then putting old carpet padding in it, which would create a bag weighing roughly 10lbs with absolutely no firmness for striking.

None of the equipment would not hold up to the abuse of hard training and most wouldn't last through an 8 year old girls pillow fight.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The lesson is more valuable than the plans., May 14, 2006

By 

Reverend Raven "Brainiac At Large" (Open Road) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Homemade Martial Arts Training Equipment: A Do-It-Yourself Guide (Paperback)

On your path to knowledge, mastery of your art, enlightenment or the furthering of any goal, let nothing be an obstacle, merely another challenge.


The most important thing about this book is the fact that it changes your mind-set and starts you towards thinking creatively. Where there is a will there is a way. A lack of funds is nothing but a lame excuse. Mas Oyama used no expensive equipment to become "God Hand". Mushashi slew opponents with a whittled down boat oar. I gave one star for this lesson alone.


For the equipment plans themselves, well...the designs presented are better than nothing. But you will, in some cases need specific skills to execute them. I, personally cannot sew and therefore am helpless before the daunting spectre of The Inner Tube Air Shield and The Heavy Bag.


I also thought The Heavy Bag design looked weak, not affording a solid enough surface or sufficient resistance. The dummy knives appear almost as big as clubs. I gave one star for The Stretching Machine. It delivers at a fraction of the commercial price, but still requires some <U>above</U> rudimentary skills and a cash outlay.


Other than that, there's really nothing earth-shattering here that you couldn't have formulated on your own. My best advice, learn to think creatively in your quest...or GET A JOB(!) so you can afford to buy the expensive stuff!