Customer Reviews

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

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

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

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.

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!

The book is so thin it would make a lousey paperweight, many of the pages have huge black and white photographs which might have been some effort by the publisher to increase the size of "book." You'ld need little imagination to top this guys sorry gadgetry - used tires, plywood, pullies & rope. Had expected at least a minimal level craftsmanship for equipment someone would want to use everyday. Can't imagine how many people died trying not to bust out laughing at the author when he "proudly" displayed his "workmanship" to anyone.

Don't waste your money on this book it didnt give me any useful information and half the stuff you build in this book would fall apart under heavy usage