Customer Reviews

Solo Training

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Most martial artists I know really enjoy training in the dojo but very few truly like training alone. Not only is there no one to help them practice, but there is also no one to help motivate them. Regardless, while tandem drills (e.g., bunkai, kumite, randori) are pretty much impossible to do on your own, some things are best practiced outside of a formal class setting, especially where you need to focus on improving deficiencies that may not be shared with the rest of the group. I always encourage my students to practice a little each day regardless of whether they have attended a formal class or not. If you really want to make rapid progress in your own martial skills, you need to be able to effectively train on your own.

A common complaint that my new students relate to me is that they are afraid to train outside of class for fear of learning things incorrectly. They think that unlearning bad habits is far worse than doing nothing at all so they do not practice on their own. Believe me; with this fine DVD even rank beginners can immediately begin working out on their own. Every technique is thoroughly explained and demonstrated. The production quality is excellent. For the experienced practitioner there is nothing truly earth shattering here, yet the solid practical advice and excellent drills will really improve your workout routine too.

Christensen is not only a very high-ranking karate instructor, but also a retired police officer as well. His real-world experience shines through, making this video more than just a mundane workout tape. I particularly like the seated kicks and other drills designed to simulate real-life encounters where you may need to respond to an ambush-style attack without benefit of a proper stance or good footing. Other topics include techniques using the hands, forearms, elbows, and foot, hand and foot combinations, and a whole lot more. Christensen not only demonstrates a variety of useful techniques, but he also outlines them into sequences that can be used to create 30 to 60 minute workouts that will help you build speed, accuracy, and power for any martial art. Despite the DVD's title, there are a few tandem drills presented as well. There are also some really cool mannaquin bag (e.g., Body Opponent Bag) drills. If you don't own one, you can skip those sections but BOBs are well worth buying if you can afford one, a great complement to your training regimen.

This video is an outstanding supplement to Sensei Christensen's excellent book of the same name, demonstrating numerous techniques and drills that will help you get the most out of your solo training. Very highly recommended.

Lawrence Kane
Author of Blinded by the Night, among other titles

I've acquired around 60 martial arts videos and DVDs in the past five years and this DVD immediately ranks at the top. Like he does in all of his books, Christensen gives you more than what you paid for. He gives you lots of ways to train your punches and kicks in this DVD and exercises with weights that work your techniques specifically. But along with this, you get lots of helpful tips on making your techniques more effective and more street oriented. He's been training for 40 years and is very fast.

Christensen has other DVDs that you can only get on his site, and I plan to get them.

Here is a DVD by someone who has lived the life of a martial artist in the most practical sense. His credentials speak for themselves. I was amused that Amazon's Editorial Review headlined a paragraph with "About the Actor". This man is no actor but lived and breathed the part. He carries this passion forward into his books and onto this DVD.

A practicing martial artist can benefit greatly from going to a facility (dojang in my case) and watch and listen. But to be a great martial artist one must practice at home, by themselves, and without distractions. The DVD is well organized and provides several examples of application. I also appreciated the session using dumbbell exercises which I have now incorporated into my own workout.

With the exception of a few minutes of poorly recorded audio (when Lauren was being inteviewed) the viewing quality is excellent.

I would highly recommend this. Lauren has inspired me to increase my own solo kicking routing although I have not yet reached 800 per workout.

This DVD is great! There's a lot of instruction and explanation to make it clear and understandable. I am able to pause the DVD, practice, go back to make sure I'm doing it correctly, listen to the instructions, and practice again. I like it because so many other videos the instructor does it all and doesn't explain it very much so I end up just watching it like a movie. In this video, Loren Christensen is very knowledgable and I can tell by his explanations if I'm doing it right or not. It's a great video where I practice on my own and not have to wait for a partner. I'm a big fan of Loren Christensen and I like everything he does! I recommend it!

This dvd is more about practical fighting than any actual style. If you are wanting to learn self defense in realistic situations then this dvd will get you started with a foot in the right direction.

This DVD gives you great training and self defense. He shows you different scenarios that you can be facing in real life and how to defend yourself in them.

This gives some very good training and faux attacks to practice on. I like the video very much.

Loren Christensen teaches a wealth of practical self-defense moves that can be used in the most common everyday situations. For those who want to add some weight resistance training to their workout, there's a great section on dumbbell exercises that help to improve muscle strength and speed. He's an intense instructor who gets the viewer quickly motivated!!

No it is not a Hollywood Movie production but it gets the job done without being distracting with poor quality. You "get the picture" as it were. It is good for the beginner and self taught. He is an expert with a lifetime of experience!

I figured I'd try Solo Training because I dont have any friends and can't afford a dojo altough I've got quite a collection of belts (ranks), and I've got to say, I'm impressed. Kudos to Loren W. Christiensen and his partner. He spoke highly of weight training, even included it in his routine. This disc will be in my DVD player for a long, long time.