Solo Training: The Martial Artist's Guide to Training Alone (Paperback)

~ (Author) "I was 19 years old when I began studying karate in Portland, Oregon, and I fell in love with it the first time I saw..." (more)
Key Phrases: roundhouse chamber, whipping backfist, assume your fighting stance, Workout Tip, Muay Thai, Fighter's Fact Book (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Loren Christensen shows you over 300 ways you can add variety to your daily martial arts training routine. Whether you’re a student looking for fun new solo drills to spice up your home training or an instructor in search of new ways to pump up your classes, you won’t be disappointed. This incredible collection of drills, techniques and exercises will take your workouts to the next level. Learn to:

*Organize your solo workouts to the get maximum results from even the shortest training session
*Improve your speed and power with dozens of inside tips and tricks
*Beat boredom and get excited about your solo training sessions
*Become a well rounded fighter by adding essential skills that your instructor may not be teaching you
*Safely experiment with new techniques to find your ideal personal style of training
*Get an edge on your opponents with training methods that will make you unstoppable in the ring or on the street

Not only will you learn enough new training strategies and methods to keep you busy for years, but Loren Cristensen’s no-nonsense writing style will get you up and moving even on the days you rather skip your solo workout. Packed with solid advice and kick-butt motivation, this book will become your favorite training partner.

About the Author

Loren W. Christensen has been studying the martial arts since 1965. This is Mr. Christensen's 11th book on the fighting arts. Mr. Christensen's experience in law enforcement began in 1967 when he served in the army as a military policeman in the United States and in Vietnam. He joined the Portland, Oregon Police Bureau in 1972 and while still a rookie on probation, he began teaching defensive tactics to officers. Over the years, he worked the training unit, the gang unit, dignitary body guarding, and all the precincts as a street officer. He is now a full-time writer and a teacher of realistic martial arts to citizens and people in law enforcement.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Turtle Press; Second and edition (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880336596
• ISBN-13: 978-1880336595
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #92,011 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars repetition is the mother of skill, June 3, 2003

By	Andrew Baye "www.baye.com" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There is no secret to skill in the martial arts. If you want to get better at something, you have to spend time practicing it. In Solo Training, Loren Christensen provides literally hundreds of solo drills and routines for practicing a wide variety of martial arts skills and developing the physical and mental attributes necessary to apply them effectively when it counts.

Although many martial artists may be familiar with a large number of the drills and exercises in the book, I believe that everybody will find dozens of new ways to improve their solo training among the hundreds covered, or ways to make their solo training more interesting.

If you're not doing extra training on your own outside of your classes, you should be - you lazy slacker. This book will help to get you started, and keep you motivated. Other books by Loren Christensen you should check out are The Fighter's Fact Book and The Way Alone.

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid, practical advice, November 1, 2004

By	L. A. Kane (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Most practitioners think that training in the dojo is fun. Many feel that training by themselves bites. Not only is there no one to help you, there is also no one to motivate you. 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 formal class, especially where you need to focus on improving deficiencies that may not be shared with the rest of the class. If you really want to progress, you need to be able to effectively train alone.

Loren Christensen's excellent work provides numerous tips, techniques, and exercises to get the most out of your solo training. A common complaint that my new students relate is that they are afraid to train outside of class for fear of learning techniques 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 text even beginners can benefit. There is nothing earth-shattering here, just solid practical advice.

Lawrence Kane
Author of Surviving Armed Assaults, The Way of Kata, and Martial Arts Instruction

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have for Your Martial Arts Bookshelf, June 18, 2001

By	Tom Luke - See all my reviews

This is easily the best martial arts book I have, and I own many. It ranks right up there with Christensen's Fighter's Fact Book. One reviewer said it didn't have a lot of pictures so he couldn't follow. I found the 70 pictures that are in it satisfactory, and his explanations to be absolutely clear. That reviewer may be happier with a picture book, not one that makes the reader think.

Christensen is probably the funniest martial arts writer there is. His humor is as disarming as his information is right on and exactly what you want to know. He was an MP in Vietnam and a street cop in Portland, Oregon, so he knows what he is talking about, too. All of his martial arts books are aimed toward the street, meaning his stuff is practical.

Solo Training has tons of information that will make your solo workout productive and a real leaning experience. Not only does he give the reader many drills and exercises, but he has provided a dozen complete workouts for you to follow. He shows some techniques that I haven't seen in my 12 years of practice, and he shows subtle variations on the old standbys that makes them even more effective.