Solo Training: The Martial Artist's Guide to Training Alone

by Loren W. Christensen

You can’t do the same thing day after day and expect different results. Do something different. With these words, author Loren Christensen puts his money where his mouth is and 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 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 Christensen’s no-nonsense writing style will get you up and moving even on the days you’d rather skip your solo workout. Packed with solid advice and kick-butt motivation, Solo The Martial Artist’s Guide to Training Alone will become your favorite training partner.

Genres: Martial Arts, Fitness, Self Help, Nonfiction

393 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2001

About the author

Loren W. Christensen is a Vietnam veteran, retired police officer, a martial artist since 1965, and a prolific author of books and magazine articles.

As a writer, Loren has penned over 70 books and dozens of magazine articles on a variety of subjects. While his target audience is most often what he calls “the warrior community” – martial artists, cops, soldiers – his writing has become popular among high school and college students, parents, professionals of every kind, and people interested in a side of life outside the norm.

Loren is most thankful to his many friends, associates and fellow writers in the warrior community for their continual support and expert advice.

Biography:

Bachelors of Science - PSU
Vietnam veteran – 716th Military Police
Career police officer (ret) – Portland, Oregon
Street patrol, gang enforcement, defensive tactics instructor, bodyguard
Script advisor for the motion picture Best of the Best 3
Martial artist since 1965
Earned a total of 13 black belts in three fighting arts
Starred in 7 instructional DVDs
Author of 70 books and dozens of magazine articles
Nominated for the Frankfurt award
Co-author (with Lt. Col. Dave Grossman) of “Evolution of Weaponry” in Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace and Conflict, Academic Press
Wrote regularly for Black Belt, Karate Illustrated, Inside Kung fu and many others
Currently writes regularly for Black Belt and Police and Security News magazines
Book Solo Training was ranked in Amazon’s top 3 for three years in a row
Named in the 2007 - 2008 Heritage Registry of Who's Who in publishing

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book!
I have been thinking about getting back into martial arts after being away for a long time. I thought using this book for some solo training would be a good way to get my body back into martial arts shape.
I used to use solo training back in the day to improve myself. Wow, I wish I had this book back then! I could have gotten so much more out of my individual training time!
This book has many great ideas for activities to pursue during your individual training. They are designed (in most cases) to improve your skills in specific areas. I took notes and plan on using several, but here are just 5 of them:
- Many drills and great ideas for improving Speed, Power, and Technique of your basic attacks (Too many to list).
- Footwork.
- Air Grabbing: Great drills for grip strengthening.
- Training with different shoes, surfaces, locations, and clothing.
- Balance Drills, Falling, and Getting Up (really 3 sections, but I think they complement each other).
Only part I don’t plan to work on are the more eclectic techniques covered that I am not familiar with (Face claws and the like).
Note: This is not a book for newbies who have never trained in the martial arts. The book is targeted to martial artists who wish to augment their training with additional efforts on their own.
So, if you are looking to enhance your skills on your own for either the street or tournament, this book provides tons of helpful drills and insight.

[Kenneth · Rating 2 out of 5]

The two star rating reflects the useful information I took from the book, which was very little. Your mileage may vary, but if you've been training for a long time there's isn't much here that you probably haven't thought of already.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very knowledgeable of the multiple ways to broaden and strengthen one's body and mind.

[Angus Hodgson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I own and have read most of the authors books. All of them I have found helpful. This is just one more good one.

[Dave Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has great ideas for training alone. I use it when I have to travel.