Rating: 
Summary: Just what I needed
Review: Just a quick note to say that Solo Training is easily the best martial arts book I have. Ive been training for 10 years and I found that Christensen presents a ton of variations on old training drills and a host of drills I'd never seen before. I've done many of them, and it will probably take another six months to do all of them, there are that many. Bottom line is that I have been steadily improving by incorporating the drills during my days off from class. Great book.
Rating:
Summary: Solid, practical advice
Review: 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 Martial Arts Instruction: Applying Educational Theory and Communication Techniques in the Dojo
Rating:
Summary: nit-pics
Review: Solo training is a quality book that is helpful, useful for street situations, and much needed, especially for those of us who are not in a buyer's market in martial arts dojos. The criticisms about a lack of pictures is really unnecessary. This book is not intended to be Karate for Kids, a beginners guide, and I really don't need another book showing me how to do a front kick. This is also good, because the book can be used by any striking systems and not limited to just one; kung fu, karate, or Tai Kwon Do. I think this book is a must for teachers, motivated students, and especially people like me who are on a tropical island too far away from a choice dojo at the moment, and have no choice but to train solo. Thank you mr. Christensen
Rating:
Summary: An Important Book
Review: Solo Training is a wonderful book that every martial artist, teacher and student, should have in his or her library. In a nutshell, it answers the question "What can I do when I want to workout by myself?" Not only does Christensen answer that question, he teaches you lots of new techniques and fighting concepts along the way, and ways to motivate yourself. I've always thought that if I learn one thing from a book, it was worth the money. In Solo Training there are dozens and dozens of techniques, drills, exercises and fighting concepts to do. There is even a section on mental training and one on cross training in other activities. As he did in Fighter's Fact Book, Christensen presents his material in a conversational tone, with humor that made me laugh out loud several times. His bio says that he used his martial arts in Vietnam and on the street as a cop for 25 years. It shows in his street approach to training and his lack of bravado. It's a wonderful book and as a guy who has been training for a long time and owns lots of martial arts books, I highly recommend it. And Fighter's Fact Book, too.
Rating:
Summary: Unparalleled in the field of martial art books!
Review: Solo Training is fantastic! What an amazing teacher Loren Christensen is; he is the martial arts instructor you have always dreamed about. And while his previous books set a new standard in martial arts writing, Solo Training may yet be his masterpiece. This book is an exciting (yes, his writing is that good!) and enthusiastic exploration of training methods and techniques for training alone, outside of class time. Christensen's exercises and drills are easy to learn, and are the key to becoming excellent in your sport. Within a very short amount of time, you will find yourself surpassing any personal goals of fitness and competency. You will also be surprising your fellow students and instructor with your incredibly enhanced improvement. No matter what style, no matter what belt, and no matter how many years you have practised, you will never have been able to grasp the whole picture of martial arts without reading Solo Training. This is one hell of a book, one you will find yourself turning to again and again. Thank-you Loren Christensen!
Rating:
Summary: For improved speed, power, agility, variety, and flexibility
Review: Solo Training: The Martial Artist's Guide To Training Alone by expert and experienced martial arts instructor Loren Crhistensen (who has served as a military policeman in the United States and Vietnam as well as taught self-defense tactics as a member of the Portland, Oregon police bureau), is a superbly written and presented instructional guide to organizing solo workouts for improved speed, power, agility, variety, and flexibility. Offering over 325 techniques, drills, and exercises, along with practical advice for avoiding boredom, keeping exercise and training routines fresh, and maintaining personal martial arts skills honed, pack the pages of this enthusiastically recommended and thoroughly "user friendly" training supplement specially designed for martial artists at any skill and experience level from the novice to the professional.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the most practical training books I have found
Review: Straightforward. Basic-to-intermediate training techniques. I have used this book as a guide to building different workouts for myself. I would recommend this book as a reference---especially for instructors to suggest to students (6th kyu to 1st kyu). R, Shodan, Okinawan Shorin-Ryu
Rating: 
Summary: Good Book But...
Review: The book is very informative and gives you a lot of information that would undoubtedly will make you a better fighter. The only problem is that the people who are presented with photos, especially the ones on the front cover have bad technique that slows you down and doesn't let your chi flow but not that the author is to blame.
Rating:
Summary: repetition is the mother of skill
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: All it tells you to do is kick and punch
Review: This book is nothing special. Anyone who knew anything about fighting would already know everything in this book. I bought it expecting to see some unique routines or exercises that would make someone a better martial artist. It tells you to do so many types of kicks and punches everyday, along with over an hour of bag work. I don't believe boxer do that much bag work, and I would feel wrong sayig Bruce Lee did that much. If you want my advise buy the book about Bruce Lee called "The Art of Expressing the Human Body"
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