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Rating: 
Summary: 4 Stars only if....
Review: ...you are homeless and want to practice martial arts but don't have any money to spend.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book
Review: Great book for those who want to save money and make their own practice equiptment for martial arts training. The author shows in good detail through lots of pictures and explanations how to construct and also use the various pieces of equiptment. The best part of this book is that the author himself (an experienced martial artist) has actually tested and used these pieces of equiptment for practice to make sure they work the way he intended it to. Some of the equiptment used is very simple, from a plastic shopping bag and bath towel, to more intricate ones like the grappling/choking dummy or the heavy-duty striking post. Nonetheless, the equiptment shown is basically simple and inexpensive to make, using materials found at most hardware stores. The author also shows in detail, how to use the various equiptment and tells of the benefits of training with them. Excellent book for those on a budget and/or don't want to spend the bucks on commercial equiptment (ie - heavy bag, focus bag, speed bag, etc) but still want to get the most out of their martial arts training at home.
Rating:
Summary: Non-Stop Rock and Roll!
Review: I have trained with Mike for the past 9 years. He is the best instructor that I have met. We train in full contact stand up fighting and ground fighting too. His credentials are impressive (9 Black Belts or their equivalents). The training equipment he constructed in his book is practical and useful. I recommend this book to anyone who is serious about fighting!
Rating:
Summary: Essential Book on Home Training!
Review: Mike Young has certainly put together a valuable reference book for martial artists of any style, beginner to advanced practitioner. To his credit, Mike stays away from system-specific dogma and does not tell the reader that they must train a certain way with a certain piece of equipment. In fact, he does the opposite: he explains the dynamics of each piece of training equipment, offers some ideas on how to train with them, then inspires the reader to develop a program that will fit their own specific development needs. ....Martial Arts Home Training is a book that all martial artists should have in their home or gym bag, and refer to it for ideas and inspiration throughout the years. Blindly following a teacher will get you only so far; you must develop and experience "the feel" of the arts within you, and this book shows you how!
Rating:
Summary: 4 Stars only if....
Review: This book does offer some insight to training equipment that can be built/used at home. The first 22 pages are spent convincing you of the need to train; this seems out of place for this book. The next 10 pages discuss using a towel, a fairly common technique, I thought. 20 pages are spent on "blocking sticks", this should not be new to anyone who has trained with a competent instructor. These pages were not very helpful and could have been put to better use in my opinion. BUT - this book shines in the chapters that cover "Heavy Duty Striking Post", "Choking Dummy" and "Small Hanging Bag" construction and use. The directions are clear, the techniques simple, and the materials readily available and cheap! This is what makes this book worth the price. If you are disciplined enough to work out at home this book will fill a need.
Rating: 
Summary: Great idea, good book
Review: This book does offer some insight to training equipment that can be built/used at home. The first 22 pages are spent convincing you of the need to train; this seems out of place for this book. The next 10 pages discuss using a towel, a fairly common technique, I thought. 20 pages are spent on "blocking sticks", this should not be new to anyone who has trained with a competent instructor. These pages were not very helpful and could have been put to better use in my opinion. BUT - this book shines in the chapters that cover "Heavy Duty Striking Post", "Choking Dummy" and "Small Hanging Bag" construction and use. The directions are clear, the techniques simple, and the materials readily available and cheap! This is what makes this book worth the price. If you are disciplined enough to work out at home this book will fill a need.
Rating:
Summary: Good, all-purpose info
Review: This book focussed on how to create economical training devices on the cheap, as well as drill that can be done with household items. His overly wide background has resulted in the ability to do the majority of drills regardless of art, which is unusual. I am used to books specifying that I MUST be in a specific TKD or Karate stance to do their drills and his approach was a great relief.
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