Loren W. Christensen

In FAST HANDS, veteran martial artist Loren W. Christensen combines modern science with real-world experience to help you unlock lightning-fast hand speed. Blending resistance training, isometrics, and mental techniques, he debunks outdated methods and shares speed tricks honed over 28 years in law enforcement. You’ll even get a bonus chapter on turning your knife skills into a blur. 

Loren W. Christensen, a martial artist, Vietnam vet, and longtime street cop, brings real-world violence to life on the page. Drawing from decades of experience, he teaches writers to ditch boring or cartoonish fights for gritty, authentic action. This book shows how to study violence and write it in a way that’s raw, visual, and unforgettable.

As a professional writer since 1978, Mr. Christensen has penned over 70 published books with six publishers, dozens of magazine articles, and edited a police newspaper for seven years. He has written on the martial arts, the paranormal, missing children, street gangs, school shootings, workplace violence, riots, police-involved shootings, nutrition, exercise, prostitution, and various street subcultures. Of late, he has been writing an award-winning police thriller fiction series called Dukkha. His short stories—OLD ED, BOSS, and Parts—are popular among fans of gritty action.

His books have been translated into five languages. Policing Saigon, On Combat, Cops' True Stories of the Paranormal, and Dead Body Calls are also available in audio at audiobooks.com.

The Masters Hall of Fame inductee began training in the martial arts in 1965 and continues to this day. Over the years, he has earned a 1st-degree black belt in arnis, a 2nd-degree black belt in jujitsu, and in 2018, the American Karate Black Belt Association awarded Loren a 10th-degree black belt in karate. As a result of his tour in Vietnam and nearly three decades in law enforcement, Mr. Christensen's focus in the martial arts—writing, teaching, and training—has always been on street survival, not competition. He has starred in seven martial arts training videos.

Dead Body Calls by Loren W. Christensen shares his experiences responding to deaths as a Vietnam MP and Portland cop. With respect and honesty, he recounts the emotional impact of suicides, homicides, and accidents—on families, fellow officers, and himself—shedding light on a grim but vital part of police work.

COPS’ TRUE STORIES of the PARANOMAL by Loren W. Christensen shares true paranormal encounters from veteran cops, SWAT, MPs, and correction officers. These hardened pros recall eerie, unexplained events that shook even the toughest among them—from ghostly figures to mysterious vanishings.

Cops see what most people never will—violence, victims, and human darkness, sometimes all in one day. But some encounters go beyond the usual horrors, leaving officers with an eerie, unforgettable feeling. As many describe in this book, it’s the eyes—cold, dark, and malevolent—that reveal they were in the presence of true evil.

On Combat explores how deadly combat affects the mind and body, and how soldiers can train to handle stress, fear, and PTSD. Through research and veteran stories, he highlights the value of mental preparation and post-battle debriefing in healing and resilience.