One of my Patrons suggested I do a list of recommended books for self-defense practitioners. It took a while but the result is what you can find here below. I’ll keep it up to date when new books become available and I consider them a good addition to the list. But feel free to leave suggestions in the comments, and I’ll take a look at them.

I created categories for the books so the list is easier to navigate. That said, there is some overlap as many books touch upon more than just one aspect of self-defense. So don’t view the categories as absolute, but instead more as a general guideline.

When creating this essential reading list for self-defense, my goal was to cover as many aspects as possible by including a variety of authors and points of view. That doesn’t mean every book listed here is the ultimate or only reference work on the topic. So to be clear:

• Some books I agree with almost 100%, others so not so much. And anything else in between these extremes.

• Some books are relatively new, others have been around for a long time. New doesn’t automatically mean better. Old doesn’t automatically mean obsolete. Some information is timeless; other information is more relevant thanks to it being up to date.

• Some books are filled to the brim with gems of knowledge relevant to self-defense. Others have some fluff or are also focused on other aspects than why I included them in the list. But each one still has information I think you can use.

• Some books cover basics and are an excellent introduction for beginners. Others are in-depth and go into detail on advanced concepts. Both are good.

• Some of these authors are close friends of mine, some I know in passing, others I don’t know at all. I try to be objective in all instances when I add a book to this list, but full disclosure is always best.

Keep all this in mind when you go over this book. I believe the best way to view these books is as a buffet to choose from. Some you will like, others may not be for you. That’s only to be expected as I cannot know what you, the reader, have in training and experience in self-defense. So I chose to include as many as possible in the hope there is enough for everybody to find useful.

For your information: these are affiliate links and I get a small commission through them, at no additional cost to you.

All that said, let’s dig in.

RTWT