This is a list of books I recommend. These are seminal works on everything from shooting and tactics to fitness and philosophy. You can buy them on Amazon through my affiliate account by clicking on the pictures.
“The Book of Five Rings“ by Miyamoto Musashi is one of the great works on strategy. Tokitsu’ s “Miyamoto Musashi: His Life and Witings” includes not only that work, but also all other known works by Musashi as well as an excellent and well-researched biography of the famous ronin.
Carl Von Clausewitz’s “On War,” Niccolo Machiavell’s “The Prince,” and Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War,” are the most influential treatises on military strategy. All three should be studied regardless of your profession for the lessons they teach. I’ve also included the three modern military leadership and strategy books I feel are worthy of study.
Learning how to think critically is a fundamental skill to develop. Philosophy is the study of how to think. These are the works that have been most influential for me.
One of the original IPSC Master class shooters, Brian Enos wrote “Practical Shooting: Beyond Fundamentals.” This is as much a book on Zen as it is a book on shooting, and will give you different takeaways depending on where you are in your training journey.
Ben Stoeger, multiple national and world champion USPSA Grandmaster shooter, has written the definitive series of books on training with a pistol. These should be in every shooter’s library.
The Ranger Handbook is the standard text on small unit tactics. Combine this with the Small Unit Tactics Handbook designed for Special Forces trainees and you have a comprehensive guide to special operations tactics. The other manuals shown here will round out that knowledge.
Most “tactical” shooting books offer little value. These however should be read by every practitioner.
These are the books on martial arts and combatives that I have found most helpful in my training. Each of them has significant value to offer.
Researching the best ways to practice and learn will accelerate your improvement in any area. Here are some resources I’ve used.
Training isn’t the same as working out, and a working knowledge of strength and conditioning is vital to constructing your training program.
The next set of books are either fiction or fictionalized accounts of historical conflicts. These books can teach us about warriorship, and about life.
Here are some other valuable works that don’t fit neatly into the categories above.