books on mindset?

[jf89]

What exactly is defensive mindset?and what are some recomended books? Im thinking of getting jeff coopers principles of personal defense and to ride,shoot straight and speak the truth, and i own On killing by Dave Grossman and was thinking of getting on combat but i was told you gotta sift through the BS and i dont have a clue what to listen to and what to discard and ive read alot of stuff that He is pro gun control and blames video games for kids violence ,stabbing people is a sexual thing etc. ,thats the only bs i can see but i have no eperience on this stuff and dont want to get misguided.....i own in the gravest extreme and farnams handgunning and rifle and combative fundamentals by jeff gonzales those are the only things ive read on this stuff and my buddy who is a combat veteran says grossman is full of it and changes his view based on his audience and to stay away from his crap

 

[old lady new shooter]

Awhile back someone here recommended In the Name of Self-Defense. I haven't read the whole thing yet but there is definitely some good stuff in the part I read so far.

 

[strambo]

"In the Name of Self Defense" by Marc MacYoung is full of outstanding material (well-worth reading), in desperate need of an editor.

"On Combat" is very good IMO much more useful than the more controversial "On Killing." Also "Training At The Speed of Life" by Kenneth Murray (one of the Simunition founders) is my go-to text for reality based training.

Other very good ones, "The Gift of Fear" by Gavin DeBecker. Haven't read yet, but heard very good things about "Left of Bang."

 

[Panzerschwein]

Defensive Revolver Fundamentals by Grant Cunningham deals a lot with mindset and psychological issues of gunfights, not just revolver specific ones either. Worth a read.

 

[shafter]

On Combat is highly regarded in the law enforcement community.

 

[Liberty1776]

The Book of Five Rings, by Miyamoto Musashi... a timeless classic.

 

[Bix]

Cooper's Principles of Personal Defense would be considered foundational 'mindset' material by a lot of folks..

 

[climbnjump]

I'm going to suggest one that is a bit - but not a lot - off topic:

"Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why"

It contains no tips on choosing weapons or on gun fighting, but it does have a lot to say about mindset in general and on its importance in surviving a "bad" experience.

When confronted with a life-threatening situation, 90% of people freeze or panic, says Gonzales in this exploration of what makes the remaining 10% stay cool, focused and alive.

That's what the book explores - it's a fascinating read.

 

[zorro45]

"Left of Bang" is very good especially about situational awareness/avoiding problems.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

"The Gift of Fear" is really good.

 

[lemaymiami]

My bible, all those years ago (roughly 1981 or 1982) was Street Survival... It's a bit dated now and meant for cops - but the basics don't change. For those who've read popular magazines on shooting and learned to hit a target with their weapon of choice it will take you into the practicalities of surviving close and long range deadly encounters...

When I got my copy of the book I'd already fired my one and only shot on the street - and went through most of what the book described in chapter 13 -about what folks go through after a shooting scrape... At the time of that shooting I'd been a cop for almost five years -and was still totally unprepared for what happened that day... As a result I made a point of learning as much as I could about weapons, tactics, mindset, etc. Years later I found myself in charge of training for a hundred man department down here in south Florida. Mindset is first, tactics a close second - weapons a distant third, in my opinion. I'm more than twenty years now out of police work and haven't carried a sidearm even once in all that time - but every lesson learned has stayed with me....

 

[Kingcreek]

I read the title post and immediately thought Cooper and Gonzalez. Deep Survival is a book like no other. It is an analysis of successful (and unsuccessful) mental processes in survival situations- not combat specific but very very informative.
Cooper for combat mindset, Gonzalez for survival mindset.