Part of your martial arts journey involves academics. Training is more than just physical, especially if you are considering teaching someday.  Knowledge of history and the technical nuances of strategy and tactics is important to the overall development of the martial artist.  Over the years I have read hundreds of books on various subjects related to Jujitsu and the martial arts.  They have expanded my view and given my knowledge a depth that could not have been gained otherwise.

Each one of the books has provided insights into things I may have already known about, but needed detail and perspective. They have helped form my specific martial attitude.

I would like to recommend the following books to increase your depth in the martial arts.  Feel free to review them as a comment to this blog post.

Japan’s Ultimate Martial Art: Jujitsu Before 1882 the Classical Japanese Art of Self-Defense
(A good history of Jujitsu, especially how things developed in the 19th century)

Aikido Journal – Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu: Conversations with Daito-ryu Masters
(A detailed look at where our Aikijutsu roots started)

Duke Moore on Zen and Meditation: Fighting Spirit of Zen & Holistic Meditation
(A look into the fighting mind of Shihan Duke Moore)

Living the Martial Way: A Manual for the Way a Modern Warrior Should Think
(One of my favorite books on the mind of the modern martial arts warrior)

Complete Krav Maga: The Ultimate Guide to Over 230 Self-Defense and Combative Techniques
(Probably the best Krav Maga book written)

The Book of Five Rings
(The classic martial strategy book by Musashi)

Facing Violence: Preparing for the Unexpected
(A thought provoking book on how to deal with violence)

The Ultimate Survival Manual (Outdoor Life): 333 Skills that Will Get You Out Alive
(Why bother defending yourself if you don’t know how to survive otherwise?)

Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai
(The great historical view into the mind of the Samurai)

SAS and Elite Forces Guide Extreme Unarmed Combat: Hand-to-Hand Fighting Skills from the World’s Elite Military Units
(One of the best books to address the core of personal defense – and one of my favorites)

Kill Or Get Killed
(The classic combat book by Col Rex Applegate)