The Best self defense books for the streets

The chances are if you’re reading this, you’ll be looking at books to learn self defense for street fights. If so, then good news as you’ve found the right place. These books are designed for those that want to increase their chances of survival if ever they get into a street fight. Whilst fighting should never be the first option, sometimes you will have no choice.

Here, these books will teach you how to defend yourself by any means necessary. This means a combination of grappling, striking, and even fighting dirty at times. Remember, whilst training in person is great, you can still learn a lot from books.

Books can often show you techniques you may not learn in class or offer a different perspective. Further, books can also be read at any time – even if you’re out and about which is why so many people often turn to books to learn about self defense.

It’s not just civilians either, self defense is also massively important for those working in dangerous professions too. For instance, if you’re a bouncer or work in law enforcement then knowing how to stay safe is vital.

We have judged the books on the following:

• Price
• Detail
• Illustrations
• Easy to understand
• Realisticness

The Self-Defense Handbook by Sam Fury

As far as streetfighting books go, this one is pretty comprehensive and covers just about everything. It takes inspiration from various martial arts such as Jeet Kune Do, Krav Maga, and much more. In short, it puts everything together in the name of self defense.

This means there are sections on knockouts, weapons, multiple attackers, and importantly, how to escape aggressors. It should be added that because of this, it is a handbook and not an encyclopedia – so although there’s more than enough for the layman, it’s not based on any specific martial art and is more of a general overview.

How To Be Your Own Bodyguard by Nick Hughes

This book is a bit different compared to others on this list and focuses heavily on non-physical forms of self defense. This includes scoping out areas, verbal communication skills, body language, and various tips and tricks to make your time on the streets safer.

The title isn’t just a fancy term either; author Nick Hughes was an ex-bodyguard so he knows exactly what he’s talking about. Because of this, a lot of this book is based on avoiding physical confrontations completely which is arguably better than learning how to fight.

Scientific Self-defense by W.E Fairbairn

If you want to read about an interesting account of self defense history, then W.E Fairbairn’s account is very unique. Apparently, Fairbairn took part in hundreds of street fights and lived a pretty wild life. Eventually, he noted this in his book which is called Scientific self defense.

The point of this book isn’t just to talk about past events though. It also talks about strategy and tactics of how to win a street fight. Known for its no-nonsense approach, it goes straight to the source and shows readers what it takes to survive when you’re in trouble.

Boxing for Self-Defense by Wim Demeere

As the title suggests, this book is based on boxing. Therefore, if you want to learn about combat weapons or other martial arts then this book may not be for you. Instead, it focuses on how to box in the streets and win fights by using your hands.

As you’d expect, this shows how to hit but arguably, more importantly, the art of not being hit which is a big deal in boxing. As most street fights involve boxing (especially in the beginning), this is an incredibly common and needed skill set if you get into a fight.

What’s more, this book focuses on boxing without rules which is different from fighting in the ring. Importantly, it also goes through the legal ramifications regarding self defense and protecting yourself.

When Violence Is the Answer by Tim Larkin

Author Tim Larkin is an ex-military intelligence officer. This is the starting point of his book which approaches self defense from a psychological viewpoint. Basically, the idea of this book is how to think and act under pressure to give you the upper hand.

This is done through various stories which can be a little brutal at times but will get the message across. In short, by doing this – Larkin provides a clear picture of how to succeed in street fights and give yourself the best possible outcome if you’re ever in danger.

Self Defense Made Simple by Phil Pierce

This book is based on simplifying self defense and overall, it works in doing just that. Author Phil Pierce runs readers through a number of scenarios and likelihoods. For instance, he lists the most common attacks you may face on the streets and how to deal with them.

By preparing yourself for likely outcomes, you’re obviously more likely to overcome them easier. What’s also nice about this book is that its techniques are fairly universal. This means even if you’re smaller or a female, nothing is off limits and these moves should work for all.

No Second Chance by Mark Hatmaker

From groin punches to eye gouges, this book shows all the dirty tricks needed to potentially win a street fight. Interestingly, it also has a large section dedicated to drilling these moves which is very important. In brief, it’s one thing memorizing a move or two, but actually drilling them in person is completely different.

The reason for this is that drilling will help improve your muscle memory and heighten your chance of success in real time. Therefore, it makes sense to drill and this offers a sensible approach to improving your chances of survival.

How To Street Fight by Sam Fury

Overall, this book’s main strength lies in its creativity. Author Sam Fury even has a section based on creativity, where he advises readers to use any objects that are potentially available to your own advantage. This is sometimes where traditional martial arts can fail as they’re too rigid and have rules.

The point of How to street fight is that you won’t have rules and have to do whatever you can to survive. Like Fury’s previous self defense book, this offers a good overview and covers practically every aspect of street fighting.

Handbook of Self-Defense in Pictures and Text by John Martone

Originally published in 1958, this book is based on self defense and uses text and pictures to explain everything. This means if you’re a visual learner, then this book may be for you and it features over 100 pictures to learn from.

You may think that this book is too dated as well. However, as it teaches fundamentally sound techniques; this means that it’s timeless in its approach to self defense and is suited for those that work potentially dangerous jobs.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Self-Defense Techniques by Royce Gracie

Royce Gracie was literally the first ever UFC Champion and hails from the famous Gracie family, so it’s fair to say that he knows a thing or two about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. This is a martial art that involves takedowns, pins, submissions and is generally big on grappling.

The good thing about this book is that Royce also tailors his techniques towards a self defense setting rather than for use in sports. It even has sections on using BJJ against weapons such as guns and knives, so it’s perfect for street fighting and doesn’t involve gimmicky, overly flamboyant BJJ.