Noteworthy books that have influenced me considerably.

Martial arts

Revolutionary

Books that radically changed my understanding of martial arts and their practice.

• Zen Body-Being: An Enlightened Approach to Physical Skill, Grace, and Power by Peter Ralston - see my review & digest of it
• Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson, Robert Pool - see my review & digest of it

Valuable

• Blind Zen - seldom mentioned basics
• Zen in the Martial Arts by Hyams
• Zen in the Art of Archery

Recommended by others

Wim Demeere’s top 4 self-defence books:

• The Law of Self Defense - because you must to know what is/is not legal not to end up in prison; US-specific but useful nonetheless
• Meditations on violence - learn how real violence plays out
• Timing in the Fighting Arts
• Solo training - because you also need to train on your own if you want to be really good
• Street Stoppers: The Martial Arts Most Devastating Trips, Sweeps, and Throws for Real Fighting - often a neglected topic; takedowns that are effective on the street

Mind

Books that have strongly influenced my thinking about mind and spirit.

• The Man Who Wanted to Be Happy (see my review and highlights) by Laurent Gounelle is a fascinating and entertaining account of one man’s journey of discovery of how we are controlled by various, often unconscious, beliefs and how these take away our freedom and undermine our happiness.

Related

All my book reviews

You can see all my book reviews here.

My GoodReads account

You can see my ratings, short reviews, and favorite authors at GoodReads.