Principles Of Personal Defense (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Some people prey upon other people..." (more)
Key Phrases: personal defense

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It is a classic, timeless work, encapsulated in a clear, concise, and succinct form.............it should be read, studied, and then periodically re-read and re-studied. No matter how many times you read it, you will always find one more pearl of wisdom that you missed during the last read." --Louis Awerbuck --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

This revised edition of Jeff Cooper's classic on personal defense is the best study of the guiding principles of survival in the face of unprovoked violence by human assailants. Cooper discusses the vital elements of defensive mental conditioning, including alertness, decisiveness, aggressiveness, speed, coolness, ruthlessness and surprise.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 56 pages
• Publisher: Paladin Press; 2nd edition (January 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873644972
• ISBN-13: 978-0873644976
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #442,124 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Jeff Cooper is the best --- but this is a pamphlet, not a book!, November 5, 2005

By	Dr. Steve Edwards (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

If you're looking for information from the best in his field, Jeff Cooper is the go-to guy. But DO NOT waste your money on this "book." This is a reissue of a 1989 training presentation that Cooper developed.

While his chapter headings are good (7 principles), each "chapter" is about 2-3 pages of large print. The entire "book" contains only 28 pages on which there is reading material, and many of those pages are less than half full. And Paladin Press, usually fairly competent, apparently never bothered to proofread this mess, with missing punctuation and errors such as "50-called" instead of "so-called."

I will now give you the entire book, in less than 100 words:

Here are the seven principles of successful personal defense:

- Alertness
- Decisiveness
- Aggressiveness
- Speed
- Coolness
- Ruthlessness
- Surprise

And the one take-home nugget of insight from this book:
All of these principles must be backed up by one's SKILL with a firearm, which requires training and practice. "YOU ARE NO MORE ARMED BECAUSE YOU ARE WEARING A PISTOL THAN YOU ARE A MUSICIAN BECAUSE YOU OWN A GUITAR." This one sentence inspired me to schedule some refresher training, and to set aside some additional time on a weekly basis to practice and maintain my skills.

OK, I just saved everyone about $10, plus s+h, plus the wait for it to arrive in the mail, plus the disappointment that you didn't buy one of Jeff's other books instead. Buy a box of JHPs with good stopping power, and think of me [fondly, NOT as the imaginary target!] the next time you go to the practice range.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Informative, November 16, 1999

By	Mike Payne (usa) - See all my reviews

I thought the content of the book was excellent. It breaks down in small portions, principles of self defense that a person can apply everyday in their life. No magic, just great common sense. My only gripe is that the book is so short. It literally takes about 1/2 hour to read.

40 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Principles of Personal Defense, December 5, 1999

By	John J. Miller (Chicago) - See all my reviews

O.K. The basic concepts of the book are fine. However, this is not a book. It is a magazine article in disguise. Half of the forty pages are pictures, blank, of half pages of text. Go to the library if you must read this, but save your money.