What do you think?
Rate this book
The Truth About Self Protection
The Truth About Self Protection [mass_market] Ayoob, Massad [Mar 01, 2004]
- GenresNonfictionHealth
417 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
4 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
Massad Ayoob
127 books66 followersMassad Ayoob is an internationally known firearms and self-defense instructor. He has taught police techniques and civilian self-defense to both law enforcement officers and private citizens in numerous venues since 1974. Ayoob has appeared as an expert witness in several trials. He has served as a part-time police officer in New Hampshire since 1972 and holds the rank of Captain in the Grantham, New Hampshire police department.
Ayoob has authored several books and more than 1,000 articles on firearms, combat techniques, self-defense, and legal issues, and has served in an editorial capacity for Guns Magazine, American Handgunner, Gun Week, and Combat Handguns. Since 1995, he has written self-defense- and firearms-related articles for Backwoods Home Magazine.
Ayoob has authored several books and more than 1,000 articles on firearms, combat techniques, self-defense, and legal issues, and has served in an editorial capacity for Guns Magazine, American Handgunner, Gun Week, and Combat Handguns. Since 1995, he has written self-defense- and firearms-related articles for Backwoods Home Magazine.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 18, 2011
The Truth About Self Protection is, in some circles, regarded as a seminal work on personal safety. It’s pretty easy to see why; this book has a lot of positives to it. At the same time, I confess to being hesitant to recommend it to the layperson seeking advice on self defense for the first time. While there are a lot of good things in this book, there are a couple of flaws that really hurt its utility for the modern audience.
Let me start with the good. The Truth About Self Protection is an incredibly comprehensive work on the subject of self-defense. With close to fifty chapters and nearly 400 pages, Ayoob touches upon aspects of personal safety that most writers and instructors never even consider. In addition to material about unarmed combat, improvised weapons, legal weapons (like kubotans and defensive sprays) and firearms, Ayoob touches upon far less often considered subjects like locks for your home, electronic alarm systems, and even choosing a dog for protection. At every stage, Ayoob offers relatively comprehensive advice in a clear and easily understand format. He is careful to address not only the realties of each piece of security equipment, but also the legal, moral, and ethical considerations behind them. The book is written in a very conversational style that makes the material very accessible; reading this book feels like sitting down and having a conversation with an old cop (complete with some slightly politically incorrect language, though nothing truly offensive).
If there is so much good here, why would I hesitate to recommend it? Simple. This book was published in 1983, and has not been revised or updated since then. While the concepts in this book are, on a certain level, valuable, the information overall is nearly thirty years out of date, and it shows. Ayoob writing about rotary version push button telephones may have made sense when this book was written, but in the era of the iPhone vs. the Android, it seems about sensible as worrying about whether to compose letters on vellum or parchment. The technology is so different as to make some of Ayoob’s concerns seem completely irrelevant.
I found Ayoob’s section on choosing a martial art particularly problematic; while I actually agree with his recommendation that a good Judo school is one of the best places you can go for training in a martial art with a lot of self-defense value, his suggestion that Aikido is an excellent choice is completely contrary to my own experiences with that art. I have nothing against Aikido, but in my experience, most Aikido schools do not authentically prepare their students for real violence, and the skills that they teach do not transfer well without a huge investment of time and energy. Furthermore, Ayoob offers no comment or opinion on either Brazilian Jujitsu or Mixed Martial Arts, two phenomena that were unknown or non-existent at the time this book was written. He does speak highly of Jim Arvanitis’s re-creation of the Greek Pankration, which is similar to modern MMA, though Arvanitis himself is a controversial figure at best.
Is this book worth reading? If you are a self-defense instructor, I would say so, if for no other reason than it is a particularly seminal work in the field. If you are a dedicated student of personal protection, this can give you some excellent ideas for areas to consider investigating further. I wouldn’t give this to a layperson looking for a first-time guide to self-defense, simply because so much of the information needs updating. There is a lot of good information here, but to really make use of any of it, you’ll want to do enough research to find out if it’s still accurate.
Let me start with the good. The Truth About Self Protection is an incredibly comprehensive work on the subject of self-defense. With close to fifty chapters and nearly 400 pages, Ayoob touches upon aspects of personal safety that most writers and instructors never even consider. In addition to material about unarmed combat, improvised weapons, legal weapons (like kubotans and defensive sprays) and firearms, Ayoob touches upon far less often considered subjects like locks for your home, electronic alarm systems, and even choosing a dog for protection. At every stage, Ayoob offers relatively comprehensive advice in a clear and easily understand format. He is careful to address not only the realties of each piece of security equipment, but also the legal, moral, and ethical considerations behind them. The book is written in a very conversational style that makes the material very accessible; reading this book feels like sitting down and having a conversation with an old cop (complete with some slightly politically incorrect language, though nothing truly offensive).
If there is so much good here, why would I hesitate to recommend it? Simple. This book was published in 1983, and has not been revised or updated since then. While the concepts in this book are, on a certain level, valuable, the information overall is nearly thirty years out of date, and it shows. Ayoob writing about rotary version push button telephones may have made sense when this book was written, but in the era of the iPhone vs. the Android, it seems about sensible as worrying about whether to compose letters on vellum or parchment. The technology is so different as to make some of Ayoob’s concerns seem completely irrelevant.
I found Ayoob’s section on choosing a martial art particularly problematic; while I actually agree with his recommendation that a good Judo school is one of the best places you can go for training in a martial art with a lot of self-defense value, his suggestion that Aikido is an excellent choice is completely contrary to my own experiences with that art. I have nothing against Aikido, but in my experience, most Aikido schools do not authentically prepare their students for real violence, and the skills that they teach do not transfer well without a huge investment of time and energy. Furthermore, Ayoob offers no comment or opinion on either Brazilian Jujitsu or Mixed Martial Arts, two phenomena that were unknown or non-existent at the time this book was written. He does speak highly of Jim Arvanitis’s re-creation of the Greek Pankration, which is similar to modern MMA, though Arvanitis himself is a controversial figure at best.
Is this book worth reading? If you are a self-defense instructor, I would say so, if for no other reason than it is a particularly seminal work in the field. If you are a dedicated student of personal protection, this can give you some excellent ideas for areas to consider investigating further. I wouldn’t give this to a layperson looking for a first-time guide to self-defense, simply because so much of the information needs updating. There is a lot of good information here, but to really make use of any of it, you’ll want to do enough research to find out if it’s still accurate.
April 30, 2018
Much of the book is devoted to macho posturing. While the author makes some interesting points, the fact that the author openly and unashamedly brags about training with Count Dante makes everything he says and does highly suspect.
October 12, 2022
Many people my age know the name Massad Ayoob. We know of his teachings in firearm self-defense. This book is a bit dated, 1983, but still gets the point across in home defense and self-protection.
I used to give this book to individuals who I knew would read it and learn from it.
I used to give this book to individuals who I knew would read it and learn from it.
January 12, 2024
very good book. still relevant and still contains valuable infromation
March 19, 2008
I was recommended Ayoob's books by a semi-retired policeman.
Ayoob's writings, from his experience as a police officer and as family to a victim of a non-lethal shooting, helps to instill a healthy respect of firearms.
In The Truth about Self Protection, Ayoob discusses firearms and other tools to help protect oneself, one's home, and one's family. He covers the best (at the time) locks, dogs, martial arts ... and the matter of self-reliance.
I need to buy a copy for reference. I enjoyed his down-to-earth tone and his expertise in this area.
Ayoob's writings, from his experience as a police officer and as family to a victim of a non-lethal shooting, helps to instill a healthy respect of firearms.
In The Truth about Self Protection, Ayoob discusses firearms and other tools to help protect oneself, one's home, and one's family. He covers the best (at the time) locks, dogs, martial arts ... and the matter of self-reliance.
I need to buy a copy for reference. I enjoyed his down-to-earth tone and his expertise in this area.
October 15, 2013
An oldie but goodie. Lots of the OTHER things one ought to think about besides mere gun ownership/deployment in the realm of staying safe. Technology related info out of date naturally, but that's not a big deal. We like to lend this to people who come to us asking about concealed carry; unfortunately, somewhere along the line one of those people didn't return our copy!
April 12, 2012
Even though it is dated in it facts and laws this is still a great teaching about how to be aware of your surroundings and how to defend yourself and better yet protect yourself and your property from crime.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews