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Warrior Mindset: Mental Toughness Skills for a Nation's Peacekeepers
Mental toughness is esssential for elite human performance and especially in high stress situations. While mental toughness is a singular value in both military and law enforcement training and missions, too often, there is a disconnect between tallking about and actually training it. Warrior MindSet defines mental toughness and describes its critical need and function in the face of the performance degrading effects of combat, mission or response stress. Warrior MindSet provides the psychological skills that comprise mental toughness to optimze performance, success, safety and survival in the field.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
173 people are currently reading
1565 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
March 3, 2013
This is a textbook teaching warriors how to relax, tactically breathe, concentrate, talk to yourself and build a positive attitude. I don't know if I am ready to kill somebody but it sure has helped my golf game.
May 2, 2020
Good content but the authors were SO VERBOSE! A chapter would begin with the title "Self-Talk" and three pages later you'd see the heading "What is Self-Talk?"
The flurry of acronyms (STEP-UP etc) at the end sealed the deal for me. It was like that BoJack episode where he got a BNA (Brand New Attitude). The hill is a metaphor. Everything is a metaphor.
To save you some time: practice visualization, tactical breathing, and positive self-talk.
The flurry of acronyms (STEP-UP etc) at the end sealed the deal for me. It was like that BoJack episode where he got a BNA (Brand New Attitude). The hill is a metaphor. Everything is a metaphor.
To save you some time: practice visualization, tactical breathing, and positive self-talk.
Currently reading
March 23, 2018This book taught me alot... to say the least. I for one thought that in an intense situation we only knew how to contain ourselves by training. Which is false.. Yes the training helps but its engaging in the warrior mindset and the mental toughness to do what others wont. Police officers should read this book and so should anyone who works in a high risk and stress environment.
June 12, 2018
Years ago, I was looking for some resources which would be helpful in dealing with stressful situation while performing at peak level. Google search and some articles (can’t remember which articles) led me to this book. This is an amazing and very well-researched book on enhancing performance under extreme stress for all military, police, martial artists, and anyone else wanting to develop the required mindset. As it geared towards military and law enforcement, I do believe the lessons and techniques contained in this book will help those outside of these fields as well.
When it comes to coping with environments that stand against us, it’s essential to understand mental toughness and psychological skills. The mental side is an overlooked issue that need to be addressed properly. As Brad Thor quotes in his forward, General Patton, "If you are going to win any battle, you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do." This is so true. Also, Marcus Wynne provides observation: “Train with the understanding that firearm practice is 75% physical and 25% mental; however, a gunfight is 25% physical and 75% mental.” This is not only applicable for firearm training but also in other areas of human performance.
The coping skills, techniques on mental toughness in the book are found in arsenal of Navy SEALS. Although SEAL goes through Hell week and beyond plays a big part by those not so hard wired to handle highly stressful situations, they also say some of these coping skills are not only taught to the SEALS but can be learned by regular folks.
I particularly like the authors writing styles as they have cited numerous references and condensed them down to make them relevant, practical, and easy to digest for those that want to incorporate mental toughness training into their training regimens. Aside from many tactics, tactics on breathing, visualizing, imagery and progressive muscle relaxation are explained in layman style that can be applied anytime. I was pleasantly surprised by self-talk and affirmation techniques presented in the book which is widely used by military and law enforcement officials during their mission. Two chapters are dedicated to hone these skills. There are some anecdotes on how self-talk saved lives of army officers and captains during Iraq war. That was really eye opening.
In a world of negativity, it’s easy to think negatively all-day long. The authors caution about too much negative thinking. While positive thinking motivates us, negative thinking forces us to quit and give up. It brings fatal consequences for military and law enforcement. Negative thinking is very powerful than positive thinking.
This book will prepare any person psychologically before and after any confrontation – be it military and police operations or personal and professional fields. And what to do to relieve the stress and mindset after such events.
When it comes to coping with environments that stand against us, it’s essential to understand mental toughness and psychological skills. The mental side is an overlooked issue that need to be addressed properly. As Brad Thor quotes in his forward, General Patton, "If you are going to win any battle, you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do." This is so true. Also, Marcus Wynne provides observation: “Train with the understanding that firearm practice is 75% physical and 25% mental; however, a gunfight is 25% physical and 75% mental.” This is not only applicable for firearm training but also in other areas of human performance.
The coping skills, techniques on mental toughness in the book are found in arsenal of Navy SEALS. Although SEAL goes through Hell week and beyond plays a big part by those not so hard wired to handle highly stressful situations, they also say some of these coping skills are not only taught to the SEALS but can be learned by regular folks.
I particularly like the authors writing styles as they have cited numerous references and condensed them down to make them relevant, practical, and easy to digest for those that want to incorporate mental toughness training into their training regimens. Aside from many tactics, tactics on breathing, visualizing, imagery and progressive muscle relaxation are explained in layman style that can be applied anytime. I was pleasantly surprised by self-talk and affirmation techniques presented in the book which is widely used by military and law enforcement officials during their mission. Two chapters are dedicated to hone these skills. There are some anecdotes on how self-talk saved lives of army officers and captains during Iraq war. That was really eye opening.
In a world of negativity, it’s easy to think negatively all-day long. The authors caution about too much negative thinking. While positive thinking motivates us, negative thinking forces us to quit and give up. It brings fatal consequences for military and law enforcement. Negative thinking is very powerful than positive thinking.
This book will prepare any person psychologically before and after any confrontation – be it military and police operations or personal and professional fields. And what to do to relieve the stress and mindset after such events.
October 18, 2016
My go to reference when teaching, presenting or studying performance improvement for the Fire Service. This book should be required reading for public safety personnel.
April 10, 2018
By: Hamilton C. Craig.
L OYALTY
D UTY
R ESPECT
S ELFLESS SERVICE
H ONOR
I NTEGRITY
P ERSONAL COURAGE
“This leadership is obviously what is in the Warrior’s heart and head than what insignia are on the uniform.”
Hopefully, my favorite quote by Army Lt. Colonel/Chaplain and Pennsylvania State Police Chaplain, Douglas A. Etter is compelling to me, because it truly defines the psychological necessity to a warrior’s mindset, and gives me an idea of what my father, Cpt. James Craig of the Jeffersonville Police Department in Indiana, has to live up to.
Michael J. Asken, Ph.D., Lt Col. Dave Grossman, and Loren W. Christensen’s Warrior Mindset; vividly depicts the unremarked merit of proper psychological/physical training through real-life statistics and experiences. Whether it be the Yerkes-Dodson Law or the stressful situations within Loren Christensen’s (2002) Crouching Tiger, Warrior Mindset is about integrating physical and psycho-development of the complete warrior.
Personally, my favorite part of the book is the section labeled “A Word on Correct Posture and Breathing” on pages 117-120. The health benefits of intervaling tactical breaths to improve performance and stress management of the 4 Count Method persist in my mind, because of the availability to all Police/Military. I certainly would not mind referring Cpt. James to these gems.
Our authors wholeheartedly expressed their variety to develop the complete warrior. I interpret the piece as a guide, evaluation, and reference to any Peacekeeper. Asken, Christensen, and Grossman’s Warrior Mindset does exactly what is sets out to; Again, integrates the physical and psycho-development of the complete warrior. Despite the dragging of factual statistics and references, Warrior Mindset puts me closer to my father’s willful duties rather than becoming an officer myself. Simply, 10/10.
Any readers below the age of Junior High cannot revel in the value Warrior Mindset possesses.
If you are of selfless service, a soldier, a policeman, or even considering these honorable positions, or looking to improve your performance, their work is the place to start. It is the start.
L OYALTY
D UTY
R ESPECT
S ELFLESS SERVICE
H ONOR
I NTEGRITY
P ERSONAL COURAGE
“This leadership is obviously what is in the Warrior’s heart and head than what insignia are on the uniform.”
Hopefully, my favorite quote by Army Lt. Colonel/Chaplain and Pennsylvania State Police Chaplain, Douglas A. Etter is compelling to me, because it truly defines the psychological necessity to a warrior’s mindset, and gives me an idea of what my father, Cpt. James Craig of the Jeffersonville Police Department in Indiana, has to live up to.
Michael J. Asken, Ph.D., Lt Col. Dave Grossman, and Loren W. Christensen’s Warrior Mindset; vividly depicts the unremarked merit of proper psychological/physical training through real-life statistics and experiences. Whether it be the Yerkes-Dodson Law or the stressful situations within Loren Christensen’s (2002) Crouching Tiger, Warrior Mindset is about integrating physical and psycho-development of the complete warrior.
Personally, my favorite part of the book is the section labeled “A Word on Correct Posture and Breathing” on pages 117-120. The health benefits of intervaling tactical breaths to improve performance and stress management of the 4 Count Method persist in my mind, because of the availability to all Police/Military. I certainly would not mind referring Cpt. James to these gems.
Our authors wholeheartedly expressed their variety to develop the complete warrior. I interpret the piece as a guide, evaluation, and reference to any Peacekeeper. Asken, Christensen, and Grossman’s Warrior Mindset does exactly what is sets out to; Again, integrates the physical and psycho-development of the complete warrior. Despite the dragging of factual statistics and references, Warrior Mindset puts me closer to my father’s willful duties rather than becoming an officer myself. Simply, 10/10.
Any readers below the age of Junior High cannot revel in the value Warrior Mindset possesses.
If you are of selfless service, a soldier, a policeman, or even considering these honorable positions, or looking to improve your performance, their work is the place to start. It is the start.
January 5, 2019
"Being a warrior is not about the act of fighting. It's about being so prepared to face a challenge and believing so strongly in the cause you are fighting for that you refuse to quit."
This book is a great entry level read for mental toughness skills. It reviews both eastern and western basic methods and specific techniques such as: distraction focus, negative thought control, personal psy ops, attention training, neuro linguistic training etc.
I was expecting more advanced writing and technique than it contained, as it was all review. The focus is on military and police but I think it's more entry level mil and police, depending on what your job was. If you've done 4+ years in the infantry this will most likely be all review if you were one of the mentally tough warriors.
I would highly recommend this for all entry level military enlisted and officer as well as law enforcement, or others who want advanced mental discipline.
"Mental control thus proceeds all other kinds of voluntary control---control over actions, our emotion, over thoughts themselves. To the degree that we can do anything at all on purpose, we do it by wilfully moving our attention toward what it is we wish to do."
This book is a great entry level read for mental toughness skills. It reviews both eastern and western basic methods and specific techniques such as: distraction focus, negative thought control, personal psy ops, attention training, neuro linguistic training etc.
I was expecting more advanced writing and technique than it contained, as it was all review. The focus is on military and police but I think it's more entry level mil and police, depending on what your job was. If you've done 4+ years in the infantry this will most likely be all review if you were one of the mentally tough warriors.
I would highly recommend this for all entry level military enlisted and officer as well as law enforcement, or others who want advanced mental discipline.
"Mental control thus proceeds all other kinds of voluntary control---control over actions, our emotion, over thoughts themselves. To the degree that we can do anything at all on purpose, we do it by wilfully moving our attention toward what it is we wish to do."
September 10, 2017
Excellent book that is definitely worth reading. Full of realistic and practical information.
Highly recommend.
Highly recommend.
Currently reading
January 21, 2019Awesome
May 8, 2021
Great for those in the field and front line performers in combat or in the streets.
Used for my dissertation.
Used for my dissertation.
November 29, 2024
Offers some useful skills. Unfortunately, this book spends a lot of pages trying to justify its purpose before getting to helpful points.
August 4, 2012
"Warrior Mindset: Mental Toughness Skills for a Nation's Peacekeepers" by Michael J. Asken, Ph.D., Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, and Loren W. Christensen, with a Foreword by bestselling author Brad Thor, is an outstanding book for all military, police, martial artists, and anyone else wanting to develop the mindset to deal with high stress situations in order to perform. As the title suggests, it is aimed at those in the military or law enforcement, the warriors of our society. However, I do believe the lessons contained in this book will help those outside of these fields as well.
In Thor's Foreword, he quotes General Patton, "If you are going to win any battle, you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do." I agree with Thor, that this is so true. When I taught at the 2nd I.D. Scout Sniper School, we used high fatigue to help train the mind, because when the body gets tired, the mind sometimes quits thinking. This book would have been a great resource back then. I wish it had been available back then, and am glad it is available today.
The book is extremely well researched, and there are numerous pages of references. The authors have taken the best from these sources and condensed it down to make it relevant, practical, and easy to digest for those that want to incorporate mental toughness training into their training regimens. And if you are a soldier or law enforcement officer, you must incorporate mental toughness training into your program. Your life, and the lives of those you work with, may depend on it. If you are in athletics or business, these techniques will also help you perform, even though it might not be life or death.
Some of the information in this book will be new to people, and some such as breathing and imagery will be familiar. (Read the book to see how they differentiate imagery from visualization, something I really liked and shared with my Hapkido class one night to reinforce some of the solo training exercises I tell my students to perform when they don't have training partners available. However, even those topics that are familiar are presented in a refreshing and practical way that is directed toward those in high risk occupations, those positions that really need these techniques and strategies to perform at their highest.
I really can't recommend this book enough. For any law enforcement officer, soldier, or martial artist, this book is a must read. For those of us who teach to the above, this book will enable you to be a better instructor as you incorporate mental toughness lessons with your physical teachings. Highly recommended!
In Thor's Foreword, he quotes General Patton, "If you are going to win any battle, you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do." I agree with Thor, that this is so true. When I taught at the 2nd I.D. Scout Sniper School, we used high fatigue to help train the mind, because when the body gets tired, the mind sometimes quits thinking. This book would have been a great resource back then. I wish it had been available back then, and am glad it is available today.
The book is extremely well researched, and there are numerous pages of references. The authors have taken the best from these sources and condensed it down to make it relevant, practical, and easy to digest for those that want to incorporate mental toughness training into their training regimens. And if you are a soldier or law enforcement officer, you must incorporate mental toughness training into your program. Your life, and the lives of those you work with, may depend on it. If you are in athletics or business, these techniques will also help you perform, even though it might not be life or death.
Some of the information in this book will be new to people, and some such as breathing and imagery will be familiar. (Read the book to see how they differentiate imagery from visualization, something I really liked and shared with my Hapkido class one night to reinforce some of the solo training exercises I tell my students to perform when they don't have training partners available. However, even those topics that are familiar are presented in a refreshing and practical way that is directed toward those in high risk occupations, those positions that really need these techniques and strategies to perform at their highest.
I really can't recommend this book enough. For any law enforcement officer, soldier, or martial artist, this book is a must read. For those of us who teach to the above, this book will enable you to be a better instructor as you incorporate mental toughness lessons with your physical teachings. Highly recommended!
February 23, 2017
An excellent summary - aka 'handbook' - on resilience and performance enhancing techniques. Recommended for anyone who is serious about their performance in the face of adversary.
March 1, 2014
Okay, this book was interesting and an excellent guide for toughening up from the inside and honing the martial mental skills set. I would recommend it to all EMT, military and first responders. I was a little disappointed I didn't see more direct input from Dave Grossman, whom I have great respect and admiration for, but that was just a personal thing. I'm not so much a hearts and flowers meditation yoga type of guy, so the relaxation stuff is difficult for me to get into, despite knowing that it is important and I need to heed greater attention. I particularly liked the sections on mental imaging and tactical thinking. The sections on visualization perception and cognition are useful. There is a lot of material within the pages and you don't really realize it until you are done with the book. Still many of the hints, tips and techniques are outstanding and will assist me in developing future lectures and training scenarios. Another useful segment is based upon tactical breathing, mission focus and stress management. The title is equally applicable whether you are wearing green or blue, but also applies to everyday life and the attitudes you adopt. Increasingly the average citizen is forced to fend for him of herself in an ever more aggressive and dangerous environment. The book emphasizes that mental toughness alone is not enough. It must logically be accompanied with a regime of practice and skills enhancement. Nevertheless, even if you are not out there on the front lines this book is a good primer to get you thinking in a positive and dynamic fashion,
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
October 18, 2015
Warrior Mindset....
This is a fantastic read even if you are not in a warrior type employment. As a matter of fact, I would highly recommend this to anybody who is specifically not in a career that one would consider of a warrior nature. It gives the reader an idea what the soldiers, first responders, officers, etc must endure and how they are capable of doing what many others could not handle. This book also provides some insight to simple but effective techniques for keeping calm and focused in any situation. I always enjoy reading things that promote learning to control and direct your mind instead of just succumbing to its terrifyingly sporadic nature. Great read and very enlightening.
This is a fantastic read even if you are not in a warrior type employment. As a matter of fact, I would highly recommend this to anybody who is specifically not in a career that one would consider of a warrior nature. It gives the reader an idea what the soldiers, first responders, officers, etc must endure and how they are capable of doing what many others could not handle. This book also provides some insight to simple but effective techniques for keeping calm and focused in any situation. I always enjoy reading things that promote learning to control and direct your mind instead of just succumbing to its terrifyingly sporadic nature. Great read and very enlightening.
March 19, 2013
This took me the better part of 3 months to get through and oh my god I'm so glad I am. I'm not sure who had the majority of the middle chapters, but it was extremely redundant and talked in circles for a good chunk and at times felt like a self-help book more so than a book outlining mental skills to use on the battlefield. Toward the end when it focused on Imaging and how it's useful in combination with physical practice I got more interested, and I loved the last 3 chapters most of all, but it's probably because they were the last ones. Not bad, but not great either. Although I did love the breathing techniques.
March 21, 2018
Soooo.... The kindle version of this is nearly unreadable. I'm getting entire sentences wherethewordsruntogether. There are also images with text in them that will not enlarge when you enlarge the text. These are images that seem necessary to understanding the rest of the text. I've tried restarting my kindle thinking it was an issue with my machine, but nope. There are also some minor errors that a good editor could (should) have fixed.
I haven't tried to read it on my computer or on a big tablet yet, but I feel like that shouldn't be necessary. :/
Other than that it's a really great book.
I haven't tried to read it on my computer or on a big tablet yet, but I feel like that shouldn't be necessary. :/
Other than that it's a really great book.
July 14, 2015
This book is very coloured by American culture, and the elevation(?) of the status of soldiers and policemen to that of "warriors" grates, and I believe distracts from the full range of roles that those servicemen are called upon to fulfil.
That said, the book has some useful strategies for not just 'mental toughness', but for de-escalating one's mental state and remaining calm and focused in strussful situations. There are some helpful self-assessments in there too.
A bit oddly structured, and with dstracting language, the book is nonetheless interesting and probably useful.
That said, the book has some useful strategies for not just 'mental toughness', but for de-escalating one's mental state and remaining calm and focused in strussful situations. There are some helpful self-assessments in there too.
A bit oddly structured, and with dstracting language, the book is nonetheless interesting and probably useful.
November 1, 2016
This book I have read in the pat and found it to be a well balanced look to what it means to be a police officer in today's current climate. All too often the term warrior is focused on the physical skills and all too often neglect the moral attributes required to claim the title warrior. Guardian, Protector, Peacekeeper, police officer what ever title you prefer all have to balance persuasion and force with respect and dignity. This book cover all that!
November 7, 2013
Once again, a must read for those who are sheepdog in our society. This book does a substantial job in providing the modern warrior with techniques and tools to increase combat readiness, faster response times, and how to deal with the corrosive environment that the sheepdog choose to endure because the others can't.
January 4, 2014
As a military member this has some great insight and assessment tools to help you grow in your leadership capabilities. I would definitely recommend this not only to military and law enforcement, but any person who works in a high stress job field. Many of the concepts could just as well apply to steel workers, shop foremen, as well as teachers.
October 1, 2013
I can't recommend this book highly enough! Just the right amount of practical exercises with theory. Excellent book for law enforcement, military, and civilians working with an ever increasingly violent public.
November 26, 2010
Amazing!!! (Well, as good as nonfiction gets anyway :) It was worth a second read... something I rarely ever do.
March 9, 2017
not nearly as good as the other books by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman but because of ON KILLING and ON COMBAT i will most definitely read ever book he writes.
September 25, 2011
Fascinating book! Informative, insightful, and inspirational. :)
July 6, 2013
A great primer on building mental toughness and concentration, even for civilians. It really gave me some insight into developing good psychological habits.
June 16, 2020
Absolutely priceless content. Should be required reading at TBS (The Basic School) for Marine Corps Officers as well as NCO school!
August 26, 2013
This is a good single source book for insight into the mindset needed to excel as a military service member or law enforcement officer.
Read
October 25, 2015excellent, the scope and depth provide a comprehensive understanding about what you may or may have already experienced. Making it easy to relate to. I have several notes and highlights.
September 25, 2013
This should be required reading for all LEO & military professionals.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews