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Discover the everyday object you can legally carry anywhere—onto planes, into courthouses, through any TSA checkpoint—that doubles as the most effective improvised self-defense tool ever tested.

See threats before they see you.

A pen for self-defense.

Train your mind and your body before it is needed.

Praise for Covert Self-Defense

"A must-read for self-defense instructors and anyone developing real self-defense skills. Covert Self-Defense is truly mind blowing. It is a practical and eye-opening resource that shows just how much there is to understand about violence outside the cage."

—Natan Levy, UFC veteran, decorated grappler, Karate & Kung Fu black belt, USDC 2&3 Champion, self-defense and mixed martial arts instructor.

"A realistic and well-researched look at self-defense, with clever and effective pen techniques you won't find anywhere else. Covert Self-Defense delivers."

—Randy Turner, former JTF2 operator, former MMA pro fighter, BJJ black belt, and founder of Direct Actions.

"Truchon takes a 10,000-foot view of self-protection itself. Even if you never intend to fight with a pen, this book is packed with practical, field-relevant insights that truly shine. Highly recommended."

—Craig Douglas, founder of ShivWorks, retired SWAT and undercover narcotics officer, BJJ black belt, and internationally recognized expert in close-quarters self-defense

"A clear practical guide to staying safe in unpredictable times. Truchon's research and clear explanations make every lesson vivid, real, and easy to absorb."

—Rokas Leonavicius, creator of Ultimate Self-Defense Championship, black belt in Aikido, MMA practitionner.

"An entertaining and comprehensive guide to being unobtrusively prepared for a variety of potentially threatening situations... based on numerous interviews, years of research and practice, and some engaging human psychology."
—Nancy Olson, Forbes (March 30, 2026)

"This book rewires how you walk into every room for the rest of your life."

Mind. Awareness. Technique. Aftermath. All of it.

Covert Self-Defense is 364 pages. 18 chapters. Hundreds of illustrations. Hundreds of referenced sources.

I wrote it to give you the full picture of what self-defense really is: the moral weight, the legal rules, the human psychology, the innovative pen-fighting techniques, and what happens in the hours and days after force has been used.

To get there, I interviewed leading experts, read countless books, and combed through peer-reviewed research.

Then I distilled all of it down to the essentials, i.e. the knowledge you actually need to protect yourself and the people you love.

—J-F Truchon author of Covert Self-Defense, founder of The Atomic Bear

Part I — The Mind (your free download)

Chapters 1–4

Winning the fight is easy. Surviving what comes after is where most people lose everything.

You'll learn:

The 5 Hidden Dilemmas that decide whether you walk free or face charges.

The 5 Legal Pillars every prosecutor will test you against.

Why trained fighters are often more legally exposed than untrained civilians.

Why a pen is more defensible in court than a licensed firearm.

Part II — The Stealth Warrior

Chapters 5–9

Criminals chose you three blocks ago. Here's how to be un-chooseable.

You'll learn:

The #1 criterion prisoners use to pick victims (it's not size or strength).

Why only 11% of criminals target someone making eye contact.

The 8 warning signs of a predator hiding behind politeness.

The "No Test" that exposes a fake helpful stranger in 3 seconds.

Chris Voss's hostage-negotiation tactics, adapted for everyday life.

How to be pro-active in avoiding to be target. Avoid the confrontation with mental Jedi skills.

Part III — Pen Fighting

Chapters 10–15

The 3-inch weapon that fits in your pocket — and matches a knife up close.

You'll learn:

The 3 grips that turn a ballpoint into a precision tool.

Why Olympic fencing techniques dominate at close range.

The 7 target points that stop an attacker in 2 seconds without killing.

Escapes from the 3 most common street attacks: bear hugs, wrist grabs, collar grabs.

Techniques proven on camera at the Ultimate Self-Defense Championship.

This book uses rich illustrations to show pen combat techniques from experts.
Illustrated by Marvel and DC Comic illustrator Tom Mandrake.

Part IV — The Aftermath

Chapters 16–18

You survived. Now comes the second fight — with police, lawyers, and your own mind.

You'll learn:

The 9 mistakes people make in the first 10 minutes after using force.

The 4-word answer to the officer's first question (legally bulletproof).

How to process the psychological weight of a violent encounter.

The Nicolae Miu case — a real "self-defense" that became a homicide charge.

The daily practice that turns all 18 chapters into pure instinct.

You don't just read the book. You embody it.

Beautifully and Clearly Illustrated by Tom Mandrake

Here is a small sample of the illustrations you will find in this book

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Covert Self-Defense - The Unexpected Advantage of Fighting with a Pen

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Contributors

About The Author

Jean-François Truchon, PhD, is the founder and CEO of The Atomic Bear, where he develops innovative tools for practical, ethical self-defense. A former scientist turned martial arts and combative student, he studies self-defense and the use of a pen in combat.
In Covert Self-Defense, he unites his passion and experience to share lessons learned alongside world-class experts on awareness, restraint, and technique.

Truchon brings you alongside with him on his journey of learning and refining techniques and principles described as clever and effective.

Meet Some of The Contributors

Doug Marcaida is a renowned Filipino-American martial artist, edged weapons specialist, and knife designer famous for his role as a judge on History Channel's Forged in Fire, where he tests blades with his catchphrase, "This blade will KEAL!" (Keep Everyone Alive). He's a U.S. Air Force veteran, founder of Marcaida Kali, a respected instructor for military/first responders. Doug wrote the Foreword and his course The Way of The Pen is at the core of Chapter 10.

Tom Mandrake is an American comics artist known for his collaborations with writer John Ostrander on several series, including Grimjack (from First Comics) and Firestorm, The Spectre, and Martian Manhunter from DC Comics. Tom's illustrations gives life to the pen fighting techniques found in Part III of Covert Self-Defense.

Travis Roesler, from howtofightnow.com, is a retired professional mixed martial arts fighter who has dedicated much of his life to mastering martial arts and teaching their application to self-defense. Through his viral YouTube content and his rich online school, Travis has impacted thousands of students and millions of viewers. Travis teaches simple and powerful methods in Chapter 14.

Title

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Covert Self-Defense for?

This book is for anyone who wants to widen their knowledge and sharpen their skills — so they're better equipped to avoid a physical fight, and prepared to win one if it ever becomes unavoidable.

It teaches you to fight with an improvised weapon anyone can legally carry, almost anywhere in the world. That universality is the point.

Covert Self-Defense resonates with a wide spectrum of readers — from UFC fighters to complete beginners, from seasoned martial artists to mature readers with reduced mobility, from men and women in their twenties to grandparents who just want to feel safe walking to their car.

The content works because the principles are universal.

And you'll find ideas in these pages — on pen-fighting technique, on legal strategy, on the psychology of violent encounters — that simply aren't published anywhere else.

Do I need a special pen to apply the techniques from the book?

The author of the book has co-invented multiple tactical pens, but he takes the approach that any robust pen can be used in self-defense. Some pen will give you more effectiveness than others. You don't need to buy anything to start practicing pen fighting. If you are looking for a good fighting pen, you may want to look into our Stealth Pen Pro.

Who is the author of this book?

Jean-François Truchon, PhD, is a computational chemist turned self-defense innovator. After a career researching treatments for cancer and inflammatory disease, he founded The Atomic Bear in 2017 to apply the same scientific rigor to a different problem: how ordinary people can protect themselves without becoming what they fear. A gold-medal Canadian fencing champion and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, he spent years interviewing the world's leading martial artists and tactical experts to write Covert Self-Defense.

What if I have limited mobility and strength, is this book for me?

Yes — and arguably more so.

A knife or a firearm isn't always an option. Non-permissive environments, legal restrictions, and the moral weight of using lethal force are real limits on what most people are willing — or able — to carry.

A pen sidesteps all of it. It's unassuming, legal almost everywhere, and in the right hands it's genuinely effective. Covert Self-Defense teaches the techniques that make it so.

Here's a note I received from a self-defense instructor who uses a wheelchair:

"I'm absolutely loving it. As a martial artist practicing since 1975 — and now as a wheelchair user following a motorcycle accident, teaching self-defense to other wheelchair users — I've already recommended it to a couple of my instructor friends. I've taught pen-based self-defense to wheelchair users as a real go-to option for years. But your book is giving me totally new insight into the pen." — Colm W.

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