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Defensive Stance

Upon warning or indication of an attack, step back with your strong side away from the attacker. Raise your open hands to face level and tell the person to stop. Act passive but be prepared to block an attack and then to counterattack with authority. Your goal is to incapacitate the attacker as soon as possible. 

Do not assume a fighting stance. It gives your attacker a warning of what techniques you may use to defend yourself and it puts them on guard.

Intimidation

Intimidation may be worse for you than an actual attack. The effects of attack act may only last a short time, but your fear of a potential attack may haunt you for a long period. Never let a threat go unanswered. If you are threatened, then force the situation at that time on your own terms. You cannot have good life while living uin fear of a threatened attack.

Expressions

When faced with an opponent in a self-defense situation, you should express emotions. You may want to express your real emotions or you may want to express a false emption in an effort to confuse the opponent. The basic emotions you should practice expressing are: confidence, friendly, solemn, unconcerned contempt, shock, fear, and anger.

Fight on your own terms, not on the attackers terms. As in an old West gunfight, no matter how fast you are, there is always someone else faster. The trick is to fight on your own terms, such as by positioning yourself so the sun is in his or her eyes. If your opponent is faster and better than you are, you must outsmart him or her by doing the unorthodox. You must always stay in control of the fight. This does not mean that you will not be hit, it means that you are in overall control of the situation. You make sure the opponent does what you want him or her to do. You do not fall into his or her trap. Never give the opponent an opportunity to get to you. Once an attack is imminent, you must take control and attack first.

Never give your intention away. Do not go into an obvious fighting stance or show hand positions that indicate you know how to fight. Use a shallow stance. Keep arms free to move. By not looking defense, you will have an edge since the opponent will not expect an attack. If you do not look aggressive when first confronted, this will also be in your favor if the matter goes to court. Once the fight begins, anything goes.

No matter the style of martial art, students of that art train under certain rules. These rules tend to exploit the advantages of the art while downplaying the disadvantages of the art. You should know the strengths and weaknesses of each method of fighting so that, when facing an opponent that uses a different fighting method than your own, you will be able to avoid the strengths and exploit the weaknesses of the opponent's fighting method.

Some martial arts stress avoiding an attack by using body movements and deflecting blocks. Other martial arts stress confronting an attack with hard blocks and strikes. When an avoider fights a striker, the avoider should not attack but make the opponent come after him or her. Striking arts train to fight in close range clashes, so stay outside their range. It is difficult to strike a strategically retreating fighter without making an extraordinary effort. Avoiders should watch for this extraordinary effort and strike when opponent is committed to the attack. Strikers use their hands for blocking and attacking. When the arms or body is are being held (clinching), the referee stops the fight and moves the fighters apart since the actions is stopped. By holding and clinching a striker, you remove most of his or her weapons. Kickers need long range, so, when an avoider fights a kicker, the avoider should stay out of range, stay in very close range, or clinch. Quick kicks and punches are difficult to execute from a stationary stance, but the techniques are very powerful. Powerful kicks and punches are difficult to execute from a mobile stance, but the attacks are quick and snappy.

If you are not in a grappling martial art, do not grapple with a grappler. Make them come to you and then counterattack. If taken down, avoid submission holds and attack vulnerable areas as you seek to escape.

If you are an avoidance martial art practitioner and find yourself having to strike, do not punch, instead, push or strike with the palm. There is less chance of injury to the hand, especially when attacking the head. Most striking artists are used to blocking fist attacks so palm strikes may confuse them.

To fight a striker, instinctively move the minimum distance to avoid a punch or kick or takedown and counterattack while moving. A kicker cannot kick and walk at the same time and thus must stop each time that he or she kicks, which makes the kicker vulnerable at that moment. Also, a continuously moving target is difficult to hit.

No matter your martial art, believe in your art, but never underestimate other martial arts. If you concentrate on the weaknesses of other martial arts, you will underestimate their strengths. You may have many "deadly techniques" in your art but these techniques must must be practiced carefully to avoid training injuries and in reality they are used infrequently. This means practitioners of "deadly techniques" are not highly skilled at using the techniques.  However, "safe techniques" may be practiced quickly and powerfully and used in every sparing session. This means practitioners of "safe" techniques are highly skilled at using the techniques.

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