WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SELF DEFENSE
There are many misconceptions about self defense. What it is and what it is not. But most of it boils down to what your goals are. Similar to fitness goals, if you don't have a clear idea of what you're trying to achieve, there's no way you can possibly know how to get there.
First, let's get something straight. Your goal is not to win a fight! Your goal is to survive and get home in one piece. If it's possible to do it peacefully, do it! Getting into a street altercation never ends well. Even if you win the fight, you may lose in the long run. Of course there may be times when you try everything to avoid it and the situation is thrust upon you. THIS is the type of scenario where the concepts of self defense come into play.
In the video I discuss some of these concepts as well as recall a personal self defense story that I experienced. The bottom line is simplicity always wins. Any overly complex techniques that you can't use instinctively will be useless in a real altercation. Beware of false instructors teaching garbage like that! There are however some great instructors out there. My first Sifu in Ving Tsun (Wing Chun) Sunny Tang, my longtime Sifu in the Chinese internal martial arts Paul Stiles, my good friend Nick Drossos, Jeet Kune Do and Street Combat expert Paul Vunak. There are others of course, but these are the guys who I can definitely vouch for as far as teaching REAL martial arts and self defense.