askchapo

A lot of these run comments are correct (always avoid a fight whenever humanly possibly) but completely impractical in a lot of ways that you live life. You're on a beach, you're surrounded or you get jumped/mugged/SA'ed, you're wearing high heels, you're barefoot in a sketchy area, etc.. Sometimes, you have to be able to defend yourself. Judo/Aikido are the best bets for plain defensive fighting, which is really what you need. If you want anything that's basically offense, start with some boxing. A real tip that I give anyone that asks is to get an anatomy book and find a skeleton with functioning joints to look at/move around. The human body is incredibly easy to manipulate if you know where to bend and press. People laugh when I tell them this like I'm making a joke, but I can show you how to dislocate an elbow joint or shoulder with very little force. Which way do you kick the knee to get it to pop? Which way to get it to buckle? All very handy knowledge when in a fight. If you're a hardcore sicko, a map of the venous system is handy in case you need to defend yourself with a sharp object and want to stop things quickly.