[ryanelkins]

I always think its funny when a bunch of nerds start talking about how to win a fight. I say that as a nerd who got beat up and pushed around a lot in elementary up through high school. Once I could afford it I made it a point to study self defense, not so that I could fight, but so I at least had the confidence to know how to handle myself.

Learning to fight for its own sake is dumb if your plan is to do it outside of a structured sporting event. Keep in mind I don't mean self defense. Most people won't get into a fight unless they feel extremely confident about winning. That could mean they are much bigger, well trained, armed, have lots of friends, etc. If you don't know how to defend yourself, you probably won't figure it out in the time it takes someone to punch you. The best defense is to know when to get out.

Just had a big confrontation with someone at a bar? The time to leave is NOW (before he comes back with friends, a bottle to the back of the head, finds you stumbling out drunk, etc). During that confrontation? Keep your hands up and the other person away from you - pretty much the same stance as if you were going to throw a punch but with your hands open. Don't turn your back to someone who is aggressive - back away slowly.

If worse comes to worse you won't remember any techniques you read here or elsewhere unless you've practiced them A LOT. Just try and remember that while there are no rules you shouldn't try to escalate a fight any more than you need to in order to get away. What I mean by this is if someone shoves you, just walk away. IF you throw a punch then they throw a punch, etc. You hit a guy and he goes down? Great, now leave. Start kicking him now and maybe his 2 or 3 friends decide it's a good time to jump in instead of helping their friend up. Don't escalate a situation unnecessarily.

If you want more than this - go take Krav Maga classes for a year or two - then you'll at least (hopefully) be able to throw a decent punch without hurting yourself.