Kicking and punching are great especially if you are the one delivering them. Self defense has a broader range and we can learn to defend ourselves in ways that go beyond most GIs.

1. Listen to your gut – We are told all the time to be nice, be cooperative, share and lots of other things which work sometimes. Learn to listen to your gut and other sensations and leave situations that are forced on you or seem uncomfortable and go past the dictations of popular culture. Learn to say no and learn to listening to your fear before the situation goes beyond leaving a room or an alley.
2. Friends have power – A common rapist and cult leader (usually the same person) will aim to separate you from your friends before attempting to lead you or force you into something very uncomfortable. Learn to keep your friends close and and together you are less likely to die in a ditch wearing less than flattering shoes…
3. Tell the truth in a humorous manner – There are ways to diffuse a situation that does not require bashing someone skull into a bar as you quip to the disinterested waitress who is working on her PHD in social studies. An agent from a three letter agency tells you you look suspicious and you tell him you model your life after J Edgar Hoover… (read about it if you don’t get the reference)
4. Know your surroundings – Your 720 degree flying eagle kick will do you little good if you forgot to pay attention to the fact the floor is wet or there is a step behind you. Use the surroundings for your defense from pushing someone who suggested putting pineapple on pizza to the path of a moving train to using a parked car to hide from an adult who thinks acting in a commanding way will get you to their smelly flat.
5. Use your voice – God and your parents gave you a voice. Use it to say no and use it to inform others in the frame you are holding. A child can say out loud that they are not interested in advances from an adult and most people in the vicinity will give a demonstration of a mob or a young girl can say loudly that her teacher/coach/family member is touching her and this too will create a positive response.
6. Light and dark – We see less in the dark though we can still listen and sense much more than most allow their mind to grasp. Avoid the dark unless necessary and carry a light with you to avoid stubbing your toe or falling into a ditch or a pool with sharks with lasers attached. Make sure though not be be afraid of the dark, when we are afraid we truly do not see.
7. Spirit – Most corpses tell a story. In many sad stories, they tell a story of giving up or being afraid of being angry and violent and a killer. Many people give up before they die or are taken and the difference in fighting spirit is visible to most would be attackers and offenders. The one thing most sought after by a child molester according to surveys is a father who does not look like he would kill for his child. Take that into mind and make friends with your inner “monster”.
8. Use what you have – Avoid walking with your keys between your metacarpal bones which are usually frail and will break easily. Do use your bag to deflect stabbing attacks, use your boots to kick shins and use your money to create a cluster of people picking up the coins or bills as you make a strategic (cough) retreat. We are all going about with many things on us called clothes and all of them can be used in both attack and defense. Be mindful of this.
9. Be fit – Being fit is a game changer when you present yourself. A fit body signals confidence and ability which attackers usually fear. You can test it by cowering down and looking at the ground and see how people treat you. Being fit means you can use force and movement to your advantage. Being fit means you can handle the first second of a fight better than a person who is unfit and also the hours you may have before that.
10. Self image – We are hammered with ideas of how society wants us to act and be and think and dress and eat ad nauseam. Form an true idea of who you are as it changes with your own thoughts and actions and this alone will make you 74% (just kidding, I have no idea how much) less susceptible to being a drone going through life being stirred and controlled. The less controlled you are, the more in control you are. The voices in your head telling you to obey are just a recording and you choose what to record.

Be your own person and form true friendships and you will be a cut above what you see daily. Also, do pushups 🙂