Awareness & Prevention
Physical self defense is the last and worst option in self defense. It's extremely dangerous (Remember, legally justifiable self defense means you're dealing with a person who is immediately intent on doing you great bodily harm or killing you. This is no joke.), could get you killed, hurt, put in jail, and/or sued. Awareness and prevention are far more important, and much more likely to save your life.
The majority of this site is focused on physical self defense should you have to use it. The training is good for you, it's great exercise, and a lot of fun. But, awareness and prevention must come first. It will keep you safe 99.9% of the time both from a physical attack and the repercussions of physical self defense.
The 3 D's
Three conditions must be present in order for you to be physically attacked. I call them the 3 D's: desire, decision, and distance. Without all three, you cannot be attacked. Preventing one or more of the 3 D's will prevent you from being attacked, and that is where self defense should begin and hopefully end. These conditions come in no necessary order, and can be interrelated.
Desire
In order for someone to attack you they must have the desire to attack you. While this may seem obvious and pointless to say, understanding it can help you to prevent an attack before it occurs. Many attacks occur due to an escalation of verbal tension, physical gestures, etc., eventually leading one person to the desire to physically attack another. You should do everything you can to deescalate such situations. Otherwise you not only risk being attacked, but also being legally guilty of participation, not self defense. If you sense a verbal conflict coming, don't raise your voice, don't make insults, and don't make rude gestures...just be polite and leave as quickly as you can.
Of course unprovoked assaults, robberies, rapes, and murders do happen, and you cannot always control another person's desires. But, unless you're dealing with a rare psychopath, those desires will most often be visible in some way. A potential attacker will look at you in a way a normal person will not. He'll likely be nervous and suspicious looking, waiting in a place he does not belong, coming toward you in a way a normal person would not, etc. That's where decision and distance come in.
Decision
An attacker must make the decision to attack you before he can do so. In an escalating situation this decision may be made purely out of anger, which is why it's so important to deescalate and/or walk away when possible. But when a person you do not know decides to attack you, he makes that decision based on the likelihood of his success. This is why you're unlikely to be physically attacked without provocation in a shopping mall, restaurant, or crowded street. The attacker wants to succeed both in his attack and escape. The more difficult you are as a target, the less likely you are to be attacked.
If you've walked out of an elevator into an empty parking lot, typing a text message and not paying attention to your surroundings, you're a great target. If you're walking alone down a dimly lit street listening to your iPod and not paying attention, you're a great target. On the other hand, if you've walked out of an elevator and noticed a man standing and waiting where he does not belong, then walked right back in and informed security or asked another person to assist you, there is no chance for the criminal to even make his decision. If you're walking down a street paying careful attention to your surroundings, and you cross the street or put obstacles between yourself and a potential attacker, he'll very likely decide to wait for an easier target.
Distance
In order for you to be attacked, your attacker must be close enough to physically harm you. (Unless you're at war, it's highly unlikely that you will be shot by a sniper at a distance!) When you're in a place with few people, keep as much distance between yourself and a potential attacker as possible. If you're approached by a stranger when no one else is around, tell him to keep his distance. If he does not, you've got trouble. It's time to escape as quickly as you can, or put as many barriers between you and he as possible. No well meaning person is going to approach you when you ask them not to.
You should pay attention not only to people, but places where people might hide. Keep some distance from potential hiding places whenever possible...parked cars, bushes, corners, etc. If you're walking down a street and a car slows down where it shouldn't, quickly walk in the opposite direction. If you don't allow a potential attacker to get close to you, he won't be able to attack you.
By avoiding arguments and angering others, being aware of your surroundings and making yourself a difficult target, and keeping your distance from potential threats (both people you know and people you don't know), it's highly unlikely you'll ever be attacked. If you feel like something is wrong, it probably is. If you feel afraid or uncomfortable, get out of the situation you're in! If you feel threatened, attempt to escape, and cannot, you're in trouble. That's when physical self defense comes in.
However, physical defense is neither easy nor pretty. If you've taken the precautions above and still find yourself in imminent physical danger, you've got a REAL problem on your hands. A life threatening one. A few self defense techniques learned in a weekend course aren't going to do you much good. Your attacker has chosen to attack you because he believes he can, and he probably has experience doing so. You need realistic self defense techniques, the training to back it up, and the strategy to know what to do and when. That's what the majority of this site is for. It can't be stressed enough though, awareness and prevention are by far the most important steps you can take!
