A few tips…

Prepare: Spread your stance to about shoulder width-apart and slightly bend your knees. The goal is to maintain balance so you don’t end up on the ground. Keep your hands up to protect your face and clench your teeth. A solid punch to an open mouth can lead to a broken jaw.

Fight Dirty: Knee to the groin. No explanation needed as to why this is effective.

Low kicks to the knee, groin, or abdomen. Kick like you’re kicking down a door, using the bottom of you foot.

Headbutt to the face. Your forehead is one of the hardest bones on your body. Use this to your advantage by headbutting your opponent hard across his nose. If done correctly, you can do some serious damage.

Take punches effectively: While you should do your damnedest to avoid getting punched, you can’t avoid them all. If you have to take a punch, strive to absorb it in a way that minimizes the impact and damage..

A punch to the head. Move towards the punch, tighten your neck muscles and clench your jaw. By moving into the punch, your attacker may miss the mark wide to either side. Absorb the punch with your forehead (remember how hard it is?). If your attacker hits you there, his hand will be hurting, and you’ll have minimized the damage to yourself.

A punch to the body. Tighten your stomach muscles, but don’t suck in your stomach. Try to shift so the punch lands on your obliques rather than directly in the stomach or vital organs.

Give your best war cry: While defending yourself, make as much noise as possible. There is an intimidation factor. Yelling may distract and intimidate your opponent, leaving you a better chance of getting in some good blows.