Strong man self defense tips

I am a very strong 240 lbs powerlifter (405/600/700 for anyone this means anything to).

I had a confrontation where I accidentally turned off a bathroom light on a drunk guy (for a single second before turning it back on). The man cornered me before his buddies got involved and pulled him away. It had me thinking - As an untrained strong man, what would be the best way for me to defend myself / my family if running weren't an option?

I feel like these "Looking for a fight" types generally will outclass me by a large margin as a striker and my mass would make me tire quickly. I was thinking of tackling/wrestling/bear hugging?

Submitted 2026-08-26T20:04:32Z by MuffinFit https://ift.tt/ov8FwmI

Small vulnerable woman in a sketchy living situation

I am a small, young woman, whom to everyone I come across looks like I'm about 13 apparently. I live in a very crime filled apartment complex. There is a lot of drug activity, some violence, attempted break-ins, theft, even sexual assaults. I am looking for good ways to protect myself, and definitely to deter others, both while inside my apartment and out and about in the complex. I currently need some physical therapy etc. so cannot take self defense classes, though I do carry pepper spray and a small knife.

Submitted 2026-08-26T17:08:31Z by OwnIndependence1852 https://ift.tt/atz0hnq

Bedroom door lock- any recommendations?

Live with roommates who disregard basic safety and don’t give af to lock the front or backyard door, even after constantly telling them to do so. One of the roommates (35M) has tons (over 40) firearms just sprawled all about the living room unlocked with the curtains wide open so anyone outside can see them. Can’t move out due to not being financially stable yet.

My bf does have firearms secured in our bedroom which does make me feel safe in a way but not really, but I’m always having to get up multiple times at night just to lock the front and backyard sliding door due to my roommate (22F) being dumb as rocks. I can’t even go into the house by myself anymore because they’re never locked and I have to wait for my bf to get home before we go inside. An unlocked door was an invitation to come in by the night stalker. I have trauma from being assaulted and this living situation isn’t great for my well being.

The town we live in has a 60% higher than national average for crime, break ins especially, and this stresses me out so much(we live in SoCal). The doors to the home we are renting are very flimsy/weak and all we have for our bedroom door is a keyed lever handle and it’s not enough for my peace of mind. I am not on the lease but my bf is, yet the other roommates won’t bother to listen to our concerns over this.

I(29F) am 5’2” 145 lbs and I’m physically disabled so I can’t even do anything if someone does break in.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a door block to put inside of our bedroom? Changing the door to be a more durable (?) one isn’t allowed on the lease.

Submitted 2026-08-26T12:35:18Z by wtfRichard1 https://ift.tt/ivopl8W

What's better for self defence?: Boxing or MMA.

I'm 22 and lean, trying to gain some weight and wanting to learn to protect myself. What would be the better path to follow.

TIA

Submitted 2026-08-26T04:20:53Z by Leaked_Gore https://ift.tt/BK8Dzcu

What are the best Marital Arts to learn for Self Defense?

I am interested in getting into Martial Arts mostly because I want to get more exercise and go out and meet people. Tho another factor is I would like to learn to protect myself in IRL situations. I've been put in a few scenarios where I've been threatened and thankfully nothing came of it but that was usually due to the intervention of a third party.

Submitted 2026-08-23T20:53:30Z by waldorsockbat https://ift.tt/Eenu1XM

How to act classy yet imposing against a drunken brawler?

The other night I was at a friend's birthday in a beautiful village in Spain. There was a local celebration with music and art shows, and we were sitting on a bar terrace around midnight. I was tired but in a good mood.

A drunk guy came over asking for a lighter. I told him I didn't have one, and he replied something like, "I'd only accept a lighter from a lady anyway." I jokingly said, "Well, nobody's going to give you one anyway."

He immediately got closer and started insulting me—telling me I should shoot myself, get out of this world, that I was uneducated, that I didn't use my brain, etc. I hadn't really said anything to him beyond that first comment. My friends were talking among themselves and didn't really notice what was happening.

I was confused because his aggression was intense enough that I started wondering whether I was justified in physically defending myself if he attacked. At the same time, I didn't want some drunk stranger to ruin my night. Looking back, I wonder if my first response was a mistake. Maybe if I'd simply ignored him, he would've walked away.

Instead, I let him talk for a while and eventually decided to ignore him. He then moved on to my female friend, bothering her, kissing her hand and asking her for a cigarette while she was clearly uncomfortable. I still didn't intervene physically.

Eventually he left. Nothing happened, but I had a huge adrenaline spike during the confrontation and felt strangely defeated afterwards. The next day I realized how much the encounter had affected me. I had let some random drunk guy get inside my head and ruin my mood.

I'm still unsure what the right approach was. Maybe the best option was to ignore him from the very beginning. But once he was already in my space and bothering my friend, part of me felt I should have imposed myself more firmly and told him to leave. The problem was that I didn't want things to become physical and I was afraid of it.

A year ago I had a similar situation with another drunk guy, and I felt confident enough to stand my ground until he backed off. This time the guy seemed much more willing to fight and I was also more tired to be imposing.

So, what would you have done? Would you have ignored him from the start? At what point do you think ignoring someone stops being the right response? And for situations like this, what martial art would you recommend—especially something focused on controlling or neutralizing someone rather than just punching them? How to act classy yet imposing in such scenario? What can I do now to feel better about myself?

Submitted 2026-08-23T10:02:08Z by Mansohorizonte https://ift.tt/ni0oZvd

Do martial arts develop aggression… or control it?

I often see a common idea in martial arts discussions:

that you need to become “more aggressive” to be effective in self-defense.

But in my experience (teaching and training in silat/kali), it’s almost the opposite.

Aggression and violence are not the same thing:

- aggression can be a useful energy

- but violence is often loss of control

Most traditional systems don’t try to increase aggression,

they try to channel it — so you can act without panic under pressure.

I wrote a short article about this (with a bit more nuance):

https://gelanggangpenditabunian.blogspot.com/2025/05/violence-agressivite-developper-ou.html

Curious to hear your take:

Do you train to become more aggressive, or more controlled?

Submitted 2026-08-22T07:56:40Z by PenditaBunian https://ift.tt/zPOhNbo