How to Not Get Hurt in a Fight

Co-authored by Dany Zelig and Eric McClure

Last Updated: January 29, 2021 References

Whether someone is starting a fight with you for seemingly no reason or you’re preparing to step into the ring for a sparring session, it’s important to know how to minimize the risk that you’re injured. This typically comes down to protecting your head, minimizing the risk you get knocked out, and moving your body to dodge your opponent’s punches. Remember, there’s nothing cool or fun about a street fight. If you find yourself in a quickly-escalating situation, it’s always better to leave or run than it is to risk your health and safety.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Protecting Your Head

1
Raise your fists in front of you to block blows aimed at your head. Ball up your fists and raise your hands in front of you so that your forearms are facing your attacker. As they swing at you, use your arms to keep any of their punches from landing on your head. Your arms can take a beating, but your head is more important. Shift your arms as needed to protect the tops and sides of your head throughout the fight.^{[1]
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EXPERT TIP

Dany Zelig
Self Defense Trainer
Dany Zelig is the Founder and Owner of Tactica and the Tactica Krav Maga Institute headquartered in San Francisco, California. He is a 2nd generation Israeli Krav Maga instructor of Imi Lichtenfeld, certified directly by Imi’s most senior disciple and Head of the Rank Committee. He received his Military Krav Maga Instructor certification from the Wingate Institute in Israel in 1987.

Dany Zelig
Self Defense Trainer

There is no guarantee that you will succeed. There is no vanity in fighting, and there are no guarantees for either you or your opponent. You should try to avoid it or end it as soon as possible. Your chance of getting hurt is very high.
2
Tuck your chin against your chest to make your jaw harder to hit. Tilt your head down 2–4 inches (5.1–10.2 cm) to tuck your chin against your chest. Your chin and jaw are especially sensitive and you risk getting knocked out if you keep your head up. Tilting your head down a little makes your jaw and chin much harder to hit.^{[2]
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3
Clench your jaw and grit your teeth to prevent a KO if you do get hit. Close your moth and flex the muscles under your temples to tighten your jaw. If you need to breathe, inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth when you aren’t actively being hit. If you do get hit, keeping your jaw shut will drastically reduce the odds you get injured.^{[3]
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- The odds are high that you’ll be knocked out or injured if your opponent does land a hit on your chin or jaw and you aren’t shutting it tight. Clenching your jaw reinforces it and keeps it still.
- If you’re boxing or practicing combat sports, biting your mouthguard is a great way to keep your jaw clenched. It will also keep the mouthguard from flying out if you get hit.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Dodging Punches

1
Bend your knees and keep your feet a shoulder-width apart to maintain balance. Keep your feet staggered and roughly shoulder length apart throughout the fight. Bend your knees a little as you’re fighting and avoid locking them up under any condition. If you lock your knees, spread your feet out, or bring your feet too close together, you’ll be much easier to knock down or throw off balance.^{[4]
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- Place your dominant foot in front of you to stagger your stance a little. This will give you a more stable base to absorb any punches from your attacker.
- Think about the difference between knocking over a tall stool versus a short chair. The taller you make yourself, the easier you are to knock down to the ground.
2
Keep your upper body moving to make your head harder to hit. If you’re standing upright and still, it’s a lot easier for the person attacking you to land their punches. Keep your upper body moving, even if it’s a very slight movement, to keep your attacker from landing accurate shots. Bend at the waist and rotate your torso forward, backward, or to the sides to make your head exceptionally difficult to hit.^{[5]
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- If you watch professional boxers, follow their chest. It actually moves with their head like it’s all one body part. They don’t really move their head around a lot. This ensures that you have an easy time keeping your eyes focused, since your head isn’t tilting all over the place.
3
Duck and roll your shoulder to avoid huge hooks from your opponent. If your opponent leans back to wind up for a massive punch, dip your shoulder in the opposite direction. Then, as they swing forward, stay low and slide your shoulder towards the arm that’s swinging at you before popping back up. This is known as rolling the shoulder and it’s a great way to avoid massive punches that are telegraphed from a mile away.^{[6]
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- This is what professional fighters are talking about when they use the term “bob and weave.” The bob is the ducking motion, while the weave is the sideways movement.
Tip: Most unlearned fighters try to emulate the movies by throwing massive swinging punches at your head. Shoulder rolling gets your head lower, making it harder for them to land a punch. Then, the quick horizontal movement of your torso makes it extremely difficult for your opponent to make adjustments on the fly.
4
Lean away from straight punches if you can’t duck in time. If your attacker throws a quick, straight punch and you instinctively know that you can’t roll it, lean away from it and keep your hands up. If you can quickly lean back, your opponent will be thrown off by the change in distance and either overextend and knock themselves off balance, or whiff their punch entirely.^{[7]
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- If you’re boxing or sparring, this is a great opening for a counterpunch!
5
Circle away from your attacker’s dominant hand. If there’s room to move around, shuffle your feet without crossing them to strafe away from your opponent. Move in a circle away from your attacker’s strong hand. This will make it harder for them to hit you since you’re forcing them to overextend their torso.^{[8]
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- You can determine which hand is your attacker’s dominant by paying attention to the first punch they throw. This is your attacker’s dominant hand in the vast majority of cases.
- You can also figure out which hand is dominant by looking at their feet. Whichever foot they’re extending behind them is their dominant side.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Stopping an Attacker

1
Look for a clear path out and make a run for it if you’re being attacked. If someone is trying to fight you while you’re out or enjoying a drink at your local bar, just leave. If they pursue you, run. So long as you have an out and you aren’t trapped, it’s always better to flee than try to fight some random stranger or criminal.^{[9]
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Tip: If you are forced to fight or you’re cornered, try deescalating the situation first before you start fighting. Explain that you don’t want to fight and don’t provoke the person. It isn’t worth risking your health and safety.
2
Hit your opponent in a sensitive area to stun them if they’re jumping you. If you aren’t in an organized fight and you’re just being jumped by a stranger, forget about fighting fair. Your priority is to stop your attacker and keep yourself safe. Kick them in the genitals, bite them, claw at their eyes, and do anything you possibly can to deter them from attacking you further.^{[10]
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- You can also punch them in the throat, kick them in their knee cap, or pull their hair if you have to.
- If they get exceptionally close or grapple you, a quick headbutt to the nose is a great way to free yourself.
3
Pull their arm off you and turn around if you’re grappled from behind. If you’re punched from behind, just turn around and face your attacker. If they grab you though, take a firm hold on whatever arm they’re using to hold you in place. Push your head back to gain leverage and rip their arm away from you to turn around. You may also be able to simply duck down and get low enough to slip out of the hold.^{[11]
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- If you can sense where their head is when they grab you from behind, throw your head back to knock them in the nose and stun them.
4
Pin your attacker’s arms at they’re sides to keep them down if you’re bigger. If you’re larger than your attacker or you get the sense that you’re stronger than them, lunge at them with your arms open. Wrap them around your attacker and pull their arms in. Hold them like you’re hugging them so that your biceps are wrapped around their elbows. This will keep your attacker from punching you and you can easily subdue them.^{[12]
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5
Shout or call for help if the attacker won’t let up. If you’re struggling to defend yourself and you can’t get the attacker to stop, call for help. Ask anyone near you to help you stop the attacker. People may be watching just for the spectacle of a street fight, but if you call out for help they’re likely going to realize that it isn’t some casual brawl but a serious attack. They’ll either intervene to help, or at least call the police.^{[13]
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- Shout something like, “Please help me, I’m being attacked” or, “Someone call the police” to get the attention of people nearby.
- If they don’t call the police, contact them yourself after the fight is over. File a report and let the authorities know what happened so they can get to work on catching the attacker.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Fighting Back in an Organized Fight

1
Throw return punches if you’re boxing or sparring. If you’re in an organized fight, one of the best ways to stop your opponent is to punch back! Use a combination of defense and offense to land some shots of your own. The more hits you can land on your opponent, the weaker their punches will become.^{[14]
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- Look for openings of your own whenever your opponent throws a punch that doesn’t land. As they tire themselves out, try to strike as they lower their hands or stand up straight.
2
Use a combination of jabs, hooks, and uppercuts to throw your opponent off. If you keep throwing straight punches with your dominant hand, your opponent will have an easy time fending you off. Use a combination of different punches and string them together in different patterns to keep your opponent on their toes. Alternate between body shots and punches aimed at their head.^{[15]
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- A jab refers to a soft, straight punch with your nondominant hand. A straight is a general term for a straight punch with your dominant hand.
- A hook is a round shot with either hand that’s designed to hit your opponent in the temple or side.
- An uppercut is a punch you throw from under your chest to get your opponent’s chin or hit their stomach.
3
Look for counterpunch openings whenever you block or your opponent misses. If your opponent whiffs on a punch or they throw all of their weight into a shot you easily block, use the opening to strike back. Counter-punching not only gives you some free shots, but it also keeps your opponent from overloading on punches and overwhelming you with combos.^{[16]
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Warnings

Avoid high-risk situations where it seems like someone is looking for a fight. If there’s a drunk tough guy hanging out at the bar bothering and harassing people, it’s probably time to call it a night or head to a different bar.

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If you knock an attacker or opponent down on to the ground, do not keep hitting them. If their head hits the floor too hard, you could seriously harm them.^{[18]
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There’s nothing cool about a street fight. It’s seriously dangerous to hit someone, or worse, get hit yourself.^{[19]
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