There are four punches you should know to defend yourself against an aggressive attack. They are the jab, the right cross, the left hook, and the uppercut.

The jab is a good punch to use to keep your opponent at bay. That is to say it is a good punch to use to keep your opponents from moving close to you to inflict damage or to grab and wrestle you to the ground, a place where you don't want to be unless you are skilled in ground fighting. Unlike the stiff arm, where you stiff arm your opponent (i.e. jam his attack before he can attack) with a palm strike to the the chin, shoulder, or chest in which you do no harm to a non-violent attacker, in this case you actually inflict damage on your opponent to achieve the same end of keeping him away. The jab is both a defensive and offensive weapon. Again, it both keeps your opponent off you, and it causes damages at the same time. It is often applied to the face, the throat, the solar plexus, chest, or the stomach.

Another punch you should know to defend yourself is the right cross. This weapon is used to inflict heavy damage to your opponent. You might throw a jab at an opponent and he still might continue to come at you. On the other hand, if you hit an opponent with a right cross, you just might deliver a serious and bruising blow to the point that your attacker does not want to continue the fight or may not be able to continue the fight. The right cross just might be the blow that ends the fight and sends your opponent to the mat for the count. It is often applied to the face, throat, solar plexus, chest, or stomach.

A third punch you should know to defend yourself against a violent attack is the left hook. If you are a fan of boxing or ever watched boxing on TV, you, no doubt, know what a left hook is. It is a powerful blow often thrown to the jaw, ribs, or side of the body to end the match. It is often a telling, punishing, crushing, or winning blow that can leave your opponent on the floor unable to get up. You might call it one of the big guns in your offensive arsenal of self-defense weapons. Whereas a jab will wear your opponent down over time, a left hook will either instantly drop him to his knees or take the wind out of his sail.

A fourth and final weapon you should know to defend yourself against a violent attack is the uppercut. The trajectory of the uppercut starts from a low position and moves up. It is often applied to the chin as in the phrase, "He hit him with an uppercut to the chin". This offensive weapon is used whenever your opponent is able to close the distance on you to attack you. It is a close quarters fighting technique used either to defend yourself offensively or to inflict damage on your opponent to end his attack. Like the left hook, it, too, can be the defining blow of a conflict. That is to say that you can easily send your assailant to the pavement with a well-executed uppercut to the chin. In a boxing match this has often been the knockout blow of the contest. The uppercut is often applied to the chin, the stomach, and the groin.

To defend yourself against a violent attack, you should know the following punches-the jab, the right cross, the left hook, and the uppercut.