When self defense is mentioned, brawling is a word all too often left out. Brawling is often seen as a dirty word, and there are plenty of stupid fights and bar brawls that have gotten out of hand to back that up. This being said, someone who knows a few simple and effective self defense brawling moves often has the ability to end a fight quickly before it can get out of hand. In addition to this, one can argue that an advantage to learning how to brawl is that it's a fighting style that is completely applicable to any fight in any scenario, while certain martial arts are more designed for sport, or are hard to apply in close quarters where a fight is more likely to happen (like in a closed in brawl).

In this case, the best self defense moves for someone to learn who doesn't have the time to commit to martial arts or a long term training program could be moves that are considered "brawling moves." This isn't trashing martial arts - but one of the major reasons Bruce Lee, unquestionably the best fighter who ever lived, designed his own fighting style was because he disliked the impracticality of many martial arts and thought many of them, because of their "rules" and set stances, actually had weaknesses that could allow even a lesser trained opponent to exploit them.

Learning brawling for self defense is a solid strategy because you are learning a fighting style that is immediately practical because by its very nature brawling is designed to be used in an all out drag out fight, often in narrow areas or with unfavorable odds. I wouldn't take a brawler against a black belt in an open field, all things being equal, but if you want to learn more self defense or learn any at all, then learning even the basics of how to brawl will make a huge difference.

Many of the rules for brawling are the same as the rules for real life self defense. Wait, there are rules? There are in the sense that most people don't understand the aggressiveness and seriousness of a real life fight, and because of this even people who should be able to defend themselves become victims. These might not be the rules taught in classes, but when I talk about learning how to brawl, it's because to me there is one rule of self defense that trumps absolutely everything else: LIVE!

Self Defense Rule #1: Live. This trumps absolutely everything else. Don't worry about the other person's health, the consequences of fighting, or anything else. You need to live through the fight, and do whatever it takes to do so. Everything else is so far secondary that you shouldn't even think about it.

Self Defense Rule #2: End the fight as quickly and violently as possible. Don't dick around, and don't think about talking anyone down during a fight. This might seem excessive, but the best fighters can end a fight in twenty seconds or less. If there's a group, taking down the leader in ten seconds will make the others think really (explicative) hard before they cause any trouble...and they might be so stunned that you have time to walk (run) away.

Self Defense Rule #3: There are no rules to fighting and no code of honor. To quote one of my best friends: "If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck." Thanks for that bit of wisdom, Mike. Hit the groin. Gouge the eyes. Punch the throat. Use elbows, knees, head butts, choke holds...whatever it takes. Brawl with the viciousness of a beserker and not only are you far more likely to walk away alive, but you might very well walk away virtually unscathed.

Self Defense Rule #4: Learn the weak spots, and think about how you can attack them. A strong elbow can often bust open the skin around the side of the head. The bridge of the nose hurts more than the bottom, and the eyes, throat, and groin are always fair targets. A head butt straight back, a kick to the shin, a knee to the face - all of these are fair and effective moves in brawling and self defense.

Part of getting through a brawl is knowing your surroundings before the actual brawling takes place. Tables, stools, chairs, and bottles can all be quickly used as weapons, or used just to stumble up a group and make your escape. Being familiar with what's around you can buy critical seconds, an also help you if things go bad and it's brawling time.

Using anything at hand as a weapon isn't just a main stay of learning how to brawl. Many other self defense techniques teach the same, and even certain styles of Kung Fu are renowned for teaching this aspect of fighting.

Brawling is a natural part of self defense because most fights don't break out in a ring with a referee. Learning to fight in an actual fight setting is a critical part of self defense. Even when it's a quiet night, look around your favorite bar or hang out and study your environment to see how it can be used in the future. Getting into this habit can also help teach you to be more aware of your surroundings and therefore help to stay out of bad situations by recognizing them before they start.

Before starting this section, I need to start with the caveat of don't take this section as legal advice.  This advice, and this hub by extension, is not about legal definitions of assault or self defense, but merely deals with real life self defense and brawling.  Many people get hurt because they let up, and they let up because of the "what if" fears.  "What if I hurt him?"  "What if I get arrested?" "What if I get in trouble later?"

My issue with these thoughts is simple: they don't keep me alive.  In fact, they might kill you if you hold back during a really nasty brawl.  You learn brawling to keep yourself from getting assualted or worse.  DUring a fight or an attack, that should be your one and only priority.

After brawling your way to a successful self defense, then you can worry about the rest, but during a fight, if you die then the rest doesn't matter.  Even in an absolute worst case scenario (and if you're defending yourself most likely you're going to get through a brawl completely free of any legal reprecussion), better two years in jail than dying.  Better getting sued for hospital bills than being sexually assualted.

When you're in a self defense scenario, worry about defending yourself and nothing else.  If you're truly defending yourself, then there's more than a 90%+ chance you won't have any legal problems.  Many people are amazed at the sheer number of brawls or fights that never get the police called - and if you're defending yourself, then legally you're in as good a position as you could ask for.

Survive first in a self defense situation, and don't worry about the rest until you're safe.  You hope it never comes to defending yourself or needing to know how to brawl, but if you're in that situation, hurt your opponent (or opponents) and get out as healthy and unharmed as possible.  Deal with any reprecussions later.

Brawling can be harder to learn for some because there are no hard and fast rules as there are with different styles of martial arts.  That said, brawling is a natural fit for self defense because it's a natural style of fighting that comes from the normal assumption that you are going to be in a fight.  In many ways, effective brawling comes down simply to this idea: inflicting as much damage as possible as quickly as possible.

It doesn't matter if the attacker is 6'8" and 280 lbs - a kick to the groin, an eye gouge, a punch to the throat, and a knee to the face will put down about anyone.  If you want a practical method of self defense, then learning how to brawl is a very solid choice in getting that education.