I teach and train in Combatives, a defintion of which is "what works in a fight".
A good Combatives system should fulfil the following criteria:
• Basic strikes that will work pre-emptively or defensively
• Natural everyday positions as a starting point for situational control, and which are easy to strike from
• An emphasis on power striking, with heavy impact
• A head-hunting mentality--striking the head wherever possible
• Simple but effective counters to common street attacks
• An emphasis on mindset and the cultivation of ferocious resolve or the willingness to do what it takes to survive
• Brutal ground fighting techniques
• An emphasis on dirty fighting and tactics
• Skills that will work under high stress conditions
• Stress inoculation training to aid an understanding of stress and how to operate under it
Those are some of the main defining characteristics of a Combatives system. It's a very no nonsense approach to self defence and one you should seek if you want instruction in how to defend yourself.
Try to find an instructor who has some sort of real world experience behind them, such as security work or even military experience. Instructors who have experience in what they are teaching tend to be better instructors because they have been there and know from hard won experience what works and what doesn't in real violent altercations.
As well as this, an instructor should know their subject very deeply, they should understand every single aspect of it and this should be apparent in how they put the material they are teaching across. Avoid instructors who see everything in black and white terms, and who see themselves as being right all the time. A good instructor will change their mind often and re-evaluate things as new information comes along.
That's just the physical side of things. To be effective in self defence you will also need a great deal of mental preparation and mental training, which you can only really do by yourself.
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