Self-defense
countermeasure that involves defending oneself from harm
Self-defense, or self-defence in Commonwealth English, is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in times of danger is available in many jurisdictions. Self-defense in the context of a home invasion or trespassing is also known as home defense.
Physical
Physical self-defense is using physical force to counter an immediate threat of violence. Such force can be either armed or unarmed. In either case, the chances of success depend on various parameters, related to the severity of the threat on one hand, but also on the mental and physical preparedness of the defender.
Unarmed
Many martial arts styles are practiced for self-defense or include self-defense techniques. Some styles train primarily for self-defense, while other combat sports can be effectively applied for self-defense. Some martial arts teach how to escape from a knife or gun situation or how to break away from a punch, while others teach how to attack. Many modern martial arts schools now use a combination of martial arts styles and techniques to provide more practical self-defense.
The public source identifies “Self-defense” as countermeasure that involves defending oneself from harm. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Self-defense, countermeasure and involves.
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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q40283. The Library of Congress control number is sh85119726. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
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This entry incorporates text from “Self-defense” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.