What has to happen in a fight in order for it to be self defense?

Okay i have tried my hardest to avoid conflict and continue to do so whenever possible. my question is if i find my self in a situation where a fight is inevitable what must they do before im legally able to defend myself? I ask because where im at im afraid even if im defending my self i could get sent to jail. I dont want to get sent to jail because i was forced to defend myself. so I was wondering if anyone knows what would need to happen before im able to defend myself. Examples are always welcome and advice is greatly appreciated.|||Generally, you have to be attacked.





You defend yourself by fighting until the threat has stopped.





For example:


Someone is punching you and you kick them= Okay


Fighting someone off you and kicking them while on the ground= Not okay.





The bottom line is, if someone attacks you. You are well within your rights defending yourself. It%26#039;s a fine line and remember, only use enough force to step the threat.





Best advice, avoid fights if at all possible, run away if needed. Just remember, it%26#039;s hard for police to prove who hit who first, and what happened during the fight. So it can be easy for you to be arrested for fighting, even if you did nothing wrong.|||The only way to defend yourself these days without getting convicted is to have someone film the encounter , there by paving the way to back up youre version of events. This country invariably sides with the villain since labour came to power.|||have to hit you first|||The standard for self defense is whether you were using force on the other person because you were required to in order to avoid bodily harm. The standard is even greater if you used a weapon or extreme force - then it is required that you be avoiding a threat of serious bodily harm or death.





A good example would be if a person hits you first. Or if the person was charging you with a knife. Or if you were on your own property. It varies with jurisdictions, but a person is sometimes required to retreat if possible before resorting to violence, except one isn%26#039;t required to attempt retreat on his own property (i.e. at his home). Check with your local state laws.





Also, you are generally not allowed to use a lot of force to defend property, unless you are required to because, for instance, a person who broke in your house to steal your TV is causing a threat of serious bodily harm or death to you or someone else in the house.|||First off stop selling illegals and fuckingup others..it%26#039;s called provoking...Sell to the guy..the guy is f@up decides to to beat the life out of you who are you to say you were trying to defend yourself? you provoked it.|||Someone has to attack with a clear intent of doing you bodily harm. They don%26#039;t neccasarily have to land a punch, but visible evidence of assault would be helpful in a court of law, as would witnesses. There is a point however, when defensive retaliation crosses the line and becomes an offense itself. If you continue to attack your opponet even after he is no longer a threat to you, this could be considered a punishable offense under the law, depending on the state you are in.|||This should help you.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-defens...|||Well, it really depends on which country/state you are from. It%26#039;s probably wise to consult legal counsel on this matter first or maybe pop in to a library to seek out some answers.





From where i come from, as long as you can subdue your opponent without any serious harm (resulting in death/maimed), you%26#039;re okay. And it really helps to have witnesses around. Never be the aggressor though..|||If they have a knife or a loaded gun bat any kind of weapon if your a black belt are your hands regested?Even if there not you have all the rights too defend yourself.|||you have to be under threat then you can only %26#039;reasonable%26#039; force. so if they hit you you can hit them back but only enough to get them off you and stop the danger. better if there is an independent witness who sees so that the police knows who started the fight|||Yea, the other person would have to be the aggressor and you can never have too may witnesses to testify he swung first.