Whatever your reasons are for wanting to learn how to defend yourself in a confrontational and violent situation, thanks to the wonderful world of the Internet there are now thousands of self-defense experts out there willing to share their knowledge with you. Some are great practitioners of martial arts, others are also great teachers. There are some that are neither of those things, but will happily spread their movies all over the web anyway, hoping that they get the attention they crave.

It's a scary world out there for those of us who have our eyes open wide, but with so many methods out there and so many different experts sending conflicting messages about the best techniques, you might be forgiven for forgetting that the reason you are seeking help in the first place is that one day you might need to get yourself out of an extremely dangerous situation. There is also no doubt that by learning what you should do if you are attacked, particularly if you are faced with somebody carrying weapons, you will feel far more confident in your daily life.

Teaching yourself self-defense using an online course can be very effective, but you need to ensure that the course you choose to follow is suitable for your needs. For example, a woman who only leaves her home to go shopping, to pick her children up from school, or the occasional night out with friends, should not trouble herself with the intricate details of close quarters knife fighting. What she probably needs are simple instructions showing her the best techniques to fend off a variety of street attacks.

If you are thinking about using the Internet to teach yourself some simple and effective moves then here are seven crucial tips on choosing the right training program and how to make it work for you.

Tip 1: Work out what you need to learn. There are online courses geared towards specific industries and professions, but the average person will need a simple protect yourself program with fast and easy methods.

Tip 2: Decide what your budget is. There is no point joining an extensive online learning course only to abandon it after a few lessons and learn next to nothing. There are many inexpensive complete courses that will be suitable for your needs.

Tip 3: Research. Do not just go with the first course you find online. Or the second or third. Read about them, get opinions about them. Carefully go through as much information as you can before making the important choice.

Tip 4: Be wary of experts. The Internet is jammed full of people with huge egos who will proclaim themselves to be all kinds of experts in all kinds of bizarre things. Mr. Excellent is not excellent simply because he tells you he is.

Tip 5: Time management. Once you've chosen a course try to manage your time so that you learn a technique thoroughly before you jump onto the next one. Be prepared to work hard until you feel comfortable with one method and then move onto the next.

Tip 6: Training partners. Using family or friends to help you teach yourself is an excellent way to practice, but make sure they are willing and able to help you. Harming your loved ones accidently is a great way to kill your need for self-defense lessons.

Tip 7: Tell your friends! Spread the word that you are starting an online self-defense program and encourage them to join the same one as you. That way you can help one another and guide one another through all aspects of your training.

Be proud of yourself as you progress through your training - you deserve credit for taking a stand and doing something positive. The new-found confidence that you have has come from your hard work and determination. I hope you will never have to use any of the techniques that you've learned, but if you do you will know that you did everything in your power to prepare yourself in the best possible way.