• Self-protection is what you have to do to survive an unprovoked attack
• Self-protection understands that fighting is illegal and very dangerous
• Self-protection is a layered approach to a conflict.
• Self-protection is having personal rules that reflect society, culture, morality and humanity.
• Self-protection is being part of the solution, not part of the problem. Selfish, twisted, psychotic people are not nice and self protection means not being where they are or being with them

Survival is knowledge and awareness. Violence is TOXIC
The MAC approach to self-protection is a multi-layered approach; we believe strongly that self-protection is a set of skills to help an individual to manage part of life's challenges. The concept of self-protection follows the triple A (AAA) method.

• AWARENESS
• AVOIDANCE
• ACTION

These three key words form the basis of a personal safety strategy. They are further supported by a set of guidelines to help the individual evaluate, respond and live with their actions in the face of a self-protection scenario.

• Common sense Do I even want to go there? Can I talk negotiate or trick my way out of there?
• Diplomatic Do you need to action violence? Can I talk negotiate or trick my way out of the situation?
• Strategic When and where to hit for maximum results.
• Tactical How to hit, control, restrain safely for you.

The multi-layered approach is a set of checks and balances to help you make the right moves to prevent you from ending up in a violent situation anyway. By having these layers we can build in control and influence anywhere in the process. It also helps you to understand that the further down the path you go the more extreme the danger and the more likely you are to lose control of the situation.
Secondly, there may be a feeling or assumption of self-righteousness regarding "self-protection". To begin with there is a drastic difference between fighting and self-protection and it is a difference we need to understand. From the point of view of a police officer or a legal stand point it may not be apparent who the protagonist is and who is the victim, if you do not have a set of guidelines to give you a strategy that may need to be tested legally later. In simple terms your claim of self-protection will be seriously undermined if you were an equal participant in the problem.
Third, the effects of real violence could last a lifetime. It doesn't matter if you were the victim, the initiator or just defending yourself, exposure to, and participation in violence will change you and often not for the better.
In other words, whilst in the short-term self- righteousness and anger can protect you, over time guilt, shame, moral pain and trauma over what you did will eventually creep in. Furthermore, contrary to popular belief an overwhelming majority of people cannot just "switch on" an animalistic response and find the right self-protection moves in a crisis. Combat can be a traumatic mental shift. One, that if you do not have specific training to prepare you for, you may not be able to make in time to defend yourself
More positively, these levels of response will help you manage the emotional adrenaline stressors that come with having to defend yourself.
Fourthly, these multi-layered "steps" can help you remove doubt. If you have established, external standards by which to judge when you are legally and morally justified to use violence in your protection or that of your loved ones then you will be able to react with grim un-conflicting determination towards achieving the outcome you want. This is not an emotional or subjective reaction; you are reacting to a known and identified threat.
The fifth reason relates to all of the above, if you have a structure and rules to conflict management or escalation then you will be able to clearly communicate that to the police and the legal system should you need to. Remember two people fighting looks just like two people fighting to someone not involved in the situation.
The final reason a multi-layered approach works is that this process instils in you negotiating skills and conflict avoidance. This doesn't mean capitulating. It simply means you have a wider set of skills to help you deal with potential conflict without resorting to extreme measures. These are people skills and they can add value to all of your life at home, work and in social situations.
This subject is an exhaustive study but the basis rules are universally agreed on by experts globally.