What are the rules of defense in a violent encounter?

This may seem like an odd question, or maybe a legal question, but it’s worth exploring. We know that violent encounters on the street don’t have the same “rules” as an MMA fight or wrestling match, but are there any constraints or overarching rules that apply?

I enjoy listening to philosophy lectures, and I was inspired to think about the rules of defense from a recent Q&A/lecture session by psychology professor Jordan Peterson. He posited:

“If you’re playing a game, obviously the game has rules. So if it’s a chess game or a basketball game, there are things you can do and things you can’t do. So it’s a “closed world” in some sense. But the fact that there are things you can’t do, in a game, open up a world of possibilities of things you CAN do in the game. Chess obviously constrains you to a board and to a certain number of men and a certain number of rules. But the strange thing is, when you put in those rules - rules sound like limits, like things you can’t do - but when you set up a constrained world like that and a system of rules, what you do is open up a near infinity of possibilities.”

So what do you think some are some of the Rules of a Violent Encounter and how would understanding that rule help defenders to train to win?

Add your thoughts in the comments section!