In a very stressful situation, the pressure, confusion or adrenalin has affected you to a point so you cannot remember even simple techniques but if there is one point to work on here is to practice striking straight back at your attacker, targeting weak or sensitive areas.
No attack on you should go unanswered! Practice targeting and striking Techniques often enough and you can make these simple reactions as part of your muscle memory, this way you can react automatically without having to think about what your next move will be.
React quickly and aim to startle your attacker.
Some strikes will feel rather awkward to you if you have never used them before.
It is important that you actually practice striking so that they do feel more natural to you.
Do not just go through the motions but practice on a punch bag or striking shield, if you can't get these then use some form of padding that you have at home, even use a rolled up sleeping bag if you have nothing else.
The more you practice the more natural the striking techniques will feel for you.
The other advantage to practicing is that you can make the strikes an instinctive reaction if you have practiced enough.
Think of yourself as a small grenade, nice to look at but when your pin is pulled you explode with everything you have.
Ensure you strike in combinations of no less than three.
The reason is because one strike from you will be blocked, two strikes might well be but three strikes and beyond become almost impossible for the average person to stop, especially if they are well aimed strikes delivered with ferocity.
Switch your strikes between various Targets.
Always aim for those weak and sensitive areas where you will get maximum results.
The eyes, nose, throat, solar plexus, groin, femoral nerves, shin, instep and so on.
Stick to the rule of striking hard to soft or soft to hard such as palm to head, palm to nose, and elbows to mid section.
Strike with speed and rotate your body into strikes to maximize power.
Shout as you strike startling the attacker, attracting attention and creating witnesses to the assault.
If it's a predator type of attack then this may well be all that's required for them to abort as they were not looking for a fight but just an easy meal.
Whatever type of attacker it is, react quickly and get the confrontation finished with as quickly as possible, get yourself to safety and always report an incident to the Police.
When you practice, experiment with different combinations; see which ones you feel most comfortable with and which ones you think are most effective.
Practice shouting out loud phrases like "Let go" or "Leave me alone".
Anything that is going to attract attention, letting other people know that you are the one being attacked.
This may be vital evidence if you end up causing serious harm to the attacker.
If you practice striking regular enough, your methods of striking can become instinctive.
You do not have to wait to be attacked in order to defend yourself, provocation is enough.
If you really feel threatened enough by someone then you have the right to defend yourself.
If you wait to be attacked, it could well be too late! You ultimate goal is still to get away to safety but reacting quickly with ferocity may actually be a life saving strategy even if it's just to create a time window for you to get away.
Train Smart - Fightwize!