There are many thoughts out there on what is a good method for using and defending against strikes in a self-defense context. I am a fan of boxing, and my boxing based teaching method would really demonstrate that. I will write some more on this, but for now, I will leave you with this link to an article written by a close friend of mine, Paul Sharp. Whenever he speaks, a wise man would listen:

http://sharpdefense.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/boxing-in-the-wbe-defense/