Goals

Lets take a look at self-defense. Lets remain within the arena of training. What are the things I feel most important to applying self-defense? 

First, you need to generate stopping power with your arms and hands and possible your legs and feet. You need to do this in a dynamic way, i.e. while moving and at different ranges that change quickly, etc.

Second, you need to have an ability to evade, dodge, parry, block and slip, etc. 

Third, you need to practice where your opponent is trying hard to hurt you. Note that this is someone you trust to take it as far as possible without actually doing long term damage but you will experience a degree of hurt, bruises, scrapes, etc.

Not a big list but a core feature to learning to defend yourself. There are other aspects that must be addressed but as to applying your abilities in a violent situation these are core or cornerstone aspects to learning, training, practicing and applying techniques. Look at this as a intricate part of your overall strategy in training and practice. 

Stopping Power: How do you define such things. There are a few factors that make up power. Most are discussed in other posts so it is up to you to search out such things and combine them into some coherent form you will understand and use. One small thing I always preached was "you have to hit stuff" to learn what it takes to apply power to punches and kicks, etc. There are so many variables out there that you have to work hard to practice them while hitting something. When I say hit something I mean you have to hit it like you mean it. Lightly hitting the heavy bag is a good work out but you have to hit it like you would if you were trying to stop and adversary. You have to achieve hitting something with meaning while applying all the various things that occur in a physical confrontation. Figure it out and apply it to hitting something.

Body Shifting and Control: In the martial arts they call it by many names of which one is tenshin. Tenshin involves body displacement. It is moving the body efficiently. It is connected to such things as breathing and chinkuchi. It is the efficient method of body mechanics used to generate body movement. It is this type of practice and training that makes the power effective in almost any situation say while moving backward, to the side, etc. The ability to apply power while punching, kicking and in the movement of change in direction. It also applies when your body is in the worst position like being on the ground where the legs ability to move you are mostly removed and the body shifting is done by whole body movement, etc. 

Damage Degree: This last is important because it requires trust between practitioners yet allows for both to take it to the very edge of serious damage. You have to hit things yes but you have to get hit as well. How many would freeze at the initial shock of a serious violent strike or punch. Your mind as well as your body must achieve some understanding of what that feels like and how the mind can learn to mostly ignore the pain and agony of damage so you can succeed in stopping it and reaching the proper level of defense and safety. 

Nothing here is easy and this is not the end all of how to achieve such things. It is meant to get you thinking and working what it takes to be solid in your practice and training toward self-defense. It is just one layer in that onion of many layers we call self-defense. This is just another way to get one thinking outside the box.