Our "graduation exercise" was to have the girls and the guys (yup, coed class) pair up. We started in Tom's starting position and were told to get away. (The guys we were paired with were in the padded suits, so we could really fight.)
I'm the only female who got away. I was paired with Rob, who was about 6'2 and had been a linebacker. The instructor asked him how I did it, and he said "Man, she just wouldn't quit. I got her arms pinned, she started kicking me. I got her legs pinned, and she bit my ear (and I did, sorry Rob.) She just wouldn't stop."
I remember it, because Rob was freaking heavy, and so much bigger than me, but I'm the type who won't ever stop, and from that class I learned so many ways not to be stupid.
One thing the instructor told me that I remember well too; "if someone has a knife, you are going to get cut. But you can pick where. Try and put the big bone of your forearm into the blow, hit him and run away."
Always run. Scream. Get away.
That's what our instructor taught, and he was pretty good I thought. But then I passed......