It really depends on the teachings of the style. The one I take, Yoshukai, deals with a great deal of Self-Defense put in practical street application. It also depends on the situation. If a karate student/black belt is trying to straight out fight with a boxer, it would depend a lot on the two individuals. But to answer your question, yes, you can apply karate to real life Self Defense. Congradulations on starting karate by the way! -WolvesOfThunder