I'm in the same boat. I've been self trained since my teens.
Now that I'm older and getting back into training, sidelined for a few years due to serious injury, I understand things better.
First it's better to master ten techniques than know a hundred. Second KISS, Keep It Simple Stupid. Open hand strikes, for example, offer more options than closed fist. Palm to the head can be a finger strike to the eyes, claw to the face or any variation on dangerous palm strikes to the face/chin. Slaps to the face work well to as long as they have power.
Define if you want defense or art, self defense is much simpler to learn that an art.
Any fight should be controlled within the first ten or fifteen seconds. Even that is long. After that point everyone starts to grapple. Somewhere in the internet is a White Crane guy fighting a Bagua guy both internal stylists. Both resort to grappling rather quickly but their fan boys comment on this or that technique being used.
Train for open hand because a closed fist looks to the police as if you wanted to fight. Open palm can shove which can send someone flying if done right. Also legally if you are a trained MAIST you are more liable for damages if sued. Open palm, back up, never formally trained, never strike first. Watch the first season of Lie to me. It mastered how to look weak and defenseless, monkey like, shrinking back hands up near head neck down. Easily turned into a defensive stance. Same with palms open facing front. I think Hapkido has an open stance with hands at the side.
You can also "accidentally" step on an ankle or knee after they are down.
You can buy a full size artist dummy with adjustable arm and leg joints for around $300. If you want to practice various fine techniques it works better than a grappling dummy.
There used to be a home training MA mag years ago. Someone had the idea of running rebar inside of swim noodles and bending it to form two arms. It works. You can make an entire dummy that way.
Youtube has literally thousands of training ideas, techniques and full length training style videos. Use them.
Also watch movies. There are many simple techniques used in film.
Cheat whenever possible.
Finally, it's simple to train to kill or seriously injure an opponent. That is a benefit of home self training. It's also the downfall. It is a very fine line. One one side the person you think is stopped may grab an ashtray and slam you in the back of the head, true story from a cop. On the other side you may accidentally knock someone down and kill them because they hit their head, true story from a contractor that happened to his friend.
I hope I'm addressing the right person in this part.
North Coast Miller
You could add actuator motors and do some simple programing for strikes/kicks.
Most likely you could randomize the attack pattern.
Basically you are building a simple robot.
Which is also saleable.
Question on the 52 handblock style. Count Dante trained in the Black community. From what I read he developed a very effective style which he taught to ex cons and within the Black community.
Is this in any way related or influenced by the Count?