If someone asks me to hit them and I do, did I commit a crime? How about if I hit myself?

[John_Stamos_Left_Ear]

Someone asks me to hit them. I comply. Did I commit a crime?

How about if someone hurts themselves intentionally when I refuse?

[Keeve]

@John_Stamos_Left_Ear

Someone asks me to hit them. I comply.

Isn’t that exactly what boxing is all about?

[pravnik]

Consent can be a defense to assault. In my jurisdiction the statute is:

Sec. 22.06. CONSENT AS DEFENSE TO ASSAULTIVE CONDUCT. (a) The victim’s effective consent or the actor’s reasonable belief that the victim consented to the actor’s conduct is a defense to prosecution under Section 22.01 (Assault), 22.02 (Aggravated Assault), or 22.05 (Deadly Conduct) if:

(1) the conduct did not threaten or inflict serious bodily injury; or

(2) the victim knew the conduct was a risk of:

(A) his occupation;

(B) recognized medical treatment; or

(C) a scientific experiment conducted by recognized methods.

(b) The defense to prosecution provided by Subsection (a) is not available to a defendant who commits an offense described by Subsection (a) as a condition of the defendant’s or the victim’s initiation or continued membership in a criminal street gang, as defined by Section 71.01.

Recent thread: Is the consent of the victim a defense to assault? What about other crimes?