The last thing we do at the end of a level 3 test is to have the group gear up and spar…one student vs. two or three attackers at the same time. This is always an eye opener. No matter how good we are two or more on one is a very bad situation. The first thing I do is yell “go” and then immediately yell “stop”. I bawl the fighter out and tell them that I didn’t give them any rules. The first thing they should have done was ran for an exit or ran to a weapon. There are things lying around anywhere you are that you can use. I tell them that I would have smacked someone with the laptop that was in the corner before I went at them empty handed. Thinks escape first, get a weapon second. I’ve done martial arts and Krav Maga all my life and am fairly good but I can’t see on both sides of my body, can’t block four fists with two arms. Fighting isn’t ever very smart, fighting when outnumbered is just stupid.
When it can’t be helped and you have no other choice but to fight there are a few tactics to live by. At the training the ones who did the best kept moving, didn’t let anyone get where they couldn’t be seen and attacked when they could. Thoughts with these tactics are 1) for sure keep moving. The scumbags know that they need to split you, for one of them to get behind you. When someone is behind us we are finished. We cannot block or dodge what we cannot see. A punch on the back of the head is all it takes to be done. Keep your back to walls, etc as you circle…and you are circling to find an escape route. 2) Attack. You can’t just circle and be defensive. Eventually they will hit you hard. Whenever one is out in front and closer to you than the rest hit hard and fast. Stomp a knee, punch the throat, kick the groin or anything else you can do to put them down. When this happens we have made the odds a little more even. Stacking is always a good way to have one closer to you than the other. Move so that one has to go through the other to hit you. Use the closest attacker as a shield. I have even seen grabbing hold of the closest with a choke, etc. and punching over them to hit the second attacker. Shove the one you have grabbed at the other, giving you space and maybe even knocking them over.
If weapons are involved you had better think of running first. Get out of there as the odds don’t get stacked up against you too much more than this. If there is no escape we want to attack, not wait. They are converging on you where you are and expect you to stay there or back up. Do what they don’t expect, go berserk and go after them. Go hard at the closest and attempt to take him out and take his/her weapon to use against the other. If one has a stick type weapon and the other a blade and are at equal distance, go for the stick. Reach and impact against that blade is a good thing. As you are taking the weapon from the first you must spin that attacker in between you and the other. Be vicious, like a cornered animal! As you are attacking always be looking at escaping. Do damage and get out of there.
In summary look to escape, find a weapon, keep moving so they don’t split you and take the closest one out. The odds are still very much against us in this situation but these are the best answers we have. BE SAFE!
