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Mass Attacks

Five Critical Success Factors In A Street Fight
What are the factors that determine the outcome of a street fight? A street fight is an ugly, violent, chaotic and unpredictable situation. Performing effectively in the street will demand all of your physical, mental and emotional resources. Like most things in life, there are no short cuts or quick fixes for something that is so demanding and unpredictable. There ARE however principles and strategies that you can apply to increase the odds of surviving and escaping volatile and violent encounters.

A fight is an “athletic event”. It is a competition between you and your opponents requiring a full range of physical, mental and emotional qualities that will determine the outcome. The more prepared and proficient you are in these areas the more successful you will be.

There are five factors that influence the outcome of a street fight:
Physical Conditioning
Technical Skill
Strategic Intelligence
Emotional Attitude
Equalizing Resources

1. Physical Conditioning
The better shape you are in, the more effective you will be in a street fight. You’ll be able to perform more intensely, explosively and for a longer period of time. You will be more confident in your abilities and more resilient to the bumps and bruises of the encounter. Keep in mind to that fitness and conditioning is “event specific.” In other words, the more your conditioning simulates the event, in this case a street fight, the more it will enhance your performance. That is why I am a strong advocate of combative conditioning activities that not only strengthen and condition your body but mimic the types of activities you need to fight effectively.

2. Technical Skill
Technical skill refers to your ability to perform specific techniques and tactics of the fight. Your ability to perform strikes, kicks, submissions and defensive actions will have big impact on the outcome of the encounter.

3. Strategic Intelligence
If technical skill represents “doing things right”, strategic intelligence is “doing the right things”. Intelligence is your intellectual ability to solve problems. In the case of self-defense, it is the knowledge of real-world dynamics and the strategies available to influence and control the situation. You need to become “street smart” in order to detect, predict and resolve volatile situations effectively.

4. Emotional Attitude
Your emotional attitude, which includes confidence, aggression, and commitment, has a huge impact on the outcome of a street fight. People, even without formal self-defense training, are capable of remarkable things when they possess an unwavering commitment to win and a never-give- up attitude. Like any other aspect of your performance, mental toughness and focused aggression can be developed through intelligent training and will be indispensable in a street fight.

5. Equalizing Resources
Equalizing resources are circumstances that will swing the odds of success in your favor. Resources can be human or physical. Human resources include the “strength in numbers”. For example, if you are in the company of other people when you are attacked, and they have the balls to help you, you gain a significant advantage over fighting alone. Physical resources include the use of weapons, whether they be something you carry on you, or pick up off the ground. Arming yourself in a street fight will allow you to gain a psychological advantage during and encounter and if need be, inflict more damage on your assailants.

All five of these factors will impact your ability to successfully and effectively defend yourself in a street fight.

Three Deadly Myths About Multiple Assailant Encounters
Fighting multiple assailants is NOT the same as fighting a single opponent. Things that work fine in a one-on-one encounter can backfire big time when more than one opponent is involved. Misinformation often comes from theoretical solutions that are never tested and do not account for the realities of human performance in a critical, stressful situation. Anything that “locks you up” with one opponent or allows another to gain a position of advantage can spell disaster. Here are some of the myths to be aware of and avoid when preparing for a multiple assailant encounter:

Myth #1: That attacks will be serial
Multiple attacker fights aren’t like the movies. You will not be surrounded by a group of assailants who will politely and orderly take their turn attacking you. You know the drill… the first guy comes in, you drop him with a single blow. Then guy number two flies in and you drop him too. One-by-one your assailants drop like rocks as you methodically work your way through the entire group. If only it were so! What happens in a multiple assailant fight is that you will be swarmed by the group in no particular order and quite likely all at the same time. That will undoubtedly affect your game plan and the strategies that you resort too to disrupt the assailants desire or ability to advance on you in numbers.

Myth #2: That one-on-one skills work as effectively against multiple assailants
Many techniques used to fight a single adversary don’t translate well when there are accomplices involved. While you direct your attention and aggression towards one assailant, his buddies will be attempting to flank or get behind you. You probably won’t have the luxury to “finish off” one opponent before dealing with another. If you try, you increase the likelihood of being tackled or blindsided. Tactics involving clinching or grappling with an assailant leave you susceptible to being stomped or clobbered by someone else. That being said, there is merit to working hard on “the basics”. The ability to deliver devastating strikes and kicks for example and take each assailant out, quickly and decisively is definitely an asset. You want to strive for the ability to neutralize an assailant as efficiently as possible.

Myth #3: Delivering powerful and accurate strikes to multiple targets at the same time
Taking out an opponent; putting him on his ass or knocking him out cold, requires FOCUSED effort. You must be able to use your entire body to generate the power and destruction required to drop your assailants fast. In the movies and in magazine photos, you’ll often see multiple assailant encounters depicted with the “good guy” in the middle of a group of attackers while he quickly dispatches them simultaneously, he is standing on one leg, delivering a solid groin kick with the other, punching a second assailant in the face and chopping into the neck of a third with his last remaining limb. Who are you trying to kid??? If there was ever a time to deliver a powerful, explosive, “focused” hit, its when you’re taking on multiple attackers. Imagine how hard you’d hit a heavy bag if your delivered a punch into it while standing on one leg and thrusting your other arm in another direction. You’re going to have to prioritize your targets and focus as much explosive power into each one as possible before switching your focus to your next priority.

Bucket of Balls Analogy: In the martial arts, you hear the term “focus” thrown about constantly, and I suggest to you that many of the people using it don ‘t have a clue what it actually means. Focus is the ability to concentrate fully on the task at hand and to direct 100% of your attention into that task until its been completed. Its isn’t possible to focus on several things at once. Here’s a simple analogy to explain what focus is. Imagine that I’m going to throw a bucket full of tennis balls at you. Your objective is to catch as many of the balls as you can. The first time, I throw the entire contents of the bucket at you at once. You’d be pelted by numerous balls, coming at you at different angles and levels, hitting you on the body and bouncing off in all directions. Chances are, if you caught any of the balls, it’d be by accident. In the second scenario, I take the same bucket and the same numbers of balls, but this time I threw them to you one-at-a-time in rapid succession. How do you think that would affect your success rate? Chances are you’d catch them all.

Hunting Analogy: At the risk of beating this topic to death another example of focus can be found in hunting. As you walk through a field you scare a flock of birds out from the tall grass and into flight. If you aim your shots “at the flock”, chances are you’re not going to hit anything? The key is to select one of the birds within the flock as your target and fire directly at it. Same flock, same number of birds, but much different results. OK… enough said.

The bottom line is that trying to do too many things at once means that you’ll do none of them effectively. In a multiple assailant situation that’s a bad thing. You need to concentrate your techniques one target at a time and then quickly switch to your next highest priority.

Four Fatal Mistakes You Don’t Want To Make In A Multiple Attacker Street Fight
Now that we’ve got some multiple assailant myths out of the way, lets take a look at mistakes specific to multiple assailant encounters. These mistakes will have a dramatic effect on winning or losing a street fight involving multiple opponents:

Mistake #1: Not being prepared
Chances are, if you’ve read these posts so far, you believe that encountering a situation involving multiple attackers COULD HAPPEN. Already, that’s a very good thing. Two fatal perceptions about self-defense in general and multiple assailant fights in particular can be life threatening. Those two perceptions, which are to be avoided at all costs are:
“It’ll never happen to me.” and…
“I’ll worry about it when the time comes.”.

In order to fully appreciate the importance of training and “pre-thinking”, you need to understand the reality of critical incident performance and the impact that fear and stress have on your thinking and ability to perform coordinated actions. For starters, decision are made by associating something that could happen with what you would do about it if it does. If you are suddenly confronted by an urgent, confusing situation your brain will begin scrolling your long term memory for a solution. If it is a scenario that you haven’t experienced, haven’t been trained to deal with or haven’t given thought to before, there’s a good chance you will become flustered and confused and the your actions will be ineffective or may make matters worse. Combine that with the fact, that under high levels of stress, the cognitive centers of the brain are impaired and you’ve got a very bad situation. If you don’t know what you’d do in a street fight when you’re calm and safe, what makes you think you’ll have a clue about how to respond when the shit hits the fan and your life is on the line? Chances are you won’t! Give these concepts some serious thought and imagine how they’d be applied in the harsh reality of the street, I guarantee you’ll be much more likely to succeed in a multiple assailant street fight.

Mistake #2: Going defensive
In the military, soldiers are taught that the best way to survive in an ambush is not to run away but to fight into the ambush. Street fighters (that means you) need to attack the attacker. To turn your back, give up the fight or go into defensive mode is the worst thing you can do in a multiple assailant street fight. Keep in mind that human predators select victims on the basis of their assessment of their strength, willingness and ability to fight back. By adopting a defensive, “don’t hurt me” mindset, you only bolster the aggression and coherence of the pack. When its time to fight your way out of a multiple attacker situation, you need to be as ferocious and aggressive as you can. Snap your attackers out of their “pack mentality” and show them that they are still the vulnerable cowards that they are when they’re alone. Let them know that the their buddies can’t protect them.

Sport Analogy: Imagine two athletes in a contact sport. One of them is the type who dives into the game, gives a 110% and has no concern about being hit, knocked down or injured. In fact, this guy actually enjoys the body-to-body collisions and the opportunity to share his kinetic energy with a fellow human being. The second athlete is passive and reluctant. Unlike the first, he’s scared shitless about being hurt and holds back… reluctant to mix it up or put his body on the line for the team. My questions to you are: Who is likely to be more successful at winning? Which of the two is more likely to be injured? The answer should be obvious.

When its right to fight, you can’t go half way; especially when multiple attackers are involved. If you’re going to successfully thump your way out of a very bad situation, you have to be decisive, aggressive and attack your attackers.

Mistake #3: Fighting the pack as a whole
All things being equal, a gang of combatants is superior to a single individual. The accumulative strength, capacity and size of the pack can be overwhelming unless you adopt strategies and a mindset to turn the pack into a collection of vulnerable individuals. Don’t fight “a pack” of people. Instead single out an individual within the group and go after him. Be strategic, be aggressive and you can gain psychological control over the encounter. Keep in mind that you can train to deal with a multi-member group of opponents. I can guarantee that THEY haven’t practiced working together as a group or how to defeat a single opponent. That can work to your advantage.

Mistake #4: Going to the ground
Mixed martial arts and grappling systems have become extremely popular in martial arts and self defense training. There are many highly-trained and proficient fighters who are extremely adept at taking the fight to the ground and finishing off their opponent with a choke, a submission or “ground and pound” techniques. That being said, the ground is not a good place to be in a multiple assailant situation. Next time someone tries to sell you on the grappling approach to street fighting invite them out to a debris-strewn parking lot to demonstrate their methods. Concrete, rocks and broken glass are not particularly conducive to falling, wresting or rolling around on the ground, in addition to the unfriendly environmental surfaces and obstacles, being on the ground limits your mobility and the ability to re-position yourself in relation to your attackers. It limits your ability to escape should an opportunity present itself and it makes you susceptible, while locked up with one person, for his accomplices to stomp, club or blade you from behind. Do everything you can to stay on your feet. Easier said that done right? I’m not saying you won’t end up down there any way, but do what you can to stay on your feet and mobile. If you do go down to the ground try and break free and get back up again at your first opportunity. If you do go to the ground, which is quite possible regardless of your best efforts, GET UP! Learn “ground escape tactics” as opposed to ground fighting. Escape the ground and get back up again. Your ability for rapid-fire, hit and move tactics is severely limited when you are down on the ground or locked up with one of the members of the pack.

Five Self-Defense Response Strategies For Multiple Attackers
There is more to self-defense than fighting. There are in fact, five self-defense response strategies to consider when responding to a volatile or predatory situation. Choosing the right self-defense strategy at the right time is the essence of producing a desired outcome. Choosing the wrong self-defense strategy can make matters worse. As I’ve mention no two self defense encounters are the same. To respond effectively, you need to evaluate the situation and the circumstances that exist and apply the most appropriate self-defense response strategy. But for now, I’ll give you an overview of the 5 self defense response strategies:

Self-Defense Strategy #1: Compliance
Compliance involves cooperating with the predatory intent of your assailant. Whether you decide to comply or not, depends on what is at risk and your level of “perceived vulnerability” in the encounter. Some things are worth fighting for and others are not. You need to know the difference. Perceived vulnerability is your perception of how vulnerable you are to the will and actions of your assailants. Being confronted by several potential assailants definitely increases your vulnerability in a confrontation and will impact your decision about how to respond.

Self-Defense Strategy #2: Escape
Escape involves putting as much distance between you and the threat as possible. However, it is not always a simple matter of running away. There might be circumstances that compromise the probability of a successful escape attempt and your energy might be better invested in another response strategy. The decision to escape is influenced by a number of factors such as your clothing, your fitness level, available escape routes etc. Later in this series, I’ll provide you with specific escape tactics to consider when dealing with a multiple assailant situation.

Self-Defense Strategy #3: De-escalation
De-escalation involves the use of communication tactics and dialogue to discourage or de-motivate your assailant’s BEFORE the situation turns violent. There are a number of deliberate, logical and persuasive tactics that you can learn in order to calm a volatile situation and reduce the potential for violence. De-escalation is NOT appropriate when things are already violent. Nor do you want to increase your image as being weak, passive or “inferior” in your negotiation attempts. That can bolster the assailant’s perception of control and dominance. It can increase the probability that they’ll follow through with their victimization.

Self-Defense Strategy #4: Defiance
Defiance is based on the belief that predators select their intended victim on the perception of their inferiority. They target people who they think are submissive, unwilling or unable to resist or fight back. The defiance strategy is a deliberate effort to “short circuit” the victim selection process by projecting a strong, assertive and defiant demeanor. It is essentially calling the bluff of your aggressor and having them second guessing their selection of YOU as a suitable victim. If done poorly or at an inappropriate time, defiance CAN escalate an already volatile situation. However, if you used strategically, it can motivate your assailants to abandon the confrontation and renew their search for an easier, safer and more compliant victim.

War Story: A client at one of my self defense seminars related a story to me about his friend who was confronted by several “street punks” who were intent or robbing him. His friend, a man in his mid 40′s was walking to his car after a late night at the office. Before he got there, he was confronted and told to turn over his wallet. This infuriated the man and he challenged the group, tossing his jacket aside and rolling up his sleeves. Pointing directly at the punk he believed to be the leader of the group and stated, “Alright, which one you shit heads wants it first? The group scattered like cockroaches! Defiance is a “high risk” strategy and does have the possibility of backfiring (just like any other method applied in the wrong situation), but in this particular case it worked.

Self-Defense Strategy #5: Fighting back
Fighting is what comes to mind for most people when they think about self defense. If YOUR idea of personal safety and resolving conflict is limited to punches and kicks you are dramatically limiting your options and your ability to avoid a severe beating. Street fights are unpredictable, chaotic and challenging events. There are no guarantees of who’s going to win and even if you defeat your assailant you could limp away busted up and injured. If you are a competent fighter and not particularly concerned about your ability to dominate a physical encounter, you still need to be concerned about the civil and legal hassles associated to a situation that could have been avoided. I’m not saying that there is never a reason to fight because there is. There is, in my opinion such a thing as “good violence”. Good violence is aggressive action that is morally and ethically right; actions necessary to persevere you or someone one else from injury or victimization. That being said, you’ve got to be smart about it.

The idea of multiple assailant encounters is not an easy subject to broach, and I want to temper my instructions with some common sense. The purpose of this series is to focus predominantly on your PHYSICAL RESPONSE OPTIONS to a multiple assailant situation that turns violent. My intent is to assist you in answering the question:
“If I were to encounter a violent incident involving multiple attackers, what is my most appropriate plan of action to deal with it?”.

Understanding And Influencing Pack Psychology
A street fight is more than just a physical event. It is just as much a psychological conflict requiring confidence, composure and preparation. In addition to the physical challenge of a fight, you’ll need to conduct “psychological warfare” to gain an advantage. In the case of multiple assailant attacks, understanding and using pack psychology will have a huge impact on the outcome of an encounter. Many trainers refer to a group of assailants with some colorful labels, “Wolf Pack”, “Rat Pack”, “Street Gangs”, “a Multi-fight”, etc. They do this to communicate the message that people think and act differently as a group than they would as an individual. This is important to understand.

Pack Psychology Point #1: Alpha/Beta Behavior
Pack behavior almost always involves an “alpha” or dominant member who leads and motivates the other “beta” members (followers) of the group. Members of a group will often be directed and motivated to act by their leader. By removing that person or his influence, you can often destroy the cohesiveness the the group. The sooner you can recognize the “alpha member” in a criminal pack, the sooner you can psychological affect the group as a whole.

Pack Psychology Point #2: Superior Numbers Equals Perceived Superiority
Keep in mind that predators, whether acting alone or in numbers select their intended victims on their perception of “perceived inferiority”. In other words, they perceive that because they are acting in conjunction with others, they are bigger, stronger, safer and more anonymous than they would be if acting alone. Your goal, early in a multiple assailant encounter, is to destroy the individual’s sense of protection and anonymity in the group. You need to single out individuals in the group to snap them out of their mob mentality and back into the insecure and fearful wimps that they are without their buddies around to protect them.

Pack Psychology Point #3: Mob Mentality
I’m running the risk of repeating myself but this point needs to be made; people think and act differently in a group than they would as individuals. Assailants in a pack of attackers can be swept up in the emotion of the event and become far more dangerous than if they were acting alone. There can be an “aggressive momentum” created by the group and what started to be a shoving match or a mugging can turn deadly. You see this all the time in riot situations or public disturbances that get out hand. People can be swept up in the momentum of the crowd and act more violently and destructively than they ever would if they were alone. You need to find a way to snap the members of a group back into thinking as individuals again.

Pack Psychology Point #4: Safety In Numbers
You’re probably getting the sense that these points overlap to a degree. You’re right. The participant in a group feels safe and protected because of the presence of his or her allies. There is also a sense of anonymity that insulates the individual from taking full responsibility for his or her actions. The alpha member is often the instigator of a criminal act and the remaining members are simply going with the flow. Strategies must be sought that will single out individuals in the group and make them feel vulnerable and at risk.

Pack Psychology Point #5: Peer Pressure
Let me let you in on a little pet peeve of mine: “I HATE BULLIES!” There’s not a more despicable thing you can do than use your position or popularity to victimize someone who is physically or emotional weaker. I often ask myself why so many bullies can operate the way they do without being confronted and punished. Usually it’s because they surround themselves with “pussies” who are too intimidated to speak out on behalf of the victim or intervene on their behalf. People within the group respond accordingly to avoid being isolated or eliminated from the group or running the risk of becoming targeted by the bully themselves. Members of a group don’t want to look weak or scared in the eyes of their peers. Even if they don’t agree in what the pack is doing, they are more likely to feel pressured to participate anyway or become ousted from the group or victims themselves.

Pack Psychology Point #6: Coherence
A pack is only a pack to the extent that they feel unified and affiliated as members of the group. Coherence in a multiple attacker encounter is bad thing. As a member of the pack, individuals feel strong, protected and anonymous, The more you can break up that perception and the solidarity of the group, the more successful you’ll be at defeating them.

Four Strategic Escape Options For Self-Defense
The primary goal in a multiple assailant confrontation is not to “win” but to escape. If your efforts to avoid or defuse the encounter fail and violence is inevitable… get the hell out of there at your first “strategic opportunity”. Easier said than done sometimes but ultimately you want to escape strategically and put as much distance between you and your adversaries as you can. “Strategic Escape” is not always as simple as running away. You might have to wait for or create a window of opportunity to bail. Research into police foot pursuits for example, indicate that if the subject can gain a 20 yard head start on his pursuers, he’ll probably get away. Keep this in mind when YOU are being pursued. If you are in average or better than average physical condition an escape at the right time can be one of your best options. There are four escape strategies to consider:

1. Run Away
If you think you’re fast enough and can outrun your attackers do it. If you know where to run to, don’t think that turning your back to your attackers will make matters worse and bailing won’t leave a friend or loved one to fend for themselves then go for it. Remember that an escape attempt will burn off a lot of physical energy. If circumstances dictate that running would be a good investment then “Run, Forest, Run!!!”.

2. Stun And Run
The stun and run strategy is simple. Do something that will destroy your assailant’s desire or ability to chase after you and then bolt. Imagine yourself on the starting line at a track meet against a world-class sprinter. There’s big prize money waiting for you at the finish line but you know you don’t stand a chance in hell to get there before the other runner does. So here’s what you do… the moment before the starting gun sounds, boot your running buddy square in the “nads” and run for all you worth. NOW who do you think will cross the finish line first?

3. Run To A Weapon
If you don’t already have a weapon, when attacked by a group of blood thirsty rejects, and you don’t think you can outrun them, it might be a good idea to find a weapon as soon as you can. If the odds aren’t in your favor (which they are highly unlikely to be in a multiple assailant street fight), take off and keep your eyes peeled for a weapon that could change the odds of successfully defending yourself. It could be a weapon that you are already carrying but need some time to get to it, or what’s more likely to be the case, it could be a weapon of opportunity. A board, a brick, a metal bar or fence picket could be converted as a weapon to discourage the pack and terminate the attack. Of course, whenever you arm yourself, you run the risk of being disarmed as well as the legal consequences if you do use it and seriously injure one of your attackers. I won’t lie to you. This isn’t a decision to take lightly, but it ultimately rests with you and what you feel prepared and justified to do to protect yourself.

4. Run And Stun
A run and stun strategy is based on the fact that all members of a group will not chase you at the same pace. Many might not even bother and might leave the task of pursuing you to their more flight of foot brothers or sisters.
By bolting from a group of attackers, you’ll find that you can separate them from each other or “string them out” enough to reduce their superior numbers. If one of them begins to overtake you, consider stopping long enough, perhaps waiting around a corner and dropping him and take off again. Now the remaining pursuers have the decision to tend to their fallen comrade or continue to chase you. Either way, its one less assailant to worry about.

Pre-Attack Body Language In A Multiple Assailant Encounter
Awareness and its role in multiple assailant encounter: Your ability to stay safe and survive a violent encounter has less to do with your fighting ability than your street smarts and your capacity to detect and anticipate problems before they happen. Your brain is your primary weapon to avoid, defuse and respond to threatening situations. That requires AWARENESS. Awareness has three aspects:

1. Knowing what to look for that will indicate a threatening situation developing
2. Having the discipline to pay attention to what’s happening around you, and…
3. Matching the degree of your attention to your present circumstances

The best way to defend yourself in a multiple attacker street fight, or any violent incident, is to detect the clues and warning signs that exist prior to the incident. If you are blindsided, ambushed or sucker punched, it doesn’t matter how technically skilled you are at self-defense, you’re in for a world of hurt. I’m not saying you won’t survive a sudden, unexpected attack but the longer it takes you to realize what’s happening and decide what to do about it, the less influence you will have over the outcome of the incident. People communicate predominantly with their bodies. Communication experts agree that the most accurate way to assess what a person is about to do is based on their body language. In self- defense, that’s an extremely important thing to know. If you know what to look for and you pay attention, an attacker will project body signals that indicate that he’s about to turn violent.

Pre-Incident Indicators
Here are some pre-incident indicators that may precede a multiple assailant encounter unfolding:
a group of people watching or following you
if you cross the street to avoid a group, they may cross in response
members of the group will discuss something, nodding in agreement or glancing frequently in your direction
a members of the group may approach you and engage you in conversation while his buddies reposition themselves around you (bracketing)
one member of the group may confront or challenge you about some minor or irrational issue, “Hey buddy, what are YOU looking at?”
There may be a signal of some kind, out of context with the situation intended to initiate the attack.
Members of the group will alternate their gaze between looking at you, the other members of the group and perhaps around for potential witnesses.
You also need to be able to predict the “threshold of a violent outburst” from an individual or individuals within the group.

Pre-Assault Warning Signs
Here are some Pre-Assault warning signs to be aware of:
“blading” or angling the body by placing the non-dominant foot to the rear
looking around for witnesses
clenching or pumping his fists. (pumping is opening and closing the fists due to the change in blood circulation caused by stress)
shrugging the neck or shoulders to relieve tension in the shoulders
“grooming” or wiping the hands off on the clothing or hair (sweaty palms)
extremity tremble (most noticeable in the knees and fingers) caused by increased adrenaline in the blood
Dialogue cues in an effort to distract, challenge or threaten you and perhaps as a cue to the other members in the pack

Psychological Warfare for Multiple Assailant Street Fights
Dealing with a multiple attacker encounter is every bit as psychological as it is physical. Here are some psychological strategies to consider to gain emotional and mental control over the situation:

1. Destroy the pack mentality
There is a very good chance that the participants in a multiple attacker confrontation wouldn’t be doing what they are doing if they were alone. In a pack, the feel safe, protected, anonymous and motivated by peer pressure. Psychological strategies are intended to destroy the coherence of the pack and make your assailants think and feel like weak, vulnerable individuals who will be held responsible for their actions.

2. Be the aggressor
If you are confronted by a group of people, and all indications suggest that the situation is about turn violent, then attack the attackers. You’re going to get your ass kicked any way if you “go defensive”, so go for it! Pull out all the stops and turn the tables on exactly who is in danger. Put THEM on the defensive. Make them feel like they’ve cornered the “wrong dog” and they’re about to be bit!

3. Take out the leader quickly
I mentioned earlier in this report that every pack is going to have an “alpha member”, a dominant personality that is responsible for instigating the fight or motivating the others to participate. If you can identify and access that person, take him or her out first. The other members of the pack may not be so quick to assume the role of the new leader and run the risk of the same fate as their predecessor. If you can’t identify a “leader”, identify the big mouth. He’ll be the one who’s in your face, talking trash and firing up the rest of the group. Drop him mid-sentence to take psychological control over the encounter. A third option is to take out the closest, most available member of the pack. You’ll have a low probability of success if you have to wade through the group to get to the leader or the loud mouth. If someone is more accessible, and its obvious that he or she is an antagonist and in on the encounter, then make an example of that person and introduce him to the pavement.

4. Single out individuals within the group
Keep in mind that members of the pack (not necessarily all of them) feel protected and anonymous. The more you can make them feel vulnerable, alone and identified the better. Here are a few strategies to consider. Challenge a member of the pack, “Come on tough guy. If you’re as tough as you think you are, why don’t you fight me yourself. You and me, one-on- one, man-to-man. (this is an example of the Defiance Strategy) Members of a pack don’t want to appear weak or scared in front of their peers. They certainly don’t want to get their ass kicked in front of them. This tactics COULD have your assailants backpedaling and looking for a way out of the confrontation. The individual should realize that he’s going to either accept your challenge and risk defeat or decline it and risk looking cowardly. Keep in mind that this tactic CAN backfire. The pack my blow off your challenge and attack you as a group any way. If the individual takes you up on your offer, and you defeat him, be ready for retaliation from the remaining members. At the very least, you have one less attacker to contend with. Another example of the Defiance Strategy is to single out an individual within the group prior to the situation turning violent and make it crystal clear that no matter what happens to you, win or lose, you’re coming after him. Or that you know who he is (if you do) and will be reporting him to the authorities. The third and final defiance tactic I’ll throw at you is to drop a member of the pack with a preemptive strike to a vulnerable area (the nose, neck, nuts or knees) and challenge the remaining members in a “who’s next?” challenge. I’m not saying that these tactics will always work; nor can I guarantee that they will produce the desired results. However, based on my experience with pack psychology and victim selection I feel that they are options to consider.

5. Inflict a painful injury
Another strategy that is frequently recommended in multiple assailant encounters is to deliver a devastating, painful and visible injury to a member of the group WITHOUT knocking him out. I’ll be honest with you… I have found nothing concrete or scientific to validate this strategy but it makes sense based on pack psychology. Inflict a painful, visible injury on a member of the pack that leaves him either dazed on his feet or writing on the ground. This can destroy the coherence of the pack and their sense of protection. There’s a good chance that it’ll send the remaining members running for the hills.

Eight Multiple Attacker Training Methods

Training Method #1: Get yourself into fighting shape
Many self-defense authorities suggest that you don’t need to be in good physical condition to perform effectively in a street fight. They argue that because these types of situations are over in seconds, that there is no need to be in shape. I call bullshit! I’m not saying that you are helpless if you’re not in tip top shape. What I am saying is the better shape you are in, the better you perform. A multiple attacker situation, or any street fight for that matter, is an “athletic event.” It’s a physical competition between you and your opponents. A multiple attacker fight requires strength, endurance and a wide array of physical, mental and athletic qualities. Besides, who in their right mind would blow off the health and fitness benefits of ongoing self- defense and combative training? Its one of the best forms of fitness there is. My research has also shown that being in good physical condition reduces the likelihood of being confronted by multiple attackers in the first place. Human predators usually rule out fit, athletic, confident people as targets. Remember they are looking for someone incapable of fighting back… not someone who will kick their ass. Fitness builds confidence and you’ll need as much of it as you can muster if you’re going to challenge or defy multiple attackers. This will be crucial if you intend to gain psychological control over a multiple attacker encounter. Fit people are more resilient to the bumps, bruises and impact of a real world street fight. Remember too that resolving a multiple attacker situation is not limited exclusively to fighting. Your best multiple attacker strategy might be to escape or create a window of opportunity to escape. No sense bolting fifty yards and then stopping because you’re too exhausted to continue! If you’re going to successfully outrun multiple attackers you’d better be in good condition.

Training Method #2: Develop superior hitting skills
Many of the multiple attacker strategies contained in this report are based on your ability to hit hard and effectively. That doesn’t happen by accident. You can’t just tell someone to throw a solid punch or kick. You can’t just read in a book telling you that you’re “supposed to” knock out your assailant and then be able to do it. If you lack the ability to hit explosively you’re going to find the probability to drop, injure or destroy a violent attacker easier said than done.

Training Method #3: Training all three street fighting ranges
I will go into greater detail about street fighting ranges in subsequent posts. For now, I’ll provide you with an overview and some things to consider. A street fight, especially one involving multiple attackers, is not a sparring match. Its not pretty. Its violent, chaotic, and unpredictable. You could be pushed, pulled, grabbed, knocked down, gouged and even bitten. You have to prepared for anything. To perform effectively you in a multiple attacker scenario requires proficiency in each of the three basic ranges. Here’s what they are:

Free-Standing Range: This occurs when you square off with an opponent. Neither of you are grabbing or holding onto each other. Examples would be a boxing or kickboxing type of exchange where you are able to throw strikes and kicks directly at your opponent.

Clinch Range: This range describes a grabbing, pushing, holding range but you are still on your feet. It could involve grabbing a hold of you, your clothing or even your hair while delivering strikes, kicks, head butts or trying to take you to the ground. Usually a clinch is an effort to take a fight to the ground. A common multiple attacker strategy involves one of the assailants restraining you while his buddies beat on you.

Ground Range: The ground range describes a fight that has you, or both you and your opponent, on the ground. I mentioned earlier in this report that you should try to avoid being taken to the floor if you can help it, especially in a multiple attacker situation.

Grappling and wrestling on the ground is highly ineffective when you have multiple attackers stomping and kicking you from above. That doesn’t mean that its not going to happen. If it does, you’re going to have to deal with it and either finish the fight quickly or get back up again. The actual definition of a “range” is not limited to the distance between you and you opponent. It could more accurately be defined as circumstances that change the dynamics of the fight and the way you deliver your combative techniques. For example, you can deliver strikes in all three ranges but the way you actually perform them will be different when you are standing, clutching and grabbing or on the floor.

Training Method #4: Multiple Target Impact Training
Impact training is the practice of hitting training equipment like heavy bags, focus pads, Thai pads and partners with boxing gloves. If you are training for a multiple attacker street fight; a real world, no rules self-defense encounter, you need to be able to deliver powerful strikes and kicks from various positions to multiple targets. Many people limit their impact training only to a single target directly in front of them. They square off to the heavy bag or the pad holder and deliver their strikes directly to the front. If they do multiple attacker training at all, often they’ll stand in the middle of a few targets and then fire off strikes and kicks in various directions. Think for a minute about what I’m telling you about multiple attacker street fights… Do you want to wade into the center of a pack of assailants like a Bruce Lee movie and conduct your business from there? No… you want to use movement, shielding and busting out tactics to AVOID ending up as the “monkey in the middle”. A more realistic multiple attacker drill is to put the targets at different positions and work them from the “outside” trying to keep one piece of equipment (and/or the person holding it) between you and the other targets. Be creative and invent your own multiple attacker drills. For example, get a heavy bag and a partner wearing focus pads. Have the pad holder stand behind the heavy bag and shift around it. You shift in response, striking and kicking the bag, always keeping yourself on the opposite side of the bag as your training partner. Every once in a while, have the pad holder move around the bag and in between it and you. When that happens, immediately direct your “aggression” into the focus pads and adopt a new position that places the pad holder between you and the heavy bag.

Training Method #5: Multiple Attacker Sparring Drills
If you already know how to spar, try sparring with more than one training partner at a time to simulate a multiple attacker situation. Although sparring is nothing like a real street fight, it will give you a taste of the dynamics involved when you have to take on multiple attackers coming at you at the same time. You’ll quickly find out the common mistake of “the monkey in the middle” strategy when your training partners start pounding on you from all directions. Multiple attacker sparring drills teach you how to constantly reposition yourself on the “far side” of one person while keeping him between you and the other fighters. If one of the other fighters manages to sneak in and achieve a more threatening position, quickly make him your new shield and position yourself in relation to him. I recommend that you start with two-on-one drills and work your way up to dealing with more and more opponents. I have done four-on-one drills and in addition to a lot of learning taking place, they’re a lot of fun. Once you master your positioning skills, you’ll find that too many “bad guys” makes THEIR job of attacking you more difficult. They’ll be tripping all over each other. Note: The “sparring” I’m talking about here should be light-contact, medium-speed training. Keep the intensity of your training low. You are working more on your positioning and movement skills at this point, not your defensive skills or the ability to take a punch. Use protective equipment such as boxing gloves, a mouth guard, groin protection etc. and keep it light and non- competitive.

Training Method #6: Take Down Avoidance
Telling someone not to be taken to the ground in a street fight is easier said than done. Despite your best efforts, it can and probably will happen. You’ll just have to deal with it. I wrote earlier about the dangers of being on the ground in a street fight. The danger is dramatically multiplied if multiple assailants are involved. You need to do everything possible to stay on your feet. If you get knocked or taken to the ground, get up at your first opportunity. Here are some drills that will develop your take down avoidance skills:

Pivot Drill:
The pivot drill involves repositioning yourself in relation to an advancing opponent to avoid being tackled or tripped. Have your training partner shoot in on you from various directions; front, side, rear. (“shooting” is a term used to describe your opponent lunging towards you in an effort to control your lower body and take you to the ground). Stand stationary and have your training partner walking in a circle around you. Don’t move your body but follow him with your head and eyes. At some point, your partner will move suddenly toward you. Immediately pivot into a position that “squares you off” toward him and stabilize yourself in his direction. All your partner has to do is lunge toward you and then stop just out of range. The key is to develop the response of quickly squaring off to an advancing threat. This can also be done with focus pads. Have your training partner circle around you and then at some point stop, step in and offer the pad. Your objective is to efficiently adopt a position that will allow you to blast out a striking combination into the pads.

Charge Avoidance Drill:
A variation of the above drills is to have you partner circle you and when he advances at you from various angles, have him continue forward and right past you as you side step out of his way. It’s a lot like bull fighting… avoid his path and allow him to continue right past rather than bowling you over.

Sprawl Drills:
A sprawl is a technique used to counter an attempt to shoot in and control your legs or waste and bring you to the ground. It involves throwing your hips and legs back, away from your attacker and using the weight of your body against the attacker’s back to force him down and away from you, while preventing him from gaining control of your hips… (which he needs to do, to take you to the floor). The sprawl is an essential tactic to avoid a wrestler’s or a grappler’s takedown attempt. It is an extremely important street fighting tactic to master. Most people practice sprawling in response to an attack only from the front; or when you’re “squared off” and facing your opponent. However, if you want to be able to contend with multiple attackers and unexpected attacks, you need to combine your avoidance, pivoting and sprawling skills. Do this by once again having your partner(s) circle you. Watch them but don’t adjust your body position until they launch their attack by shooting in at your legs or waste. Quickly pivot towards them, so that your are positioning yourself in their direction and execute your sprawl to counter the takedown attempt.

Note: I recommend that these drills be done slowly at first in a padded training environment. The “attacks” by your training partner should be limited to simulated movements to create a stimulus for you to respond to. Do not make the mistake of going too hard or fast. Isolate the skills that you are training and keep it simple and safe.

Dealing with multiple opponents:

One of the most important things to be aware of is your body behaves differently when faced with a high pressured situation, such as an attack. Understanding your bodies’ behavior is an important part of preparing and being able to use these to your advantage if such a situation arises. The first thing you may experience is ‘Tunnel Vision’, a result of increased concentration towards your opponent. While this will allow your brain to absorb more information about the physical threat, a common result is that you may not see other danger around you. Being aware of the body’s response means that if you can create a situation where you are only fighting one opponent at a time, you can use this focus to quickly respond to the threat. Another advantage to ‘Tunnel Vision’ is the perception of time slowing - Being able to see a punch or attack coming and having more time to react with an appropriate response. This slowing, or more accurately increased energy, is the hormone epinephrine entering the body in times of stress (also known as adrenaline). Epinephrine prepares the body for quick action by triggering the following changes:
Your breathing speeds up, which helps get more oxygen throughout your body.
Your heart beats faster, which increases the flow of blood to carry more oxygen to your muscles.
Your muscles tense up, which prepares you to move quickly.
The pupils of your eyes get wider, which allows extra light for more sensitive vision.
Your digestion slows down, because digestion is an unnecessary activity during an emergency.
Blood sugar increases to provide more fuel for fighting or running.
Depth perception may be altered causing you to misjudge distances.
While the affects of epinephrine have their advantages, practicing spatial awareness helps to prevent the dangers attributed to ‘Tunnel Vision’.

Getting out of the danger zone
When confronted with a situation where you find yourself in an open area with possible predators around, it is important to reduce the threat quickly. Move to a location that provides a better view of the environment around you while at the same time positioning your attacker between you and any other potential threats.

The below diagram shows a birds-eye view of a scenario where a person (HIGHLIGHTED BELOW IN BLUE) is being approached by three opponents (RED). Once confronted by red person (1.) and the threat becomes clear (You will feel your natural instincts starting to react) - the Blue person needs to quickly get out of the danger zone and move to an area of safety.

The safest place for them is to move in the direction of the arrows (above). You may need to use force to get into this position, with the goal to put yourself on the other side of them and in a position where you can see behind you. In some cases there may only ever be one threat, however always assume that there are more and continually move into the direction where you have greater visibility.

Now in a position where you have one opponent in the way of the other, you can quickly attempt to deal with opponent 1, while having visibility of the other two (2,3). At this time it is important to be light on your feet, moving around opponent 1 to continually keep them between you and the other two.

Once you have dealt with opponent 1, you can then move across to either opponent 2 or 3 based on access. (The example above shows the next move is to the right side of opponent 3.) This again ensures that opponent 2 is cut-off by the position of opponent 3 (As per example below).

Now again in a position where you can focus on one opponent at a time you can attempt to quickly deal with opponent 3. (As shown above)

Once the threat of opponent 3 is removed, you can then focus on opponent 2. Remember to always move around and assess the environment for any new threats. While the above demonstration shows you only one basic scenario, it is important to continually practice moving around your opponents and assessing the environment for change. The key principles in fighting multiple opponents are:
Keep light on your feet and continually move to keep one opponent as an obstacle for the others. Use your angles to help achieve this.
Quickly move out of the center of danger (preferably towards the 10 or 2 o’clock as shown in the first diagram)
Always keep your guard and eyes up.
Physically move your opponent if needed to keep your positioning behind them.
Try to avoid stepping backwards into new danger, step your opponent towards areas where you have visibility and know they offer safety.
Always ensure you are moving to avoid your opponent having time to plan his or her attack.

Nine Street Fighting Tactics For A Multiple Attacker Fight

Street Fighting Tactic #1: Constant Unpredictable Movement
A moving target is harder to hit, corner or gang up on. Using constant movement and unpredictable shifting to avoid and reposition yourself in relation to your attackers makes it harder for them to set up on you. In a street fight, especially one against multiple assailants, if you stand still you’ll be a sitting duck. Make the bastards work for it! Keep your distance from them, Constantly reposition yourself. Get them tripping over and banging into each other in their effort to get at you.

Street Fighting Tactic #2: Shielding
You can’t fight a group of people at the same time. However, you can fight one person at a time within a group and then move on to your next “victim.” The ability to do that is called shielding. Shielding involves selecting one of the members of the group and putting that person between you and the other assailants. Its not as hard as it sounds and if you practice it enough, you can get very good at it. The idea is to stay on the far side of one person, doing your best to neutralize him with solid, well-placed attacks. If that person goes down, or someone gains a position on you that makes him a greater threat then cue off of that person and make him your shield. Its not possible to lay out and explain exactly how to do this. It’d be like trying to write an article about how a football player should run through an opposing team and score a touch down. The best way to learn this is by practicing two- on-one, three-on-one and even four-on-one sparring drills with boxing gloves and protective equipment.

Street Fighting Tactic #3: Deflection and Redirection
It’s HIGHLY unlikely that you will be attacked by a group of people who have trained together on how to coordinate their actions against a single victim. That being said, it IS possible for you to train yourself to fight in such a way as to turn their numbers against them. By effectively deflecting and redirecting members of the group, you can send them hurdling into each other or into environmental objects such as walls, vehicles or a flight of stairs. Deflecting involves sidestepping the attacker’s momentum and then pulling or shoving him, off balance into a fixed object. Redirection is similar and involves turning the attacker towards an object or another member of the group and yanking or shoving him in that direction. The key is to create as much chaos as possible while maintaining balance, stability and control yourself. The more you can pull and shove your attackers off balance and in directions that they don’t want to go, the more difficulty they’ll have defeating you.

Street Fighting Tactic #4: Busting Out
Busting out is a tactic used when you find yourself surrounded or cornered by your attackers. Under stress, you will experience tunnel vision. Your peripheral vision will collapse and you will only be able to contend with attacks coming at you from the front. Having aggressors beside or behind you is a very bad thing. You want to avoid that at all costs. Busting out involves blasting toward one of the members of the pack, or towards a space between two of them, and breaking out from a surrounded or concerned position. Usually its best to pick someone you perceive as a “weak link” or a more reluctant participant. You can either drop that person, bash him out of your way or… if you look and sound aggressive enough he’ll jump aside out of self-preservation and let you pass. Now re-establish your shielding efforts and try to contend with the group one person at a time.

Street Fighting Tactic #5: Control Your Environment
In any fight, you need to control your environment; not let it control you. Controlling you environment involves using your terrain, surroundings and even lighting to your best advantage. Examples include: Maintaining an escape route in case an opportunity presents itself to flee. If you are near a flight of stairs or an incline, take the high ground. This gives you a superior position to strike from and limits how many people can attack you. There is also the potential of knocking you’re an assailant down the incline towards other pack members. If you can move from a dark to a well-lit area before you engage your attackers you will be able to see and defend yourself against their attacks. (Have you ever tried to spar in a dark room? If not try it some time.) If you are confronted on slippery ground and can move to a place where your footing would be better then do so. Its true that the footing would be better for your attackers too, but because rapid movement is a significant part of your strategy you are better off. You also don’t want an increased risk of falling or being taken to the ground. Use barriers such as vehicles between you and your attackers to limit their access to you. This can also slow them down and increase your lead if you decide to make a run for it. Use obstacles to slam your attackers against, over or into. Doors, corners, wall etc. can all make devastating “environmental weapons” when you combine a hurling body with a hard object that doesn’t move. Keep you eyes peel as well for “weapons of opportunity.” A board, a bar, bottle or brick might quickly turn the tables in your favor if you can get your hands on one.

Street Fighting Tactic #6: Don’t waste energy in an unsuccessful escape attempt
Your decision to run from your aggressors must be a strategic one. Turning to flee at the wrong time exposes your back to the assailant making you a more vulnerable target and less capable of defending yourself. If you deplete your energy trying to run away and you are unsuccessful, your ability to continue fight will be compromised. You have to escape strategically. War Story: Several years ago a friend of mine was confronted by several attackers; a street gang who had randomly swarmed a vehicle, dragged the occupants out and the street and began beating them. My friend, an off duty police officer stopped and attempted to come to their aid. One of the gang members pulled a knife and threatened him with it. My friend, without thinking, spun around and tried to run away. It seemed like a logical thing to do at the time. His assailant slashed and severed his Achilles tendon! He then followed up by stabbing my friend twice in the abdomen. Fortunately the assailants were scared off before their could finish their handy work. My friend survived the attack but is unable to return to full duties. What’s my point? In retrospect turning to run away may not have been his best option. As difficult and dangerous as this situation was, a more strategic response may have made him less vulnerable and prevented his serious injuries.

Street Fighting Strategy #7: Prioritize and alternate your attack
In a gunfight involving multiple threats, your survival depends on prioritizing and alternating your shots on the basis of immediate danger. Although the entire situation is life threatening, you have to deal with the most threatening target first and place subsequent rounds into the NEW most threatening target. If you have to, return to your original threat, and if he’s still coming at you, finish the job.
Hopefully this is making sense to you. In this analogy, picking one of the threats and emptying your gun into him while the other threats continue to converge on you, will get you killed. You’ll end up being over taken or injured by the other threats if you focus exclusively on one of them. An unarmed street fight is the same. Unlike a one-on-one confrontation, you do not have the luxury of directing your attention at a single attacker and “finishing him off” before contending with the others. If you do you will be overwhelmed or blind-sided by his buddies. Lash out at the most threatening or most available assailant. If you can drop him with single attack that’s great. If not, but you’ve been able to daze him or knock him down, immediately direct your attention to “the next most threatening” assailant who might be gaining distance or position on you. Clobber him hard enough to interrupt his aggression and then if your original attacker is still aggressive, alternate your attention back to him with a subsequent attack.

Street Fighting Tactic #8: Protect your loved ones
The presence of someone who needs your protection dramatically complicates the challenges of a multiple assailant confrontation. You can’t just bail out of there leaving your spouse, child or friend alone to deal with the situation. You need to protect that “vulnerable person” at all costs. If an assailant gets a hold of a loved one they have gained a psychological and strategic advantage over the situation and your response options. If a member of the pack advances toward your loved one, make it you top priority to ensure that he doesn’t get there. If you are serious about self-defense, you’ll want to discuss such things with people who you are most likely to be out and about with. Instruct them to stay behind you… using YOU in as shield, and discuss their escape options that might present themselves.

Street Fighting Tactic #9: Priority Targets
Being able to hit hard is only part of a self- defense solution. Where you direct that hit also has a significant impact on the results that you will produce. The same punch, delivered to different parts of a person’s body, will have very different effects. A punch to the arm can be a nuisance, to the jaw can result in a knock out, to the throat can be lethal. Same punch, different targets. In the case of a multiple attacker street fight you don’t have the luxury to “spar” with your assailants. The longer it takes you to neutralize your attackers, the higher the likelihood of being overpowered and beaten. It would be safe to say that most criminal street attacks would be considered life-and-death encounters. If that’s the case, you have the moral right and the lawful authority to deliver any level of force to protect yourself or someone else from death or a serious injury. You need to be able to inflict as much damage as quickly and efficiently as possible. In cases such as that, I recommend the “FOUR N’s” of shot placement. The “FOUR N’s” are the anatomical targets most likely to give you the best bang for your buck in an effort to neutralize or injure an attacker. They are:
1. The Nose

2. The Neck

3. The Nuts

4. The Knees

The Nose:
A powerful strike to the nose is likely to break it and produce profuse bleeding. A busted nose will cause the eyes to swell, tear, and because if that will impair vision. Normally minor bleeding is not an objective in a street fight. It usually looks worse than it is. It also complicates the fight by increasing the danger of contracting some nasty disease and makes an opponent slippery and hard to hold on to. However, in a multiple assailant situation, the sign of blood gushing from the face of one of their buddies may have a significant psychological impact on the remaining members of the pack and my terminate the encounter.

The Neck:
The neck is the “holy grail” of street fighting targets. Hit effectively, it can result in a knockout or fatal injury. A solid blow to the windpipe can cause intense pain, panic, gagging, hemorrhaging and suffocation. It the most deadly target on the human body. A solid strike to the never clusters along the side of the neck will send a flood of neural input to the brain, overwhelming it and causing a mental stun that will leave the assailant unconscious or dazed for several seconds. (which is along time in a street fight) A strike to the back of the neck can injure the spine and cause significant pain, injury and incapacitation.

The Nuts:
As crude as I may sound, I’m referring to the testicles obviously. A solid shot to the groin is a staple of self-defense impact strategy. Even moderate impact to this vulnerable target can leave your attacker writhing in pain and intensely worried about his future involvement in the evolution of the species. A solid strike into the groin with your knee or shinbone can take the fight out of the fighter quickly and efficiently.

The Knees:
Although technically not an “N-word,” its close enough. The knee joint is an excellent target for a stomping or kicking attack. A solid, well- placed blow to the side of the knee joint can dislocate it, tear the soft tissue and cause your attacker to collapse. As a fringe benefit to the intense pain and putting him on his ass, a solid knee stop it will also prevent him from chasing after you when you initiate a strategic escape effort.

Note: You’ll notice that unlike many self defense instructors, I don’t recommend the eyes as a primary target. Why is that? First of all, because vision is a primary survival sense, people will instinctively flinch and protect themselves from anything coming at their eyes. Secondly, under the stress of a street fight, motor skill deterioration makes it extremely difficult to fire out a quick jab with your fingers and hit a moving target as small as an eyeball.

Training Method #7: Ground Escape Tactics
There is a difference between “ground fighting” and “ground escape tactics”. For self-defense and street fighting I recommend becoming as proficient as possible at the ground escape game. The details of ground escape are beyond the focus of this report. Suffice it to say that ground escape involves avoiding being taken to the ground with techniques that I’ve outlined above. Learn how to escape protect yourself, escape and fight from the basic positions that you might find yourself in on the ground. The mount, the guard, side mount, rear mount. Learn escape from submission holds, grabs and headlocks. Learn how to “stand up in base,” which is a technique that involves getting back up to your feet in a protected position to avoid being hit, kicked or stomped in the process.

Training Methods #8: Mental Rehearsal
Sport psychologists have confirmed that mental rehearsal or visualization can be as effective in developing athletic skills as physical practice. I do however feel that mental rehearsal is a supplement to your physical training not a replacement for it. Get yourself into a relaxed state and imagine various scenarios that you might have to contend with in a self-defense situation. Keep an eye on reality TV shows or do an Internet search for street fight video clips and watch them to get a sense of the chaos and dynamics of street fights. How would you respond if you found yourself as the target of such an encounter? Use the knowledge and observation that you’ve gained from this report, your practice sessions and perhaps other classes and seminars you taken and mentally play out what you’d realistically do to defend yourself. Remember, your brain doesn’t work well under stress. If you are unsure of what you should do in a given situation the probability of mistakes in a crisis dramatically increases. The more you “what-if?” a situation, and mentally problem solve it in advance, the more prepared you’ll be to perform effectively if you ever find yourself in a violent encounter.

Final Thoughts
I hope that you’ve enjoyed this series about defending yourself against multiple attackers. Hopefully I’ve convinced you by now that a multiple attacker street fight is NOT a no-win situation. You are neither helpless nor defenseless in successfully contending with or escaping from one. A multiple assailant encounter is as likely to happen to you as a one-on-one confrontation. If you want to be able to defend yourself, you need to acknowledge that probability and prepare for it. Multiple assailant situations ARE survivable and if you train smart, understand the physical and psychological dynamics that you must contend with and educate yourself in realistic strategies and tactics to deal with them you can slant the odds of success in your favor.