The Mental Approach to Multiple Attacker Situations

Sensei Matthew Mendillo

There are three basic ways to think when being approached by more than one assailant:

1) I’m going to lose.

2) I’ll hurt as many as I can before they beat me (this is still a loss)

3) I’m going to win.

The obvious choice with which to enter the altercation is the last one. You want to survive and winning is the only way to do so. I know what some of you are thinking right now. You’re saying, “Well, if I can still walk away or stay alive, then that’s the same as winning.” Well, it is and it isn’t. It is true that survival constitutes winning. Your main objective is to live another day. But, you can’t think that way. You can’t think to yourself that walking away is good enough. You have to want to win outright. If you have any doubts in your own abilities, your opponent gains the advantage and he will win. You must have 100% confidence in yourself and enter the confrontation with the mentality that you will be the “last man standing.”

We’ve all seen how poor time management can cause more stress that one would like to endure. Time management is, without question, the most underrated aspect of multiple attacker fighting. One thing that should always be in your mind is that all movements should have a purpose. Another thing to keep in mind is, “what are the other bad guys doing while I’m up against one of them?” If they can get at you, whether it’s grab you or strike you, then you need to alter your approach.

An important thing to remember is that in real life, attackers do not come at you like in the movies. Serial fights occur when a group surrounds the victim and attacks one at a time. With multiple attackers, you cannot rely on using different one-on-one techniques against a group. In reality, one enemy may initiate the attack, and then the rest will all join in.

Strategies

The ideal strategy to use is to identify and eliminate the gang leader as soon as possible. If this is not possible, the next best thing to do is take away any and all power from him. This is done, not by knocking him out, but by inflicting enough pain so that he immediately stops and screams to announce his injury. If his buddies hear their friend scream, “Oh my God, he broke my arm” or “I can’t see,” they will undoubtedly think twice before continuing the attack. Even if they do continue, their aggression will be lowered slightly and apprehension will increase due to the fear of an equal or greater injuries inflicted upon them.

There are other strategic tips to remember when defending against multiple assailants.

1) Strike the person you’re not looking at or the person behind you.

2) Use one enemy as a human shield to block you from other attacks.

3) Footwork is key. Move in a fluid but erratic way. If they can predict your next move, you’re dead.

4) Put attackers in each other’s way.

5) Eliminate all unnecessary movement. Make no movement or strike arbitrary. Everything you do should have a purpose behind it.

Indicators

When verbally communicating with someone from whom you feel an attack is imminent, there are certain signs you may see. If you attain the ability to recognize these signs as they happen, your chances of being surprised by an attack will be greatly reduced.

· Stress will cause changes in the voice, causing it to become raspy at times.

· When someone is thinking of ways to attack, it’s difficult to be verbally creative, so he may repeat phrases or speak simply.

· Stress will also cause unusual sweat patterns, such as on the nose, mouth or palms.

· Stress and pre-fight tension may cause jaw/teeth clenching or fist clenching/pumping.

· Pre-fight tension can also cause your attacker to breathe only through his mouth.

· He may shift his weight slightly in anticipation of an attack.

· He may glance repeatedly at an area of your body that he plans on striking. This is known as “target glancing.”

· Finally, your opponent may try to distract you by pointing to something or causing you to look away.

When involved with multiple attackers, there may be some indicators between group members that may give you an indication of an upcoming attack.

· Positioning ~ when one group member moves, the others “set themselves up” for the attack.

· Glancing ~ the opponents continually glance at each other to communicate silently when the attack signal will come.

· Unusual words/comments ~ the leader of the group may say something that confuses you so that while you’re trying to figure it out, the “surprise attack” comes.

· Body Language ~ an attacker may do something unusual; move his hair around, tug his ear, or remove his hat as a signal to the rest of his group to attack.

· Distraction ~ one member of the group may get you to look at another member so he can strike you.

Overall, it is never a good situation when facing multiple opponents. However, survival is possible once you learn to recognize certain signs and indicators so that you may remove any notion of a surprise attack. Finally, remember that it’s very important to always have a good strategy when facing a multitude of attackers.

Sensei Matthew Mendillo, 1^st Dan

Kuntao Jiu-Jitsu