Multiple Attackers: Facing Off Against More Than One Aggressor

Today, we are going to talk about one of those topics that comes up quite a bit when discussing self-defense. You know that age-old question, “What do you do if you have to fight more than one person at a time?” I can’t count the number of times that I just sat and listened to tough talk and crazy fight stories. Some are real, and some are beyond fake when fighting multiple attackers comes up.

Dealing with Multiple Attackers

It has become somewhat easy to read between the fluff when a guy says, “What I usually do when outnumbered is this.” As a rule of thumb, when a story starts with “what I usually do,” there is a good chance you are about to catch an ear full of nonsense.

When someone tells you they usually “take out the biggest, strongest, badass guy in the group first,” that “usually” means that it never happened.

It makes no sense to lock horns with the guy who will give you the biggest challenge. That just gives the smaller, sneakier, cheap-shot guys a chance to swarm in on you while you are busy fighting the Brock Lesner of the group.

Don locks horns with the largest of the group, leaving him defenseless against the other attacker.

If anything, a better tactic is to attempt to de-escalate, run, or remove yourself from the situation. But remember, if they catch you, you may have to fight a couple of guys while tired.

If you can’t leave, it is a good option to remove the person that is closest to you first. There is a good chance that they will be the most aggressive person anyway. Even if they are not the most aggressive of the bunch, you just lowered their numbers and bettered your odds.

In my security experience, I have found that the larger guys typically hang back while the smaller guys bark and try to set things off, knowing they have a brick house to back them up if things go south.

So again, in my opinion, take out the easiest guys first, if possible. This will ensure less distractions and more energy to focus on the biggest threat.

Avoid Getting Surrounded

Here is the hard truth. It is next to impossible to defend yourself from all sides at once. If you are facing more than one attacker, do everything that you can to not stand between them. That gives them an equal chance of attacking you simultaneously—because they will.

Remember, movement is life, and you now must quickly outmaneuver two or more people. Basically, move like a basketball player and do your best to keep objects/cover in front of as many of your attackers as possible. This will help slow them down as you pick off their numbers and even the odds the best you can.

If you are in the open, the goal becomes to line your attackers up so they are in each other’s way. You are basically turning them into human shields. In the following series of pictures, the author demonstrates the “beat a MFer with another MFer” concept.

The author defensively moves to “line up” the aggressive attacker in front of the second attacker. This makes it a little easier to face one attacker at a time when there are multiple attackers.

The author uses a controlling/dragging armbar and shoulder lock to keep his attacker off balance and in front of him—in the way of the larger attacker. Essentially, taking a hostage.

Then the author spins and forcefully drives/thrusts attacker number one into attacker number two, effectively slowing down multiple attackers at once.

Next, the author releases/throws his attacker and pedals back to regain space between himself and his attackers, keeping them “lined up.”

Finally, the author stands to continue the fight. Hopefully the first attacker is more hesitant to attack first this time.

Immobilize Your Attackers as Quickly as Possible

Every shot you throw counts. The goal is to fight as dirty as possible and keep moving. Stay off the ground if you get knocked down. Become feral. Bite a guy in the neck/face if you need to. Just get back up to your feet.

Circle, change directions, and keep your attackers in a line so you can face one at a time. Knee kicks work. If a person can’t stand, they can’t chase you. It does not take a lot to damage/tear an Mcl.

So, when that fast little guy steps forward and drops his weight on his front leg, kick him right in the knee as hard as you can. Then, follow up with strikes to keep him down without leaping onto or mounting him.

Again, stay off the ground. When you grapple on the street, the other guys will swarm and kick you in the back of your head. I have seen this happen on the job way too many times. When facing multiple attackers, ground fighting generally does not work out well for the defender.

In the next series, Don demonstrates basic kicks to immobilize one of his attackers.

When the closest attacker steps into Don’s kicking range, Don stomp-kicks him right on his kneecap so he can focus on the other multiple attackers (if there are more).

When the attacker drops, Don immediately follows up with an ankle stomp. The goal is to break the attacker’s ankle, disabling his ability to stand or fight.

Don circles and keeps the fallen attacker between him and his next fight.

Final Blow

Getting jumped by multiple attackers is always a scary thing. These scenarios demonstrate one defender against two attackers in an open area. Obliviously, locations and numbers of attackers will vary. The goal is to keep as vigilant and aware of your surroundings as possible.

Keep space and distance, and do your best not to let your attackers surround or corner you. Eliminate numbers in any way possible and as quickly as possible. Everything else is going to happen as it happens.

Until next time, stay safe out there.