As well as having spent more than a few hours in gyms and dojos, in rings and on the mats (starting at age 8 with an interest in Aikido, and sampling to different extents Boxing, Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Karate, Muay Thai kickboxing, Catch Wrestling, Japanese Jujitsu, Goshinkwai Combat, and MMA, et al). I’ve also spent a lot of time in the private security sector. I’ve been a bouncer/door supervisor (more often than not on a one-man door), a security guard, and Professional Security Advisor. I’ve worked everywhere and anywhere, from bars and clubs, university buildings to all-day festivals in the middle of a woods (Forbidden Forest), Covid test sites to late-night take-aways. What I put forth in these articles, as with my classes, is based on truth as I’ve interpreted it from the above experiences. I have tried to make some techniques work in real situations and they have not, and I have also seen techniques in a dojo that I will not even entertain for a real fight.
Numbers: A key factor to think about when training for reality is the numbers game. How likely is it that you’re going to be fighting one-on-one? I’ve seen fights that started between just two people hit the ground, and a passer-by has kicked at the ribs of the guy on top, then kept on walking. The passer-by had no investment in the fight, but had a dig because, well, why not? He’s had a bad week, had a bad night where the girl wasn’t interested, and so he hoofed someone in the ribs to get his frustration out.
It is often a ploy for the smallest, slightest member of the group to ‘mouth-off’ at you, to get you riled up and to fight. Then, with your attention solely on the Mouth, his friends blind-side you, and you take a kicking from all three of them.
It is worth remembering here that there are some attacks that are not materialistically or sexually motivated, they are not for money or sexual gratification, they are purely because the savages wanted to bash someone up.
Now, even with my beloved Judo, numbers have an important factor. As much as I love all grappling (Judo, BJJ, Greco-Roman are all styles that we teach aspects of at RBUD, and we have also shamelessly ‘liberated’ techniques from Catch Wrestling, Sambo, and Freestyle Wrestling. Why not? If it works use it), but the truth is, if I tie my hands up throwing you or choking you, it gives your friends (or as I have dealt with on the door, people passing-by who want to be a have-a-go hero to impress their dates) the chance to punch you, kick at you, grab at you, gouge your eyes, or, as we see more and more these days, stab you.
Even when what we think of these days as ‘traditional’ martial arts demonstrate defence against multiple attackers, it is still a watered-down version of what we could laughingly, and being generous, call reality. If you ever get on-line and watch footage of real fights, how closely does it resemble what you do in the dojo? Again, let me stress that in this context when I put ‘real fight,’ I am referring to out on the street, not a combat sporting event with rules and a ref and judges, so please don’t make the argument that the triangle choke you practiced Friday night in the dojo won someone a championship at an MMA event Saturday night.
A case I remember well was a demonstration in which our man was attacked by three people. They stood in front of him, motionless, as the instructor executed a head kick, a lunging stomach punch, and then a well-rehearsed hip throw (o-goshi for the Judo players, the cross-buttock for you wrestlers), and finished with an armbar and the thrown man. Very nice it all looked, too. It had absolutely nothing at all to do with reality, but that little detail didn’t seem to bother them.
When faced with three (or more) opponents, it is highly unlikely that they will all stand there, stock still, and wait their turn as you whack their mates. Also not likely is them standing in line, there is more chance of them moving around you in a pincer movement while their leader distracts you with the Interview Stage. How often do you train the verbal side of things in your dojo? I’ve seen gym champions get into very hot water because they were switched on to the guy before them, yet totally unaware of the two guys coming at him from the side.
Let’s say you throw a kick at the guy in front of you. It can be a kick to his knee, thigh, waist, and although I wouldn’t suggest higher than the waist, even their head if the mood takes you for this example. Now, let us also say that you land the kick beautifully, and it has the desired effect and takes that guy in front of you completely out of the game. All good, right?
Wrong.
What about his friend who has tackled you from the rear, while you have one of your legs in the air?
Or, you go for a Judo/Wrestling throw and the opponent holds on to you (a regular occurrence that doesn’t seem to get much coverage), and pulls you to the ground with him. He’s out cold, but before you can stand up, his friends have put the boots to you.
As you go through your training, just take a few seconds to think, truly meditate on the notion, what would happen if my opponent’s friends stood two feet away right now and this was on the street and we didn’t know each other? It’s just a mindset that we have to get in to. There’s a reason why legitimate self-defence/self-protection training should only have a handful of techniques per person (in that out of the overall syllabus, your body type, age, health etc will dictate the four or five techniques that you, YOU, keep and train).
I’ve also heard people give the wonderful advice that when battling numbers, they usually just get in each other’s way so there’s nothing to worry about. You could grow prize-winning roses with that manure. We have to stop assuming/hoping/wishing that the bad guys don’t know what they’re doing. In a lot of cases with gangs, they know exactly what they’re doing.
“Fatigue makes cowards of us all”- Frank Shamrock.
It’s not just that you’ll be getting two or three times the amount of fists and boots striking you, it’s fatigue. You can beat the first two, maybe three guys, but then the fourth and fifth guy are coming fresh, and did you finish the first two or just repel them?
Fatigue (see above)
Angles (where are they attacking from?)
Position (yours and theirs)
Defence/Offence (can I cover up from your strikes to my head and your friend’s strike to my stomach, and launch my own strikes at your third friend?)
In conclusion, when facing numbers, it is best (as with all cases, regardless of numbers) to avoid completely. Don’t be there in the first place.
Train hard, train smart, stay safe.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Did you enjoy Martial Journal contributor James McCann’s advice on handling a situation with the numbers stacked against you? Be sure to also check out part 1 (on aggression), part 2 (on the impact of your clothing choices), and part 3 (the truth about your favorite techniques)!
He can be contacted at rbud.co.uk
- Training for Reality Part 5: Games - May 14, 2021
- Training for Reality Part 4: Numbers - May 13, 2021
- Training for Reality Part 1: Aggression - May 12, 2021
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