Facing multiple opponents in an attack is probably one of the most difficult situations you will ever face. With the advent of the happy slapping craze and unprovoked attacks in our city centres it has become clear that the days of sorting out your difference's one on one has become as extinct as the dinosaurs. There is a lot of information out there relating to this topic of self protection, some of it viable, most of it absurd and likely to get you seriously hurt or even killed. Turtling up on the floor in the hope that your attackers will come to their senses and stop is not a solution. It is well documented in the press and in police reports that

when attacking in a group, people develop a pack mentality and will rarely give in to your pleas.

The best self protection strategy is awareness and avoidance. Avoid areas plagued with these sort of attacks and if you do happen to find yourself in a 'dodgy part of town' make sure your radar is on. If there's a group of lads hanging about further down the street and your instincts are telling you somethings not quite right swallow your pride forget the 'this is my area too i will walk where i plaese' mentality and cross the road. Take another route even if it means you add another 5 or 10 mins on your journey. Dont frequent places where these types of attacks are likely to happen if your not there it cant happen to you.

If you find yourself facing multiple opponents and an attack is imminent you have no choice but to attack first whats the secret, strike first, strike fast & strike hard and keep on striking until you can get yourself out of there. No sitting in a cave and meditating for the next few years or any other kind of mysticicsm suff is going to help theres no secret out there thats being kept from you by all these so called 'masters'. Thats it folks thats the reality of it.

We have already touched on distancing and these people will be getting up close and personal with you really quick so you have to make the decision quick. If your a fast runner and you are pretty sure you can out run them great get the hell out of there. If your no athlete then you may be only left with two options, take a beating in the hope that they will feel a pinch of guilt and leave you conscious to walk home or attack first and take them by surprise. Refer back to the Guerilla tactics article, I touched on using the element of surprise.

Another good tactic to use is spinning the mouthy one around and putting him in a choke

(refer to the training photos for a great effective choke hold) then shout and scream at the top of your voice spit and foam at the mouth. Watching thier mate turn blue and you acting like someone whos just been discharged from the local mental ward will put most would be attackers off. Strike eyes, throat, groin and use open palm strikes and low line kicks. Trips takedowns are great too but avoid throws that are complicated and expose your back, keep hitting and moving. Look for that opening and then make a run for it.