The Scenario
Can you imagine you and your family are leaving a store when suddenly a group of attackers rush in?
Some surround you while others try to open the doors where your wife and kids are.
That is exactly what happened in this video. Granted we don’t have the beginning to see how it started. But we do see how the man was able to summon the courage to defend his family.
You are Your Own Bodyguard
If a scenario like this doesn’t get you thinking about being prepared for violence then I don’t know what will.
I tell people time and time again that the police are not here to protect you. They will show up later after the incident and file a police report. Which by the way will get lost in the HUGE collection of reports that they file every single day.
Sorry to say this but if you don’t prepare to defend yourself you will simply be a statistic.
Prior to 2020 the average police response time was somewhere around 20 minutes!
As the old saying goes, “when seconds matter the police are only minutes away.”
Well now the average police response time can be upwards of an hour and 45 minutes!!!
This will vary based upon where you live, time of day, etc. But still, if there isn’t a cop right there right freaking now they there will not be one there in time to protect you.
So once again… YOU are your and your family’s bodyguard and NO ONE will come save you.
Look at the video… they are in a busy area with shops, cars driving by, people walking by. No one wanted to get involved.
When seconds matter, the police are only minutes away…
Are You Prepared?
There are multiple things you need to do to be prepared for a situation like this:
1) Be Aware
If you can’t see danger like this approaching you will end up caught off guard. You will get ambushed without time to prepare. Your family and you will be vulnerable.
2) Be Armed
Trying to fight off multiple attackers without a weapon is a recipe for disaster. They can surround you and rush in. You might land a strike but then they swarm you, grab your limbs and immobilize you. A weapon can deter them from attempting to rush in because they are scared of the consequences… the potential injury.
3) Be Well Trained
Having sufficient reps with whatever weapon you will have access to is critical. Just owning and carrying a weapon does not ensure you are effective with it. You will need to be quick at accessing (quick draw) and safely too.
You will need to be accurate, quick, able to keep your balance, etc.
4) Be Mentally Prepared
A client confessed to me recently that he didn’t know if he could actually cause serious harm to another human being. No judgment here as everyone must come up with their own list of things that they are willing to do and not do.
But this is definitely something you want to have well figured out before you need to. If you are deciding in the moment whether you are willing to cause serious harm to someone in self-defense then you won’t be focused on self-defense. You will hesitate and your attacker will not.
Do you carry a legal self-defense weapon that would allow you to defeat or scare off multiple attackers?
Nothing Fancy Here
I often see videos of overly complex Filipino stick and knife fighting drills.
The problem is that these drills do not simulate how real violence goes down. By practicing them over and over you get really good at the wrong thing.
It is a fun hobby but it isn’t preparing you for real violence.
Now I won’t throw the baby out with the bathwater, there are some really good concepts and drills from the Filipino martial arts such as Escrima. But they need to be trained and utilized in a way that prepares you for real-world violence.
Tactics for Multiple Attackers
This guy did a fairly decent job. He made a few mistakes and clearly wasn’t some knife fighting wiz but ultimately he was armed, mentally willing, and aggressive… And those things go a long way towards ensuring victory.
Don’t Get Surrounded
This man kept his back against the vehicle which prevented his attackers from surrounding him.
He only had to defend 180° instead of 360°.
Ideally you would line your attackers up so you can see all of them and they have to get around each other to get to you but in this scenario he did not have that option.
So kudos here.
Keep Your Head on a Swivel
Defending 180° still means that if you focus on one attacker another could come up behind you. If someone did they could either hit him in the head causing him to go unconscious or wrap up his arms allowing the others to swarm in.
So kudos to him for keeping his head on a swivel so they couldn’t sneak up on him… Because at one point they tried.
Stay Coiled & Balanced
Avoid any large swinging movements or big lunges. It is too easy to lose your balance, fall, and wind up swarmed.
You can see at one point our man did lunge in and he did lose his balance. Thankfully his attackers had already decided that he was too much trouble and they turned to leave.
You need to practice striking (or shooting) while moving. It will not just happen.
At my gym we do various drills with a focus on distance, timing, footwork, and maintaining composure. Such as “King of the Hill Knife Fighting.”
Don’t Try to Escape Unless You Actually Can
At one point you can see the man tries to get into the car. In that moment his attackers saw their chance to strike. One tried to come up behind him and grab him. Thankfully the man saw it and turned to engage the attackers.
The lesson here is don’t turn your back.
Don’t try to escape unless you actually have time to.
There was simply no way the man had time to open the door, get in, close the door, and lock it before his attackers could get to him.
The best approach in this case is simply to stand your ground, take your fighting stance, and wait them out. They will either leave or attack and get f*cked up by you. Those are the only 2 options.
Knife Grip
In the video I state how I’m not overly worried about the grip the guy has. While there are pluses and minuses to a reverse (or short) grip vs. a normal (or long) grip, the most important thing is how he uses the knife.
Lashing out with rapid strikes that quickly retract.
Keep the knife in close to the body so it can’t be grabbed or hit out of his hand. Remember his knife was the only thing keeping those attackers at bay.
Conclusion
Ladies and gentlemen you can defend yourself and your family against multiple attackers but it will take preparation and training.
Come join the warrior class and you will have options.
Until next time, get your reps.
Brian
