Essential preparation:

In many of today’s street scenarios, the targeted person is often faced with more than one aggressor. This is nothing new I suppose, even going back to the Middle Ages, bandits and robbers would operate in groups or packs. In modern times, among those who operate as a group are various types of street aggressors; though the mugger is one of the more typical aggressors to rely on the strength in numbers principle. So what follows is some of the ways that Russian martial arts, such as Systema, prepare people for situations where they may be outnumbered.

Synchronised attackers:

Martial art films often give the very wrong impression that the trained martial artist is highly equipped for dealing with more than one attacker. These films also paint a very ordered environment where the enemies, no matter how great in number, always seem to attack the hero in a step by step, staggered fashion – one after the other. The hero will often remain in one place and the surrounding attackers will then step in. They will step in, telegraphing the attack, from a distance. We know this is entertainment, so we don’t mind watching the wonderfully choreographed displays of action. But we also need to consider the approach used in real life, where the attackers may storm in at the same time. So within Systema’s training approach there are many drills, where the student must learn to escape from more than one opponent. But the students acting as the attacker will initiate the tactics simultaneously.

Step by step preparation:

The preparation that helps someone to work against two attackers involves a gradual progression. And there are a number of really accessible drills that simply get students use to this type of work. One of the most straight forward ones that might get used in a class, requires the student to move out of the way, as a training partner walk towards them. Then, the person has to avoid the approach of two training partners, then three and so on. And the approaching students can step in from all angles, so that the person doing the avoiding improves their peripheral awareness. This may sound like a basic drill but it gets the feet moving and it allows students to work on their timing.

Avoid the lock on:

While there is this mention of peripheral awareness; allow me to draw your attention to another principle that is very important in Systema. The practitioner must understand that in any confrontation, it is crucial that they don’t get overly focused on one attacker. In countering an attack or even during the dialogue stage of an aggressive confrontation; the sensible practitioner must make sure that they don’t get too focused on one opponent. For in doing so, they reduce their awareness of what the other attackers are trying to do. In simple physical terms, you don’t want to be busy applying your tactics to the opponent in front of you; only to leave yourself vulnerable to a rear attack. Remember that rear attacker may be carrying a blade. This is why in many of the Russian survival arts, many of the tactics require less grabbing and locking. They don’t require you to get too tangled up with the attacker.

Now sometimes we can run the risk of over committing with our physical counters but at other times, we can actually over commit with our gaze. So again, if one of the aggressors is trying to engage us in dialogue, it is important that we don’t allocate all our attention and focus on this one person. After all, the dialogue might just be a decoy.

More than one attacker and more than one attack:

There are also drills in Systema that help the student work against different types of attacks, at the same time. For example, one opponent may step forward with a kick; while the other attempts a grab. One opponent may rely on their hands; another may rely on a weapon. In a street situation, the weapon may not be immediately apparent: it may emerge later as the conflict escalates. Maybe, the attackers will draw it out of desperation or so that they can flee from the scene, before the police arrive.

Survival from vulnerable positions:

In Systema, it is recognised that no matter how well trained the individual is; there are times when things can go wrong. Maybe we are caught unaware and so it is possible that during a multiple attack situation, one of the attackers will secure a hold on the targeted person. Or perhaps the attacker will manage to throw the person to the floor. But a fall does not mean we are finished; we can redeem our situation. So in some training sessions, student are given the chance to explore drills where one of the opponents has secured a hold. And sometimes, in this type of situation, the immediate threat is not necessarily the attacker maintaining the hold.

There is also counter work from the floor. Using a series of tactical movements, including rolls and elliptical evasions, a person who has fallen to the floor can still survive against kicks and punches from multiple attackers. There is one very useful drill, where the person on the floor practises getting back to their feet, in order to escape from the standing opponents or a ground fighting opponent. In the Russian martial arts world, there are also some good Sambo instructors out there, who can share interesting tactics on how to escape from a ground fighting environment.

Organised attack plan:

The Russian arts also contain team work tactics that can be used by security personnel and law enforcement officers when they have to apprehend or restrain an aggressor. These tactics allow for a coordinated and professional approach. They allow personnel to work together as a unit. In a future feature maybe we will take a look at some of Systema’s team work drills. But for now, let’s also take into account that some street attackers will have their own organised strategy that they employ. For example, some muggers may apply a smothering tactic where they will try to corner the targeted person up against a wall. Others are even more sophisticated in their approach. Perhaps one attacker will distract the person with dialogue, while his acquaintances try to grab the person from the rear. A common theme seems to be emerging here. It suggests that muggers want to make the targeted person feel trapped, intimidated and confused. So this is why the Systema student is given so many opportunities to explore movement. With good movement skills, the person can become an elusive target. They can prevent themselves from being cornered. We should also be aware of some of the especially deceptive ways aggressors try to trap their targets.

Drills born from experience:

One of the strengths of the Russian survival arts is their ingenuity. These arts are able to take into account some of the extreme circumstances that can emerge upon modern realms of conflict: that’s why these diverse drills exist. Of course, there are many factors that still need to be taken into account when faced with multiple attackers. These include ways of avoiding violence and ways of dissolving aggression. Energy conservation and fear control must also be considered as part of the preparation. Then there are concepts such as redirection, and positioning. In some training sessions we explore ways of disrupting the ring leader’s power base and ways to psychologically deter certain opponents. Ultimately, defence against multiple attackers is a serious subject and it is not my intention to suggest that it is easy to apply. But I hope that in training to overcome dangerous odds; you discover that some of your most unique tactics lie deep within.

To organise private martial arts training or workshops with Aran, email:aran@globalkick.com