Street fighting can be many things, but jousting is not one of them. Very often, the type of people who go around starting fights and causing trouble do so in groups, goading each other and abandoning personal responsibility for collective behavior. That old saying about the school bully being a coward is also true when those bullies grow up to be violent criminals and bullies, so they always prefer an easy target and have the backing of their friends.
All of this means that if you do get into a street fight, it’s most likely not going to be one on one, so every martial artist should be prepared to fight when you’re outnumbered.
The first thing to recognize about fighting when you’re outnumbered may sound a bit obvious, but it’s essential to remember: it’s very hard to win a fight when you’re outnumbered. Even if you are a highly skilled and experienced martial artist, your chances of an outright victory are pretty slim, especially if you are outnumbered more than two to one.
Since you are very unlikely to win, you probably shouldn’t try it; instead you should focus only on protecting yourself and surviving without injury. At all times, your number one priority should be escaping the situation, but in the meantime, there are a few things you can do to make it more likely that you will escape unscathed.
The first thing to do, and also the most important thing, is to keep moving at all times. Movement is always important in a fight, but this is especially true when you’re outnumbered. The only way you can defend against multiple opponents is to design the situation so that you can take them on one at a time. If you stand still, they will all come for you at once and you won’t have a chance. If you can keep moving, in the most unpredictable way possible, you can avoid this. The ideal situation you are trying to create is to have all your opponents lined up one behind the other. On the other side of the equation, the worst possible situation is allowing yourself to be surrounded, so you should always try to move to and around the outside of any group of people. In some places you can use your environment to help you. A tight space, such as an alleyway, is always much better than an open space, as it limits the area by which they can approach you, and therefore can limit them to attacking one by one in a line. Even having your back to a wall, which feels bad, can help because it means you can’t be attacked from behind, although you have to be careful not to cut off escape routes.
When it comes to real fights, it’s vitally important not to get stuck with one person for too long. Unless it’s for a very fast throw or something similar, you should avoid any type of grab at all costs, and if someone does grab you, stopping their grab is more important than blocking any punches they might throw. Strike as fast and powerful as you can and then keep moving. If more than one person is closing in on you, it may be worth taking an unanswered punch or kick if it means you can move into a better position and avoid everyone crowding on you at once.
Constantly moving around also makes it easier to find an escape route. But if one doesn’t appear, then you have to create one. Any kind of distraction or obstacle can give you the opportunity you need. Use anything you can find to throw them or to throw them in their way (overturned bins, etc.). Speeding across a highway in a gap in traffic can be risky, but it can also give you the edge you need to get away. As long as you keep an eye out for opportunities to escape, one will eventually arise.