Last post I wrote about the 2 things you must know to effectively defend yourself in a multiple attacker situation. Beyond the development of the mindset and tactical skills needed to handle such an attack, it is also important to actively condition yourself to be on the look out for multiple attackers even when you’re dealing with just one.

Much of the self-defense training in the martial arts is done against a single attacker. Partner training is fine, but to be ready for potential multiple attacker situations on the street, the student should train their awareness of their surroundings, even when working with a single partner. What this means is even when doing hold escapes or whatever techniques with a single partner, you should always train thinking that there are likely other attackers.

Here are 3 practices we observe in Can-ryu Jiu-jitsu that help your awareness of multiple attacker situations:

1. When throwing or taking a person to the ground, you should always keep your head up. This is also a technical consideration as you are more likely to be taken to the ground while throwing if your head is down.

2. When doing after throw techniques or controls, be sure to keep your head up while applying them.

3. When stepping away after taking a person to the ground, always look behind you.

If you’re going to adopt these practices, try to do them consistently in training. Make it habit so that you do it without thinking. It’s one thing to keep these ideas in your mind, and another to have them ingrained in your defense structure. As they say, the way you train on the mats is the way you’ll fight in a real situation.