Looking for some ideas....
I was wondering if anyone on the sight here had any ideas on how to train against multiple opponents when you don't have more than a couple of people to train with. I seem to have come to a point where this is going to be very important fo me. I understand completely about how important it is to keep moving in a fight, especially when you have more than one opponent, my late shifu Brad Sefraph was very adament about that. He could fight a number of opponents and seemingly never get hit....he generally seemed to "walk" through them like they weren't even there....I however, seem to get hit from time to time.
For a while I've simply done my thing and just taken the hit when I failed to block properly or was unaware of an opponent's movement. A confrontation I had a couple of weeks ago (apparently if you knock a guy out for punching a woman....his ten friends step forward with a vengence) brought a bloody grip back on reality. I think about 8 of these guys pulled a knife, suddenly taking a hit in the abs was no longer an acceptable practice. I can say I won simply because I'm still alive...but only after a number of stitches, lost time from work, and an awareness of my weaknesses.
I have a pretty good understanding of cutting the circle and breaking the circle....what I lack more than anything is the number of people necessary to practice those types of drills. Does anyone have any advice they can give me about training against multiple opponents when you don't have that many training parteners? All the techniques and random motion visualization training can't give an accurate training probability to the random movement and actions of potential opponents.
Thank you for any and all advice....
-Jake
Comments
Thanks....
I appreciate any and all advice thats given. It always helps to hear from others and their point of view rather than simply working from my own, possibly distorted, view. I like the idea of using obsticles in the room, potential tripping traps, etc... Thats an excellent idea, it should help with my motion and observation. The unfortunate part is my limited number of training parteners. I only have a handfull of friends and only two of them like to "play rough"...but perhaps I can convince the others to at least swing a stick at me or throw things. :)
I did pretty good at breaking the circle, disorientation was my biggest downfall (lack of awareness). I almost struck a couple of people who weren't involved. I did fairly well with staying on the offence....until the first cut...then I began to use to much defence. Your absolutly right about that....I needed to remain the predator. Thats going to take a bit of work, hard to stay on the offense when blood is running from a wound. I guess I should work on the focus of the beast's mind a little more.
Block the possibility....I'll work on that too. Apparently I've gotten "soft" in the manner of visualization from practicing technique and forms. To bad people don't attack the same way I've been training. :) I lived, so now its time to learn from mistakes made. Looks like I have some work to do on training my mind a little better. Thanks for the advice....time to get training, I'll probably need it pretty soon.
-Jack
Advice for multiple opponents
As you're finding out, just surviving such situations is valuable training.
Remember that the room, furnishings and disabled opponents could be helpful by limiting access to only a small arc around you that is easier to defend as well as providing handy weapons for you to use. You could practice this by setting up an area with furnishings and having people come at you while you're moving around and see how long it takes for them to get at you.
Reverse your thinking. Instead of just trying to "defend" yourself change it to thinking of how to "attack" the opponents. Look at it from the predator point of view (all Shou Shu beasts are predators for a reason). Cut out "prey" to take down. Set up your session with you trying take out the group and see how long it takes you to take them or how long you last.
Finally, however you practice keep the basic principles in mind:
Keep moving - moving targets are harder to hit and cuts out "blind spots"
"Block the possibility" - you can't wait for the strike you should always be in a position to anticipate a viable attack. If you really follow this principle then the opponent(s) can only attack where you are ready to defend. I know this one is much more difficult to do than say but by making it a part of your thinking while practicing it can become engrained in you subconscious.
Hope these thoughts are helpful to you.
Good Luck
Excellent Post shifu
Shifu lantz has some great things to say there. He is absolutely right about becoming the aggressor. You cannot defend yourself against 8 opponents. If you stay in a defensive mode when you make your first mistake your probably done. Staying in attack mode keeps them more off balance and keeps you moving and cutting the circle. You cannot cut the circle while defending, only attacking.
We play a simple game in the studio called Shou' Shu' tag. Basically a bunch of people in a room and if someone taps you on the should from behind your out. It teaches you to stay out of the center and forces you to cut the circle. You can play the game more aggressively with everyone throwing kicks and punches too which is actually easier.
Another game we play is called candy store. Bunch of people in a hallway and you at the door. They attack you with whatever they want. You find out very quickly in this game that if you try to simply stay at the door and defend you are quickly over run. The only way to win is to attack.
These don't help youmuch because they take bodies but I thought I'd throw them out there.
All of your forms are designed to train you for multiple attackers. You just have to keep yourself in the right mindset when you train them. Having seen reality I'm sure you do.
And I'm sure you know by now that if you defend a woman from her abusive boyfriend you are absolutely certain to have a multiple opponent situation instantly. But then again, what ya gona do.
Shifu Lantz your thoughts on this are awesome. If you'd like to expand them for an article on shoushu.com (the public site) that would be fantastic.
SSW
cutting the circle
I thought it was called "clearing the circle" or blossoming flower.
or is that a totally different deal al together???
I guess I should get in more often
trustshoushu (Tony)
p.s. this site is really cool cause you can get input from actual shifus'
thanks shifu Lantz
Clearing the Room
Mr. Carvalho,
There is a clearing the room which is a way to swing a staff really hard and fast but different than what Mr. Strappete is talking about.
Cutting the circle is when you have two or more opponent surrounding you. The idea is to pass very closely by one (while striking him of course) rather than go around. By passing extremely close you can then be behind him and use his body or other objects to prevent them attacking you at once. Essentially you make the opponents take a number and fight you one at a time like the movies by not being in the wrong place.
To do this you must become the aggressor. You must attack one of them. If you are the defender the will eventually surround you and attack at the same time.
Mr. Strappette stay safe. We'd like to keep you around.
SSW
Lol.....
I was talking to my friend Jake while I was writting that and signed it with his name! :) Perhaps my brain isn't working that well....I've never liked pain killers, absence of mind is one reason why!
-Jack