Best Martial Arts For Multiple Attackers (Top 4)

Fighting against multiple opponents alone is not a smart idea, and it usually does not end well. Running away is always the best option, but there are scenarios where you would have to accept physical confrontation in order to defend yourself. And when that happens, it’s always good to know certain martial art tactics.

Training in certain martial arts may increase your chances of escaping trouble when you get attacked by multiple attackers. Especially if you train in combat systems designed for real fighting that also include drills on how to deal with multiple opponents.

So in this article, you will discover the best martial arts for multiple opponents. and learn more about what makes these systems more effective than the other.

MMA is close to ideal for fighting against multiple attackers as it is a versatile system that covers most scenarios you may face on the streets. As its name suggests, it is a mix of only the most effective techniques from various martial arts such as BJJ, wrestling, boxing, and Muay Thai.

Training in MMA enables you to develop strong striking and grappling techniques, and above all, learn how to mix it all together. Many other martial arts incorporate grappling and striking together. But only MMA does it in the most effective way possible.

Is MMA good for multiple opponents?

As a trained MMA athlete, you will have a wide variety of weapons in your arsenal to deal with multiple attackers. You will have strong boxing skills, and kicks, and know how to prevent the fight from going to the ground. But the key advantages are the all-around skills and ability to mix all techniques together and quickly adapt to new circumstances.

If the fight falls down to the ground, you will know how to quickly get back up. On the feet, it enables you to neutralize the attacker with fast and precise striking, one by one.

Last but not least, training conditions your body and mind for intense combat. You will have the ability to stay calm under pressure, absorb damage without panicking, and stay focused on the main objective: survival.

Pros:

The most versatile combat system
Often seen as the single most effective self-defense system
Covers most street fighting scenarios
Builds functional strength and endurance

Cons:

Hard to learn
High injury rate in training

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Krav Maga

Krav Maga is often seen as the best and most practical self-defense combat system, and it’s easy to spot why. Back in the 1950s, the Israeli military created Krav Maga with the goal to improve hand to hand combat abilities of its soldiers. A lot of the techniques were borrowed from Karate, which is little known. Imre “Imi” Lichtenfeld used to follow teachers like Tadashi Yamashita at their seminars, which is why a lot of techniques look similar to his. There are even reports that Imre left with instructional DVDs filmed by the famous Karate teacher after he taught very sizable seminars in the country. The system quickly became popular among the general public, and in modern times, is well spread all across the world.

Is Krav Maga good for multiple opponents?

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Krav Maga was designed to be practical in any type of situation you may encounter on the streets or on the battlefield. The system involves grappling techniques, striking using all limbs, with the emphasis being on attacking in a blitz. On top of that, it also includes dirty tactics such as eye-gouging and groin strikes as well as learning how to deal with various weapons.

Photo by Israel Defense Forces on Flickr

Overall, Krav Maga trains you to do anything in your power to protect yourself. If that means that you should take a branch off the ground and blast the attacker with it straight in the head, Krav Maga encourages you to do that.

Unlike other all-around systems such as MMA, there is no competition or learning how to obey the rules. No, Krav Maga is all about real fighting and self-defense, which makes it very effective.

Training puts a lot of emphasis on the ability to remain calm, analyze the situation you are in, in a split second, and make rational decisions in various situations, including when you get attacked by multiple opponents.

Pros:

Focuses entirely on self-defense and real combat
Includes self-defense drills where you are facing multiple opponents
Highly realistic and intense training
Teaches you to deal with the attacker in the most efficient way possible
Trains your mind to stay calm and your body to endure the pain
An all-around system that also improves physical strength

Cons

Quality and methods of teaching differ a lot between the countries and schools
There is not much full-contact sparring. But this is slowly changing.

Boxing

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Boxing is one of the oldest combat sports, practiced by millions of people all around the world, and for the right reason. Though considered “simple” as it focuses “only” on hand strikes, boxing is very practical in real combat. In fact, it is the simplicity of boxing that makes it so effective in any type of combat.

Is boxing good against multiple attackers?

Despite being less versatile and one-dimensional compared with other systems on this list, boxing does not fall behind when it comes to how practical it is against multiple attackers.

First, throwing a punch or a combination of punches has always been the most common way of attacking in a street fight. Once the fight breaks out, you will rarely see people throwing jumping kicks, maybe in movies. Punches are the main weapon in a fight, and boxing is the best martial art when it comes to how to utilize this weapon to attack or defend.

Boxers rely on incredible hand speed and accuracy to neutralize the attacker in the fastest way possible. The key is to mix punches with footwork and head movement to manage distance and create angles and openings to damage.

Once jumped by multiple attackers, the skilled boxers will have the ability to avoid and block a lot of punches utilizing head movement and footwork. They have well-trained reactions and instincts to spot every opening to deliver hard blows, and hitting two or three untrained attackers won’t be a hard task.

This is the main reason why there are so many videos online of boxers beating multiple attackers on the streets, and neither looks nice.

Pros:

Relatively easy to learn
Simple and direct techniques
Probably the best when it comes to managing distance and footwork
Helps you develop strong automatic reactions, timing, and accuracy

Cons:

One dimensional approach as it focuses only on hand strikes
Does not teach grappling or ground fighting
The entire focus of training is on competition and learning how to fight under the rules

Muay Thai

Also known as Thai Boxing, Muay Thai is a brutal martial art where the emphasis is on power, damage, and finishing the fight. It teaches you how to use all limbs as weapons to throw each kick, punch, knee, or elbow strike with a lot of power and goal to finish the fight. Although brutal, this approach works well in street fighting, including against multiple attackers.

Is Muay Thai good for multiple attackers?

Knowing how to use all limbs as weapons to deliver blows with kicks, punches, knees, and elbows increases your chances of defending against multiple attackers.

On top of that, students learn the basics of grappling such as trips, throws, and sweeps, which won’t help you much against the skilled wrestler, but is more than enough to prevent a person not trained in martial arts from taking you down, even if they are physically more powerful.

What really sets Muay Thai above the rest is its emphasis on intense training, hard sparring, damage, counter-attacking, and knockouts. Not a single martial art would better prepare you for the physical and mental demands of real combat than Muay Thai.

The only major downside is the fact that Muay Thai puts a lot of emphasis on kicking techniques, and fighting inside the clinch using elbows and knees.

Hands are seen as a secondary weapon utilized to set up the kicks or close the distance to get a clinch. And on top of that, Thai boxers tend to stay flat-footed in front of their opponents and clearly lack advanced footwork.

Pros:

The complete package when it comes to striking
Emphasizes power and damage
Training is physically and mentally exhausting
Covers all ranges
Includes basics of grappling

Cons:

Too oriented towards competition
Lack of advanced movement
High rate of injuries in training