Developing the ability to work in crowds

The area of working in crowds is not often covered in most martial styles however it is important that we understand some of the principles behind this kind of work. After all we only have to switch on the television to witness scenes of mass hysteria and crowd violence that occur when people stop behaving as individuals and form a crowd.

Before entering any large group of people it is important to understand it’s dynamics. Is the crowd hostile to yourself or another group, is it frightened and fleeing a threat or danger.

Secondly be aware of yourself and the way you are dressed. Avoid having clothing or equipment that sticks out such as ties, hoods, slings on weapons or equipment that have not secured. Also make sure there is nothing in your pockets or clothing that can get stuck into you in the crush of the crowd. Even a simple pen in your shirt pocket can cause injury if crushed against you with enough force.

When training for this kind of work there are a number of drills that can develop the confidence and skills you will find necessary to move in an environment where you are likely to be buffeted from every side and angle. I will now detail some of these exercises for the interest of the reader.

It is important to understand that if you are seized by a crowd and you remain relaxed it is very difficult for them to pull you for the floor. By being relaxed the individuals in the group end up pulling against each other and interfere with each others plans for getting you down. A good drill to illustrate this point is to have three or four people get hold of you. One is on each of your arms and the others grab around your body. They then all start to try to get you down onto the floor. You have to relax, breath and keep your form, but it is essential that you do not struggle to keep you balance. This would cause tension in your body and make you trip or fall.

The next exercise involves getting one or more persons to pull and push you around. Remain relaxed and go with there movements. Again do not struggle for balance or you will fall to the floor. Do this drill first with your eyes open then repeat it with your eyes closed.

Repeat this exercise again. This time allow your arms to fly out naturally. This way they will strike the people around you using the force they provided with their own pushes.