It has been a while since The Business of Boxing Website had the Skillz and Drillz articles. This week will be a renewal of the popular section.

My favorite drill or conditioning exercise is multiple opponent sparring. Whether it’s boxing, kickboxing or wrestling. Fighters will improve practicing for multiple opponents. Some people may think this type of training is only for the kung fu movies, but it is not, fighters will find that facing multiple opponents will help them:

As the old sports proverb goes, “It’s not over until it’s over.”

If you or your students continue to work on one on one sparring. Then these drills will help enhance your fighter’s ability. Wrestlers may find this training odd, but thinking outside the box; borrowing techniques and strategies from other disciplines will help.

The grapplers will have to remember that in a real combat situation, try not to be grounded for lengthy periods. They will have to hit the ground and immediately get up. It is best to stay upright otherwise, in a real life situation, trying to get one opponent to submit will cause a bottle or a knife from a second or third opponent to inflict severe injury.

The first rule in fighting multiple opponents is to stay calm. Panic will cause you to forget your skills.

Stay on your feet. Once you are down. You may have to contend with stomping kicking and being beaten by objects such as sticks.

Use the smallest guy to shield you. Try to manhandle him to your advantage. If the smallest guy weighs 310 pounds. Then I would say you are in for a long day.

Think out of the box. Try to stop you opponents by applying techniques to areas that are quick to render them helpless and will main them. Such techniques are:

Of course, these techniques will not be performed in the dojo, school or gym. The fighters will verbally explain or shout what technique they will apply. You would not want unnecessary injuries.

Speed is a critical factor in this kind of training. The fighter who is being ‘jumped’ has to remember that this is not a martial arts movie, where he is assaulted by one fighter at a time. If the fighter is caught and tied up by two or more opponents. then he will have to find the weakest link in the holds.

There will be a weak spot. He will have to find it, with the instructors coaching; the victim can kick, grapple, punch, bite or twist his way out of their hold. In this drill, let the students hold the victim and allow the victim to figure his way out. As they become more proficient at escaping holds by multiple assailants, speed the drill up.

I looked at this drill from a martial arts prospective, now lets look at this drill for enhance speed and reaction for sport.

Strikers such as boxers can use the drill to enhance reaction and ring awareness. As I stated earlier, they would not have the luxury to rely on one stance and would have to constantly change their stance, eventually making their weaker side stronger.

Grapplers and mixed martial artists can use this drill to help improve their fighting ability on the mat. Because of the second opponent, he or she may want to improve their skill of escape, while kicking and punching back.

This will take tremendous conditioning, those who do not run or take conditioning exercises seriously will find this type of training difficult and frustrating. Fighters who do, will find one on one training will become easier.

Modify the training according to your sport or discipline, I presented the basics. There are infinite ways to train for multiple opponents. Always keep inventing and experimenting with new ideas.

Good Luck!