Can you defend yourself?

[TheOrb]

I think the best you can do is one on one, leave the groups to Jackie Chan.
I think I could handle myself against 1 drunk, by giving him another vodka to finish him.

 

[razor343]

Err...Probably not. I practiced Aikido for a while when I was 7-8 but have done nothing since then.

 

[Scow2]

Yes. The answer to this (and most questions in life) is Guns.

I wish I had a gun so I could shoot people instead of not shooting people.
But seriously, using a firearm as personal protection just doesn't sit well with me.

Well if you're about to get jumped by 5 guys I think a gun would be justified don't you think? Or should I get beaten to a bloody pulp?

This is of course assuming I can't run away

And what happens if they pull out a gun in response last i checked 5 guns beat 1 and you all end up dead in hail of bullets and hellfire on a random street corner.

I'm going to say that if I'm attacked by five guys with guns, I'm not walking away alive. There are only two ways to handle that situation - Either talk them out of it without (without showing or using my gun - but likely to get me killed if they don't accept), or hope my gun can dissuade them individually from wanting to take a shot at me - even if I don't injure or kill all of them, there's still a chance of me taking one, and nobody wants to take the risk of being that unlucky SoB

 

[GTwander]

I'm "smashtastic".
The Hulk don't even want none.

I laugh at dudes with knives, but say "yes, sir" to their guns.
Big dudes don't even scare me, they have yet to see my spider monkey skills.
(only half of which involve poop-throwing)

 

[Pharsalus]

I'm a black belt in tae kwon do, mid-rank in judo, and certified in army combatives, I'm not very strong but I can hold my own. If I was outmatched I'd just fight dirty, got for eyes, throat, testies, any soft spot.

I do agree with the popular sentiment of running though, 5 guys will just dogpile and break your skull if it's serious, no bueno.

 

[beyondbrainmatter]

1. I'm Chinese and lift weights. If I act all kung fu like and look real mean I'm pretty good to go in most of these kinds of situations.
2. I actually know how to fight (just normal western style boxing).

 

[lacktheknack]

I'm pretty good at diplomacy.

In a forced fight with five angry dudes? A. How'd I get there? I'm never in a situation where this is feasible. B. FLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. I can block fairly well, but five guys? Nope.

One on one, I'd still flee. Because why stick around when my only useful fighting move is blocking?

 

[Dawns Gate]

I've been in quite a few scuffles and I won (from a survival aspect anyway) most of the time. I've only ever bee outnumbered 3:1 but I had to slash one up before I could b-line it out of there. Once the odds get bad there's nothing much you can do other than try to make a break for it unless your antagonists are super wasted or you're a ninja.

 

[Ryotknife]

if im surrounded by 5 people? all bets are off. Ill be looking to use a sharp object on their jugular. Dont care if its 5 war orphans with no legs.

the best way out of the situation if you cant talk or run away is to escalate the conflict to the point where the 5 people dont want to attack you.

 

[McMullen]

I think the only way I could stand a chance of winning a fight would be against a single attacker, by knifing him before he realized I had a weapon. Of course, I'd be unable to defend such an action in the trial afterwards, so either way the answer is no. My only realistic means of defense is staying out of a fight entirely.

 

[Sandjube]

I like how almost every single person here has said they can win a 1v1. You know that if everyone says that it doesn't really work, right?

OT: I've only just started a martial art class about 2 months ago (private lessons, mind), but in that time I think I've learned enough to stand a chance against someone, but only if they're bad at fighting, around my size, and drunk. And even then I can say I'd probably just get them to the ground then run. They most likely wouldn't see it as worth it to chase me.

 

[White Lightning]

Yes. The answer to this (and most questions in life) is Guns.

I carry a Glock 30 with 31 rounds on my person. If surrounded, that would insufficient I think should they press their attack from close range. Should they press the attack from a single direction without pausing to consider the relatively large chunks of lead thrown their way, I could reasonably expect to halt perhaps two of them before being overwhelmed.

So, given the odds of five to 1, if I could not employ my weapon to achieve a quick exit to the scenario, I don't think there is a possibility of exit.

Well you see the problem in this scenario is that you don't have enough Guns. You should consider getting more just incase you are ever in this situation.

 

[likalaruku]

I'd like to think I could, but unless someone breaks into my house & we struggle, I'll never know. Odds are in my favor if he's either not using a gun or I can shame his masculinity for using one on a girl armed with a ceramic knife. My other defenses are bluffing, devaluing items someone might want to steal for profit, threats of cannibalism, & hiker's legs. On the down side, when my body says "hey, let's produce more adrenaline now" it's response is "Nope, let's make more fatigue & lethargy instead."

Will a bullet pierce of ricochet off a thick cast iron skillet?

 

[Souplex]

No man is a match for Souplex.
"But wait!" you might say, "Isn't Souplex a match for Souplex?"
To which I'd point out that Souplex is no mere man.

 

[xmbts]

I like to think I could but if someone hits me hard enough in the stomach or chest I'm likely to be in need of immediate medical assistance to avoid dying.

 

[Ghaleon640]

Nope. I wouldn't say I'm out of shape, but anyone that would pick a fight with me probably would have the advantage.

 

[crispskittlez]

I can't defend myself worth a moldy orange. Had I not convinced a man who tried to mug me to flip a coin over whether or not he's go through with it, I'd be down a terrible mp3 player that was too old to be worth anything.

 

[notyouraveragejoe]

I only just started doing kick boxing so that wouldn't be useful. On the other hand I know how to fight dirty so that might help. On the final hand the simplest way I'd defend myself would be by running away very quickly. Or going to my happy place until they stop hurting me.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

Yes. The answer to this (and most questions in life) is Guns.

I carry a Glock 30 with 31 rounds on my person. If surrounded, that would insufficient I think should they press their attack from close range. Should they press the attack from a single direction without pausing to consider the relatively large chunks of lead thrown their way, I could reasonably expect to halt perhaps two of them before being overwhelmed.

So, given the odds of five to 1, if I could not employ my weapon to achieve a quick exit to the scenario, I don't think there is a possibility of exit.

Well you see the problem in this scenario is that you don't have enough Guns. You should consider getting more just incase you are ever in this situation.

It isn't a problem of carrying sufficient guns or bullets. 31 .45 ACP rounds are sufficient to halt five people. A single magazine is likely sufficient and I carry three.

The problem is that without an avenue of retreat or some assurance that I was dealing with rational creatures there is no way I could actually apply those bullets to said targets before being overrun. In the span of time it takes an adult to rush across 7 meters, I could engage, at best, two targets with two rounds of which only one of four could truly be said to be aimed. Firing as fast as possible I could perhaps fire 6 or 8 rounds.

If the people in question have little regard for the terrible damage a heavy hollow point round can do, and there is no avenue to retreat, then simply put no one person can reasonably engage and neutralize before being overwhelmed regardless of which firearm they might have.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

...I don't care how much martial arts you do, if you're surrounded by 5 guys and you can't do a fatal spinning kick that fractures all of their skulls in a couple of seconds you gtfo. I can't defend myself against 5 guys, but I like to think I would be able to uppercut one and push past. Then I'd be running.

I can defend myself against 2 guys, 3 in the open is pushing it even if they're all untrained. If one has a weapon, forget it, unless it's a stick or I can get it off them. I've taken 3 on a train once, but really that's it. Forget 5.

EDIT: Also, Australia, no guns. :/