oh I got a good one.. The first guy who attacks you gouge out his eyes.. That scare the others a little bit.

someone told me once there tactic was to say to the group very agressively that although theres lots of them and he'd get beat,the first he got hold of or a the first to attack he would rip there face of,kill,gouge,etc..and all manner of nasty things said aggresively with swearing(tut tut).
apparently he'd seen it done for real and no one dared go first.
not sensible some would say though its an option if its definitly going to kick off.

hey..talking of kids...are you calling me a gerk?

thats inappropriate and immature mr!

im not saying i agree.and i said...if you know its going to kick off.
i should of said surrounded and cornered yea?
well it was said to me by a person who isnt a lyer or acts 'hard' or even cares for violence.just something he saw.....so apparently it has worked.

If I can't get away, I'd do the Dracula thing: grab the nearest guy and start sucking blood (or try to), lift my face for a couple of seconds to show my crazed eyes (and Angel impression), and go back to sucking blood. Hopefully, that works. Nothing else works anyway.

I thought I was the only one that thought about the "sucking blood" defense. My secrets out!

It all depends.
If there is only one person then I would fight them. If two maybe.3 take a chance.4 or more, than your in a bit of a pickle. I would run and just get out of there as fast as i could.

#1 rule, Don't Panic. Assess the situation. Don't just run because you're scared. I live in Ft. Worth, TX. If I'm in the wrong part of the neiborhood, my car is broken down, it's late at night, and there are 2-3 guys my size with no weapons, I'm not going to run. I don't run fast. They will catch me, and they will kill me because I will be out of breath. A chase also gives them the opportunity to tackle me. Not smart. No, I'm going to attack them now, while i have my energy, and I'm going to attack whatever vital target is available first.

#2 rule, stick with whatever decision you make. If you choose to run, keep running, don't stop. If you choose to fight, fight, don't stop. That is, don't stop until the danger has been eliminated.

#3 rule, don't hesitate. It is always more dangerous to do nothing than it is to make the wrong decision. If there is a situation in which you are going to be attacked, and you know you are going to be attacked, take action before you have to. That is, do not wait until they attack you to react. You want to be alive so you can worry about legal issues later.

#4 rule, do not overcomit to any one person. Joint locks and grappling are great self-defense in 1 on 1 situation, but obviously leave you vulrable to multiple attackers. Use uncommited strikes as much as possible. Knees elbows and headbutts are good. Retract punches, kick only to the knees, groin, and lower thighs if your attackers are standing. Only use joint locks if you are very proficient at them. I have worked with joint locks a lot and I could never trust myself to do one effectively on the street. They take me a lot of time, and too much can go wrong. If you feel more comfortable, instead of locking the joint, break it immediately. If you see a wrist, break the wrist. You do not have time to control one person when you're dealing with 2, 3, or 5 (if more than 5 you should stop watching so many Chuck Norris films).

#5 rule, look for unfair advantages. Things as simple as belts can be used as weapons. Keys can work depending on your keys. I carry a 3" pocket knife in my car. But never threaten. If you pull out a blade, be prepared to cut someone, and be prepared to be cut. You don't want them to know you have it until it's traveling through their flesh. Knife fights look nothing like West Side Story or Micheal Jackson videos.

#6 rule. Maintain composure and confidence at all times. When fighting on the street, you will get hit. Sometimes, you will have to choose to get hit in a non-vital because blocking means opening up a vital target. You may be suffering, but it is important that your attackers do not know it. Fighting is 51% mental. If your attackers see that nothing they are doing is hurting you, they will be discouraged and may change what they are doing, They may loose confidence in the fight and retreat themselves. If nothing else, you're taking information away from them. If it looks like you're not hurt, they don't know what to do to hurt you.

There are a million different things to consider when you're being attacked by multiple people. Those are just some off the top of my head.

I agree with most of the stuff you wrote except you never mentioned when to leave/run you are not gonna stand there and whip 4-5 guys or even the 3 guys left out the 2 you just injuried. When there is a pause in action were they start counting head and giving the oppurnity to run/leave. You need to do it. The more time you stay around the more the odds lean in their favor anything can happen, I don't want it happening to me. Fighting more then 1 bc you have to is one thing but fighting one minded, I fight or run one or the other is crazy. You fight until you can escape, sometimes they will let you walk away, swiftly. But You best leave. You can stand and fight to the bitter end or escape. The bitter end may be yours 2-3 maybe 4 guys maybe if you injury the first two r 3 and their buddies standing along.

But what happens if more of their friends show up, Yeah you buddies might show 1st but is that a chance you want to take.

I still say you want to survive this encounter its not about winning, well maybe it is but winning is surviving it not standing over 3-five fallen attacker, thats your chance to run.