Hey Larry!
I think it is always important to keep that perspective in mind regardless of your situation. You could be doing well and winning the fight and then...boom...it is all over. So, we have to be careful I think to not get too involved or too enamored with our success or failure in these situations...they are what they are.
Of course, this doesn't necessarily help us technically learn how to deal with the situation! lol!
Simply keeping things in perspective is key I think.
That aside, as the article kind of discussed, exploiting your environment is key, and obviously keeping moving is key and trying to control the tempo of the fight and the whole OODA process.
It can be done for a little while actually.
My "multiple opponent" situation occurred a few years back in Mozambique. Told this one a few times already I think, but I think it illustrates controlling the environment.
Walking down the street with my boss... a few 100 meters out I could tell by the body language of about 15-20 males that we were walking straight into bad situation and were gonna get rolled for our wallets most likely if not roughed up a little too.
I told him to keep walking straight through them as I proceeded to cross the road to the other sidewalk, creating a big enough arc that they could not effectively contain both of us and still control the situation, as there were stores etc down the street, it became clear to them I think that I was throwing them a curve ball that they could to control or predict the outcome.
Once we closed within 15 meters or so, you could see their body language change up again and they collasped the circle and went back to talking.
I think staying on the outside of the circle, working the "triangles", and stacking them up is key.
Not that my randori in this video is the best, but I think I do okay in the beginning and it illustrates my thoughts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0SfgAOvIDc
I am at the center of the triangle to start with. on "Go", I immediately pick a point on that triangle (uke) and go for him upsetting his OODA process by going directly in on him. taking up his position of the triangle, causing the other two guys to rush in to that base equally. (18 sec), I circle around the outside to my left leaving #1 uke on the inside as both uke come together on this point of the original triangle, I take up #2s position on the outside. #1 is still getting up, #2 is dealing with me, and #3 lines up behind #2 as he tries to orient again. then move to #3.
Now in the video, I got tangled up a little too much with #2 uke which is not good and gave #3 a little time to move...miliseconds matter. Then got tied up a little bit too much with #3 causing me to throw him left instead of right and circle around. This put me in the center of the triangle again, which is not where I should have been. If I would have moved to the outside of #3,then I would have stacked them all three up very neatly!
Anyway, I recover slightly and finally circle around the next one making up for what I screwed up and then start the "slalom" back to where #1 was to start with. at this point (28 sec)
Things kinda fall apart LOL. BUT I am trying to stay on the outside of the triangle and continue to close it down and make it smaller and attack ukes.
Not perfect, but okay.
If you have cars and obstacles to deal with, you can use them to channelize them so you deal with them one at a time.
more than 3 uke?
You do the same thing...you have to visualize the different triangles that you have between all of them. 5 ukes means...what...like 2 to 3 different triangles you have to collaspe.
Hard to visualize, I like to get all the uke on the mat and then position them and discuss where the triangles are and how to move in such a way that you control them and force ukes to deal with them.
Again, good stuff, it works for CQB, shooting as well as empty handed multiple opponents, basketball, soccer...what not, AND It is all stuff I learned from Aikido! ma'ai.