Originally Posted by
RevolverRob
If you're stuck in/near a large mob of people, pressing yourself up against a wall and bracing yourself presents a smaller target for the mob to push along and out.
I've had to use this technique a few times, in supremely crowded places when I'm trying to figure out where I am going, but the mob is moving in one direction. Press yourself up against a wall and you can use it to support yourself, while you stand on your tip-toes to spy over the crowd (if you're like me and short). You can also shove people off you this way, with your back pressed against a wall, you're braced better and supported.
One reason I like to carry a shoulder bag with a sturdy, removable, strap is that I can quickly unclip it and wrap it around a pole/support column and clip it back and use it as a restraint in a big crowd, if I can't get to the edge. You can do this on a crowded city bus or train, for instance.
I'd rather be held in place until I can get to the end of the crowd, if I can't get in front of it.
ETA: I saw a nice trick the other day on Instagram. A guy was getting caught up in a panicked mob and set off a little hairspray/WD40/whatever with his lighter. A big, pretty much harmless, fireball erupted and BAM - the crowd parted around him, like Moses parting the sea.