Bouncing - Looking for Info

Off Topic
21

I work in a student bar and am 180, 6’0. I’m bigger than about half our security staff. When I ask them to kick people out I usually shadow them in case there is a fight and they need help.

It’s different in Ontario now, a security license (invloving a course, test and fee) is required for ALL staff, including grizzled old bouncers doing it for 10 years. Many quit, many new people didn’t join. The state of bar security in Ottawa is pretty abysmal right now for my company because of this.

Of course you don’t have that problem, where you’re from I’m sure. Security staff is very transient. If you’re a half way decent size and hit all the student bars (especially right now in the lead up to September) you will be hired, even if you aren’t a regular.

It can be a fun job with lots of girls and ok cash, but there is alot of bullshit to put up with as well. I personally would choose it last after barbacking, bartending or bottle service. But if you want to get into the bar scene why not. Some people (like Waylander) obviously make it work and have fun.

22

[quote]LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:

[quote]Blaze_108 wrote:

[quote]LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:
You own a black T-shirt with the word “Security” written on it? Check.

You have a huge (albeit insecure) ego and biceps to match? Check.

You like to fuck shit up for the sheer delight in it? Check.

You’re not particularly attractive but rather intimidating, looking like you have been in a fight or two? Check.

You got passed over on the police academy entrance exam and cannot serve in the military because you failed the “duck walk”? Check.

Congratulations, you’re qualified to be a bouncer.[/quote]

Sounds like someone’s been bounced before and holds a grudge.[/quote]

I have been bounced before but I don’t hold a grudge because it’s hard to find fault with a mentally handicapped person that does not know the difference between a man groping a female inappropriately and a husband trying to catch the attention of his wife in a crowded bar (the sad part was that she didn’t even notice when I got “bounced”).

I further don’t hold a grudge because, well, I was a US Marine and probably had it coming.[/quote]

lol he remembers the exact circumstances. Definitely holding a grudge. Most of us that do this are in college. No college job provides the kind of perks that bouncing does be it networking, pussy, or anything else you have an interest in. You’ll be meeting lots of people so you never know what opportunities may come your way.

23

I worked 3 years as security at the local club when I was in college. We had guys all the time trying to come up and get jobs, but most of the time they were the same guys who after asking us, would immediately go to the bar and get hammered. If you’re one of those guys, you won’t get hired on. Size isn’t everything, but it does defuse alot of problems if a guy is second guessing getting rowdy with you because you will assuredly kick his ass for trying. I worked with 2 guys 6 foot or under, and they were also the only 2 guys to every get punched in the face while working, although I did have a knife pulled on me once.

Here is a trick for getting hired on. Go into the management and tell them you want a try out. Try Out = free night of work for the bar/club and nothing to lose (If you do a shitty job, they don’t have to call you back). By offering them a free night of work, they will probably give you a call one night when they are short handed. If you do a good job, you’ll get more calls down the road for more jobs until you become a regular.

If experience is a must, get a buddy in a frat as a reference to say the frat hires you for private security when they throw big parties, and you do a great job.

24

[quote]waylanderxx wrote:

[quote]LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:

[quote]Blaze_108 wrote:

[quote]LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:
You own a black T-shirt with the word “Security” written on it? Check.

You have a huge (albeit insecure) ego and biceps to match? Check.

You like to fuck shit up for the sheer delight in it? Check.

You’re not particularly attractive but rather intimidating, looking like you have been in a fight or two? Check.

You got passed over on the police academy entrance exam and cannot serve in the military because you failed the “duck walk”? Check.

Congratulations, you’re qualified to be a bouncer.[/quote]

Sounds like someone’s been bounced before and holds a grudge.[/quote]

I have been bounced before but I don’t hold a grudge because it’s hard to find fault with a mentally handicapped person that does not know the difference between a man groping a female inappropriately and a husband trying to catch the attention of his wife in a crowded bar (the sad part was that she didn’t even notice when I got “bounced”).

I further don’t hold a grudge because, well, I was a US Marine and probably had it coming.[/quote]

lol he remembers the exact circumstances. Definitely holding a grudge. Most of us that do this are in college. No college job provides the kind of perks that bouncing does be it networking, pussy, or anything else you have an interest in. You’ll be meeting lots of people so you never know what opportunities may come your way.[/quote]

I don’t think I will ever forget getting violently slammed to the ground for no apparent reason.

I don’t hold a grudge. It was a long time ago and is in the past.

25

Do you have to be over 21 to get a job?

26

[quote]165StateChamp wrote:
Do you have to be over 21 to get a job? [/quote]

I’m assuming so, at least all the places locally that have bouncers also require you to be 21 to get in.

27

[quote]Blaze_108 wrote:

[quote]165StateChamp wrote:
Do you have to be over 21 to get a job? [/quote]

I’m assuming so, at least all the places locally that have bouncers also require you to be 21 to get in.[/quote]

Awwww, well that sucks. This would be like my perfect at-college job.

28

[quote]TheBodyGuard wrote:

Size does matter and I don’t care who tells you otherwise.
Size counts. Experience counts. End rambling reply :slight_smile: Sorry.[/quote]

…but she said it was a good size! and that it was ok that it was my first time!

29

No, you don’t have to be 21. Don’t even have to be 21 to serve drinks, that age limit is 18. But that being said, most bar owners are gonna be hesitant to hire younger guys (20 or under).

I’ve been doing security for a little over 4 years myself, started when I was 21. I was 5’9", right around 200 at that time. The average size of the guys I currently work with is probly right around 200 as well. Size is definitely going to help, but close to that is most likely fine. Personally, I wish I was a bit taller for this job haha, 5’9" makes it hard to see everything sometimes.

TheBodyGuard:
“It’s the ability to non-verbally communicate that failure to comply will have a bad result for them and having the physical presence where that non-verbal message is not in question.”

This is spot on, as is the rest of that post.

30

[quote]dshroy wrote:

[quote]TheBodyGuard wrote:

Size does matter and I don’t care who tells you otherwise.
Size counts. Experience counts. End rambling reply :slight_smile: Sorry.[/quote]

…but she said it was a good size! and that it was ok that it was my first time![/quote]

To make up for lack of size just go faster.

31

Far as the OPs questions: Is it a good/bad job? Well, you aren’t going to get rich doing it, but it is decent money as far as what education/skills are required. There’s really no room for actual advancement unless you want to go into actual security as a career, and if that’s the case, their are better routes. (Law enforcement, security agencies etc.) I will say however, that it’s generally a pretty fun job. And the scenery ain’t bad.

The risks involved come in two flavors; injury, and lawsuit. I’ve probly logged about 5000 hours of bouncing, been actually hit twice. Both times the guy was aiming for someone else and I got in the way (That’s my job, right?). The bulk of the damage you are risking taking is more on the wrestling/incidental damage. For instance I had to put a guy down on the concrete outside, messed up my elbow taking him down. Also some guys think its okay to try chokeholds and whatnot. But really, not so much striking, in my experience anyways.

Then theres the legal side. This is something you need to be aware of starting out. To simplify it, as a bouncer, you can go exactly one notch higher in terms of force, than the guy causing the problems. If he is yelling and being an overall jackass, you can’t just go snap his neck.

A bouncer’s job is to prevent fights.

32

This guy isn’t in that line of work anymore but you’ll find his stories entertaining: http://standingonthebox.blogspot.com/

Look at his earlier entries.

33

[quote]Tech9 wrote:
This guy isn’t in that line of work anymore but you’ll find his stories entertaining: http://standingonthebox.blogspot.com/

Look at his earlier entries.[/quote]

I totally forgot about that blog. So funny!

34

[quote]LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:

[quote]dshroy wrote:

[quote]TheBodyGuard wrote:

Size does matter and I don’t care who tells you otherwise.
Size counts. Experience counts. End rambling reply :slight_smile: Sorry.[/quote]

…but she said it was a good size! and that it was ok that it was my first time![/quote]

To make up for lack of size just go faster.[/quote]
can i hit her too?

35

[quote]dshroy wrote:

[quote]LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:

[quote]dshroy wrote:

[quote]TheBodyGuard wrote:

Size does matter and I don’t care who tells you otherwise.
Size counts. Experience counts. End rambling reply :slight_smile: Sorry.[/quote]

…but she said it was a good size! and that it was ok that it was my first time![/quote]

To make up for lack of size just go faster.[/quote]
can i hit her too?[/quote]

I dunno, is she into that kinda thing?

36

[quote]Blaze_108 wrote:

[quote]165StateChamp wrote:
Do you have to be over 21 to get a job? [/quote]

I’m assuming so, at least all the places locally that have bouncers also require you to be 21 to get in.[/quote]

I was a bouncer at age 20 in college (went to Penn State) and it wasn’t a problem.

I didn’t even lift then…it wasn’t really dangerous but this is highly dependent on your location. Think I broke up like a total of 2 fights in 2 years.

At PSU it matters way more how good you are at catching fake IDs… which is a skill that can be taught easily… but they are strict up there. Again, location matters with this more than anything else.

Also it helps if you’re well spoken and sound like you’d be able to diffuse arguments with words. Bar owners would rather you not fight (being big helps for the intimidation factor though).

37

Oh yeah… it’s also good cash and gets you laid a lot

38

I used to run security for a family of bars here in Edmonton so I can give you a few answers.

  1. Try to get any qualifications you need prior to applying. Here in Alberta Bouncers are required to have their Pro-tect training from the AGLC and the Pro-Serve is looked favourably upon. Also current First Aid/CPR is a good one to carry as well.

  2. The level of violence you experience depends entirely on the bar you work at. I had bars where you would spend all night dragging people out and I had bars where someone would get dragged out about once a month and everything in between. Pick your place, fighting all the time sounds fun but it wears on you pretty quick.

  3. Size Kinda matters. Honestly I hired big guys and I hired small guys I cared a lot more about attitude than I ever did about size. I always wanted little guys because generally they were less imposing and could talk to people better to calm issues down, but when the shit hits the fan mass counts for a lot. Plus having a big guy watching while the little guy talks to the table carries a bit of an implied threat which works very well.

  4. Make sure you learn the law in your area regarding what you can and cannot do, and not just the law but take a look at the case law around it as well. Here in Canada the law reads that you’re allowed to use “whatever force is necessary” in removing a patron or in defending yourself or others. That is of course interpreted to mean the minimum force necessary. Now if you escalate force properly you’ll rarely have an issue but it’s also handy to know that here in Alberta as long as there’s no injuries no security staff has been prosecuted for assault. So even if I was a little over excited in dragging you out as long as you didn’t get hurt I’m okay. This is nice because sometimes you’ll realize waiting for them to start the violence is a bad idea and you’re better off jumping them. Of course here in Alberta if you’ve asked them to leave and given them time to leave and they refuse to comply you’re free to haul them out physically, just not hurt them.

  5. The pay is good for what you do and how hard you generally work. I’ll probably go back to bouncing part time this winter for some extra cash, it’s fun and once you get the hang of it pretty easy.

39

If you are thinking about working in a bar, why on Earth would you voluntarily bounce when you can probably bartend? Or is working up your goal?

Seriously.

I’m as much a meathead as 90% of the people here, but bouncing? Why? That was a work-up position for bartender in about 90% of the places I worked.

Bartending is a lot more money, and you always get the chicks.

40

get a nice looking dress pair of steel toed shoes. when the problems start talking shit or fighting a quick kick to the shin or ankle will stop most people fast and you won’t really hurt them and you won’t scare off customers. a bad rep can ruin a bar fast.
never get between women fighting. they’ll pull a knife faster than a man and unlike most men they’ll stop trying to get to each other and team up on you. I always kept several pitchers of ice water behind the bar. it’s amazing how fast a fight stops when you dump it on someone.