Depends on the clientel. I bounced in the biggest redneck bar outside the city limits…totally different ballgame than the college bars downtown who could get away with 2 bouncers for 400 people. You need to be able to read people. The punk college kid who thinks he’s a badass will 99 times out of a 100 not do a damn thing but run his mouth…so you just simply pick their asses up and throw them out. The older men…however…they are much more likely to swing…experience will teach you who will be more likely to cause you trouble, so learn to deal with each person differently. My general rule of thumb was to only escalate the situation as far as they did. If they ran their mouth…I would try to talk them down and out. If they ever touched me though…their ass was out of their instantly. As the new guy you will get tried. The little emimen wantabees…no trouble…run their mouth. Truck drivers/bikers(not weekend warriors)…definitely need to have another bouncer with you in case a brawl breaks out. We always had 6-8 bouncers at all times and a fight broke out every night…guaranteed. BTW…fights between women are the worst…I shit you not.
WgG - what bar was this?
1 Good shoes
2 Long pant
3 A good flashlight
4 Good gloves
5 Be nice until you can no longer be nice. That last one will save you shitgobs of grief in the end.
I bounced at a local strip club and women are horrble when it comes to fights or “Lady’s night” run the other way, I shit you not on that one. Women act up 1000x worse in a club than men. While at The Arnold this year, I got to see this first hand, women running into the mens room, WTF is that about?
ROB
Gear List:
-matches or lighter (to light her cig)
-Gold Bond powder (cool breeze in my boxers)
-comfortable shoes
-pair of balls
-positive attitude
And yeah, chicks ARE a pain in the ass.
DD
I have bounced for years in local clubs and pubs (and am going to be bouncing in a couple hours actually). There is some goofy, and some real advice on here, and you can easily tell which ones are which. I personally have always worn either steel toed boots or my brother’s combat boots to work (multi-purposed, and can make my 5’11’ frame a bit taller, which can surprisingly help defuse confrontations). I have never needed a flashlight, but earplugs have definitely saved my hearing.
Regarding the comment on women being inherently evil banshees when in the club, I whole-heartedly agree. The only time I have ever been eye gouged, had earrings ripped out (thankfully I’m smart enough to use the snap on kind), had ears attempted to be pulled off, or had genitalia injured has been at the hands of women. A bit of advice: NEVER get between two fighting women. They always turn on you.
I would suggest you alter your training for a bit more of a warmup that is a little more energy consuming (like higher intensity jump rope) or adding in some anaerobic conditionig to your exercise regimen. If you have to deal with multiple fights in an evening that you are getting to take the brunt of, adrenaline can help only so much. Keep exercising with strength and anaerobic conditioning, and possibly learn a little greco-roman wrestling or aikido (I personally wrestled in high school and have done bjj/mma/muay thai for years, and that has helped immeasurably. Aikido has helped some of my other friends bounce, but I never could get it to work.)
thanks alot gentlemen. i was recommended combat syle boots, for the reinforced toes & in case im walking on broken glass etc. plus i dont want my shoes coming off & ive been taught to kick with the shin anyway. im sure push kicks will work nicely too. Training/fitness wise wont be a prob, 1 box 2x p/wk, muay thai 1x & BJJ 4x + 1 daily S&C session (generally alternating between strength & cardio daily) & ive kept that routine up for about 3 years…
Rock n Rodeo in Valdosta, GA
[quote]Deinabolic wrote:
WgG - what bar was this?[/quote]
[quote]Matgic wrote:
Kliplemet wrote:
a bullwip is a great tool for crowd control, especially indoors
Actually I prefer a Sjambok. It is a whip-like device made from dried rhino dick and it can whip through a leather coat.
I shit you not.
-MAtt[/quote]
Or for the more well endowed man, simply dry your own penis out in the sun for a while…
[quote]WguitarG wrote:
Rock n Rodeo in Valdosta, GA
Deinabolic wrote:
WgG - what bar was this?
[/quote]
Ah, I thought by city limits you meant in Atlanta. We have a place claled Whiskey River in Macon that’s pretty much the same - fights, shooting once a year or so, etc…Hell, the name of the place tells you up front it’s 'neck.
If you want to learn about working on the door there is only one man you need to turn too, I strongly reccommend his first best selling book ‘watch my back’
google Geoff, buy his books you will not regret it, this man changed my life
Carry your medical records with you every where you go.
And always remember that according to Patrick Swayze, “Pain don’t hurt”.
[quote]WguitarG wrote:
Rock n Rodeo in Valdosta, GA
Deinabolic wrote:
WgG - what bar was this?
[/quote]
Oh yeah, that sounds pretty rednecky.
I think women just assume they have more rights and can hit you and do what they want and you can’t do anything back and if others are around you can’t…Wild animalistic biatches!
What is the most force you guys have had to use?
And good luck to the OP.
If the club/bar books a punk band, and you have not seen a punk show before. Don’t Panic.
Understand that you do not need to stop people from moshing. I’ve gone to hundreds of shows and the only seen time I’ve ever seen anybody get really get hurt or a real fight start in a mosh pit is when a dance club hosted the Misfits.
Bouncers ran in to stop the people. Kicked and punched and hurt a whole lot of people. My friend (5’5" 140 lbs) had to go to the hospital because a bouncer grab and beat him down.
i bounced for several years and the best thing to have is a cool head. if you already have 2 groups of semi-drunk/drunk guys yelling at each other and you start yelling as well, it will only enflame the 2 arguing parties and get your other less level-headed bouncers raring for a fight. now, getting a dried out rhino dick might be a pretty good way for crowd control, but if you can’t remove an individual or a group by talking to them, learn a few hand/wrist/forearm grappling techniques that will subdue the patron and allow you to move him out. it’s much better than getting into a full 1-on-1 battle with this guy (and potentially his friends). everything else like pants, sturdy boots, a small flashlight are definitely items you should be wearing while your on your shift. and if you’re not on door, earplugs are a real bonus if you don’t want a high-pitched sound keeping you awake when you get home.
also, keep a notepad handy. in case a major fight breaks out, or if someone gets injured, make sure you try to write down most of the details quickly following the event. we’ve had a lot of guys try and charge us with assault or injury after we had to “remove” them and having our statements ready for the cops always helped dismiss those charges and save our asses.
punk scene doesnt bother me - i got mates in hardcore bands & ive been in Hatebreed & Throwdown pits etc. they look bad, but its all repsect, lol…
The steel-toes and pants are great ideas, as well as the fighting techniques. On another note, depending on the policy of your bar, DO NOT GET DRUNK WHILE ON DUTY. The bar I work at let’s employees drink a few for free when on shift, and it definitely is a policy that has to go, at least for the bouncers.
One guy that I work with took this a little too far and got wasted one night, pretty early on. Well, there ended up being a fight, and he basically left me out to dry between two groups becaues he was drunk and trying to get ass. The bar tender, who played football with me, ended up jumping over the bar to help me and the one other sober bouncer. So, in retrospect, DO NOT DRINK when on duty. It’s a massive danger to yourself and to all of your co-workers
[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
electric_eales wrote:
If you want to learn about working on the door there is only one man you need to turn too, I strongly reccommend his first best selling book ‘watch my back’
google Geoff, buy his books you will not regret it, this man changed my life
Yes mate! Geoff Thompson - “Dead or Alive”. A great book that taught me a lot about the psychology of violence.[/quote]
I am very proud to actually know the guy, I had a signed copy of his first book first edition, my sister dated his nephew for 3 years and I trained with him a bit too. He is one of the nicest men you will ever meet I promise, the guy had just come back from the US training with Chuck Norris on Chucks ranch, and he was out and about with Ray Winstone in Coventry and still had the decency to stop and chat to me and introduce me to Ray Winstone as if I was someone important, what a fooking amazing geezer, bigging me up to Ray blody Winstone! shame it wasn’t Rays Daughet though 
Bushy have you ever heard of his animal days? I think they would be right up your street, proper hardcore training!
[quote]combatmedic wrote:
Watch Roadhouse. Every night. Before and after work. (I joke)
Seriously though, a book A Bouncer’s Bible by Doc Holiday is a good read and you’ll get some things from it. I would not recommend the video, but get the book.
A good small flashlight (Streamlight and Surefire are good brands) is a great investment. I always carried a couple pairs of rubber gloves and a small bottle of hand sanitizer. Bars are dirty places filled with dirty people, you’ll be glad you have it.
My personal philosophy when I bounced was if I could ask a guy to leave (versus throwing him out) and he thanked me, I did a good job. In the long run, it is easier to be a nice guy than a tough guy.[/quote]
Right…“Be nice until it’s time not to be nice…then call me.”
How badly did I mangle that line from “Roadhouse?”
Oh by the way “Roadhouse II” is out on DVD on Tuesday.