Real Self Defense Series - #1 "5 Truths I learned as a Bouncer"

Let me start this off be explaining the various ranges of what a Bouncer is.  It varies greatly from club to club, city to city.  In some clubs Bouncers just take I.D.s at the door and never touch anyone.  If a fight breaks out, they call the cops.  In some clubs the Bouncers crush people and throw them in the dumpster.  The club I worked at was in the middle.  Company policy was in place to protect the patrons from getting roughed up too bad and to keep the company from getting sued.  It seemed to work on most occasions and when it didn't the circumstances led most people to do what needed to be done to survive, if you got fired it was better than getting crushed or killed.

One of the misconceptions with Bouncers is that alot of people think they only handle or fight drunks.  Honestly in most cases where people are drunk they are very easy to manipulate by other means, fighting them was extremely easy and rare.  No, in the club I worked, when we fought it was to break up a huge fight that might cause damage to property or innocent bystanders.  We also dealt with drug dealers, gang members, frat boys and military younglings out trying to prove themselves in the wrong environment. 

I told no one of my martial arts training, not wanting to become a target.  Instead seeking to make a reputation by what people see, not what I tell them.  Before long I was in charge of teaching the security staff of 12 guys.  I also had a best friend who worked there with me, he was my room mate, training partner and back up during this three year period.  Guro Thor saved my bacon a few times and I would still want him to have my back today.

When I started I had some simple rules for new guys and I won't go into all those now.  Instead I'm going to concentrate on the 5 Truths I discovered and how they applied to me as a martial artist.  They are listed below in order of their discovery.  Keep in mind, I was already an accomplished martial artist, have had many street fights and sparred thousands of rounds with martial artist from all over.  So I had a huge edge over most civilians. 

1.   The first rule of unarmed combat is get armed. - This may seem like a hard rule to do when your bouncing but I think it's hugely relevant.  thinking you are going to just go up and grab a guy and carry him out with some wristlock is nice.  I did it.  So did my guys.  On some people you can just give them a slight physical suggestion and they will follow along willingly.  Most people who have never fought will comply when they encounter something they didn't expect or plan on.  However, a huge amount of people fight harder when you put them in pain.  So in the club my weapon was Guro Thor.  this 6'4"  235 lb. buddy was my back up weapon.  When things got hot, there were too many or someone was trying to blind side me with a bottle, Guro Thor took care of business.  So if you can't arm yourself with a weapon, arm yourself with a buddy.  Preferably on who can fight.

2.   The second rule is he is always armed. -  Again, many many people try to argue this, saying that most people don't carry guns or knives in to a bar.  True, most don't but some do.  We took weapons off people all the time.  But the most popular and dangerous were improvised weapons.  I saw a guy carried out on a stretcher when he got hit in the back of the head with a beer bottle (which didn't break).  Once knocked out, the guy started stomping on his face with cowboy boots.  The EMT's were doing CPR on the guy as they took him. out.  Beer bottle, thrown or swung, are awesome weapons.  It's one of the many reasons why Bouncers walk around throwing away empty beer bottles.  Another one was chairs.  We had big massive wooden chairs.  So big in fact that they were heavy and awkward to pick up and throw.  I always thought that was a brilliant move on the owner's part.  But still, people did use them from time to time.  Lastly were what we call in Sayoc Kali, fixed weapons.  such as rails, the corners of walls, walls, bars, tables, even the floor.  These fixed weapons worked quite nicely and became the number one helper for many of our bouncers.  Why hit him when I can make him hit a rail or light pole? 

3.   The third rule is He is always They. -  The reality is very few people go to a club or bar alone.  With this being said, you can always count on having to deal with more than one guy. Or girl.  Family members get involved, boyfriends, girlfriends, best friends.  It turns into a huge social scene quick.  Some of the biggest fights we had where when whole families seemed to be there, then you got 20 people all fighting.  Men and women.  Just awesome.  Many of the bouncers had a hard time with the women because they didn't want to hurt them.  Not me.  If you acted silly I made you look silly.  I would whip them to the floor just like anyone else if they did something stupid.  Before you think I'm a bully, keep in mind I'm not talking about calling someone a name.  If I put my hands on them, it was because they were hurting someone.  So this rule helps people to understand, as soon as you engage with this one lone guy, another is coming up behind you with a beer bottle and another brother and they are about to crack you in the head without saying a word.  So head on a swivel and stay alert.

4.   The next rule is "They" always train faster, harder, longer and stronger than you do. - Alot of the people we fought against were in much better physical shape than me or my bouncers.  Some were college football players, some were prison guards, some were athletes.  Some were skinny little gang bangers but they were fast as heck!  Some just got out of prison and were big and tough.  The key to this point was two fold: one is try to be in the best shape you can because they sure are and two even if they are big and pumped up and mean looking, they still get the same treatment, we don't back down or lose in our own house.  In my club, no one beats me.  That mentality and the fact that you expected them to be big and strong really helped you overcome fears and focus on the task at hand.  In many cases, seeing you weren't intimidated by their size or posturing, they would give up and do what you wanted without fighting. 

5.   The last rule is It always happens when you are sick, tired or other wise occupied. - this rule was in place because during an average night a bouncer is doing alot of things, fighting is actually less common than sweeping the floor, dumping empty beer bottles and helping someone find a taxi.  It's easy to get distracted, start a conversation with a girl or talk sports with some guy, then out of no where beer bottles are flying, people are running, tables are knocked over, women are screaming and it's time to get your hands dirty. 

So, you can see how many of these rules apply to us in a daily situation, not just bouncing.  The realization that you need a weapon is a huge step in the right direction.  I don't care who you are, how long you have been training and what kind of martial arts you trained in, your kung fu isn't going to win against multiple opponents or maybe even one bad guy pissed off at you for all the wrong in his life who's only thought is a mental image of beating your brains out with this pipe.  Sure, many martial artist can handle that, most can't.  But a weapon takes a bad situation and makes it survivable.  Realizing that bad guys often have buddies as back up is another step that will help you tremendously.  Always be on the lookout for someone to help you or someone coming to help the bad guy.  Expect weapons to be involved!  Train and prepare yourself for that.  Seeing a guy pull and icepick out is shocking if you weren't expecting it.  Watching a cowboy wrap his belt around his hand and start to swing that huge belt buckle at you can throw you off your game.  So the more you can train to be expecting them, the better you can cope during the hour of need.  Preparation is the key. Mental, physical and emotional training that will help you anticipate threats, handle the problem at hand and remain in emotional control is the key to going home to those you love.

I hope you find this as useful as I have and that it helps to motivate those who need it to stretch beyond their training barriers to seek a more realistic and practical approach to their martial arts training.  

Guro Harley