It's a similar situation in Australia. You need to be certified to be employed.
It's had mixed results. Yes, we've gotten rid of some of the ruthless brawlers, you know, the guys who tape their fists and polish their knuckle dusters before coming to work. But at the same time a lot of the older, more experienced bouncers are being replaced by tiny, completely unqualified immigrant university students. Usually Indians or Pakistanis, these guys have terrible English, can't handle themselves, and the culture difference renders any people skills they have useless. Some of them are great, but most of them require baby-sitting by another bouncer!
tradrockrat has it pretty much covered. I always call it the carrot and the stick. When you have to deal with someone, always use the carrot first. If you've tried the carrot and it isn't working, then resort to the stick. Most of the problems and bad ejections can be linked back to deploying the stick without judicious use of the carrot.
Also, you've got to be able to talk to all your patrons, and not only talk to them, but get them on side. If I'm on the door, and a group of young guys walk up, I'll pick one of them.
"Holy heck dude, whats up with that shirt? Did you let your mum dress you?"
If you've picked the right group, his mates will start heckling him. Then you start on them.
"Don't you start, mate. Have a look at your shoes! Hey Steve, come and check out this guys shoes!"
"And you've got nothing, with that haircut. I hope you got your money back!"
"Aw heck, you guys are embarrasing me! Get inside, you're making the venue look messy!"
If you've done it right, each and every member of that group will walk inside laughing and shaking your hand, and anything you ask them to do later in the night will get done without hassle and without needing to employ the stick.
At the same time though, you have to know when and where to be quiet and respectful. A group of expensive suits aren't going to appreciate the same treatment as a group of dock workers or football supporters.
And in addition, you need to be able to rock and roll when your balls brush the bandsaw. And sometimes when that happens you'll be grossly outnumbered, perhaps working solo or working with some greenhorn who'll just make the situation worse, and you have to have the composure and skills to handle that as best you can.
