What's your thinking?

[Hand Sword]

Hey all!

Just curious, while on the job and dealing with potential SD situations, what are the thoughts or techniques that pop into your mind? I ask because constantly I hear that conversation come up afterward, where it's said "I thought of this and that when he walked up to me." What are your thoughts that keep popping up?

 

[Touch Of Death]

Hey all!

Just curious, while on the job and dealing with potential SD situations, what are the thoughts or techniques that pop into your mind? I ask because constantly I hear that conversation come up afterward, where it's said "I thought of this and that when he walked up to me." What are your thoughts that keep popping up?

As a bartender, I am not allowed to fight; however, I can negate attacks. If there are witnesses, it is best not to do so with large powerfull looking moves. Its something to think about while practicing in the studio. Its better to run someone into a wall over punching or kicking them, and it is much easier to explain to an officer or judge.
Sean

 

[Nolerama]

As a bartender, I am not allowed to fight; however, I can negate attacks. If there are witnesses, it is best not to do so with large powerfull looking moves. Its something to think about while practicing in the studio. Its better to run someone into a wall over punching or kicking them, and it is much easier to explain to an officer or judge.
Sean

I agree. Thinking about SD situations while working as a bouncer seems to lead to a perception of the necessity of SD.

I learned really quick not to act like a "rough and tough" stereotypical bouncer, because drunken idiots want to start stuff with someone like that.

Honestly, your best weapons are your words and calm manner.

And your clinch game, just in case.

Good luck.

 

[Xue Sheng]

IHonestly, your best weapons are your words and calm manner.

Back in my security days that was what I used most. The SD stuff (when all else failed) just kind of adapted depending on the situation. But I do agree with Touch of Death as well, punching and kicking was not really an option where I worked. Being security at Hospitals, State College and the State offices (especially the state) punches and kicks are just lawsuits waiting to happen.

 

[Imminent]

While I agree that talking someone out of a conflict is the best possible scenario, the constant alert and monitoring of people in the club gives heightened awareness and performing mental targeting simply keeps the mind sharp and allows a greater comfort level to the cooler or bouncer as they are negotiating from a position of anticipatory confidence and this lets them have a greater latitude in tryign to talk drunk and morons out of their own demise. Depending on where you work there are multiple response levels and conditions but I have worked in some larger venue bars 5-10K people and in those settings when you cannot avoid the fight, then it has to be decisive and repulsive in its finish or you can get mobbing up going very quickly. If they see a cooler or bouncer struggle the mob can get brave, when it is very short and brutal, that is not anything people want to hope in on usually and the incidence of subsidiary violence diminishes.

 

[Jai]

When I worked security years back we where always taught not matter the training not to trade blows with someone no matter what. Wrap 'em up, hold them, defuse the situation whatever, but no strikes. Talking usually works 80-90% of the time if you know the art of talking someone down. I know it saved my butt many times

 

[Hand Sword]

Good stuff all. I meant my post in terms of a situation develops, they aggressively come up to you, but, you end up talking your way out and solving it peacefully. However, after, upon speculation, you realize that the thoughts of a four knuckle fist, headbutt to the nose, palm heel, etc.. popped into your mind while talking it out. I was curios about those re-occurring thoughts you get.

 

[theletch1]

Good stuff all. I meant my post in terms of a situation develops, they aggressively come up to you, but, you end up talking your way out and solving it peacefully. However, after, upon speculation, you realize that the thoughts of a four knuckle fist, headbutt to the nose, palm heel, etc.. popped into your mind while talking it out. I was curios about those re-occurring thoughts you get.

Full disclosure: I am not nor have I ever been a bouncer. However, I have been in SD situations as most of us have. The thing about those thoughts that go through your head is that they can paint you into a corner if everything goes sideways. If I'm thinking a certain technique/defense and the attacker comes at me with an attack that just isn't suited for that particular defense then I have to take that split second to readjust my technique mentally. I try my best to scan for tell tale signs of movement without really thinking "headbutt" or "right hook".

 

[Hand Sword]

I didn't mean an attack, just some loud posturing in close quarters, that gets settled via talking and them backing off. Through the years I've always heard, after the fact, "I thought of this and that" etc... I was just curious as to what others thought in those situations.

 

[theletch1]

I didn't mean an attack, just some loud posturing in close quarters, that gets settled via talking and them backing off. Through the years I've always heard, after the fact, "I thought of this and that" etc... I was just curious as to what others thought in those situations.

Completely understood. That's the point of my post. I do my absolute best NOT to allow those types of thoughts to pop into my head so that I'm ready for anything while hoping for nothing to happen at all.

 

[MarkBarlow]

It's obvious that several of the posters here have real-world experience as bouncers. While there were a few instances where I had to square off against someone, or even a couple of someones, usually I could either intimidate or sweet talk the problem out the door without having to fight. If I had to put my hands on someone, it wasn't to hurt them, just get them out of the bar. If they got hurt while I was escorting them, it was unfortunate but necessary.

Like many of you have discovered, it's better to give someone a bum's rush than punch or kick. I wanted them to be out in the parking lot wondering what just happened, rather than still in the bar slugging it out with me or anyone else.

 

[nitflegal]

When I worked security years back we where always taught not matter the training not to trade blows with someone no matter what. Wrap 'em up, hold them, defuse the situation whatever, but no strikes. Talking usually works 80-90% of the time if you know the art of talking someone down. I know it saved my butt many times

Keeping in mind I haven't worked security for a decade or so that tracks with our orders. Keep scanning to see where the problems are going to develop and then try and defuse them early by talking and conversation. If someone goes stupid wrap them up and get them to the door, which might mean that you wrap them and another guy moves you and them to the door. If it was going to go bad, you wanted it to go bad in the parking lot, not the club where patrons, property, and employees (dancers and waitresses really, I don't think they much cared if we got dinged!) could get damaged/hurt. Besides, one belligerent idiot who gets shown the parking lot is a blip that everyone forgets in 5 minutes. An actual fight tends to spread and then you spend all night with the police there and the patrons gone and nobody makes money. Since aside from the pittance slave-wage shared tips was how we got paid, using it as a training opportunity was frowned on by everyone.

That said, yeah, I often had those thoughts while some dipstick was trying to wrestle/punch/kick/bite me as I was escorting them out. I tended to think how much easier it would have been to plam their nose or kick their knee, or how much more compliant they would be with a stomp-kick to their stomach or inner hips. Honestly, it was when they spit a gob at me that I was most tempted to see how my taijutsu worked in practice. . .

Matt

 

[Adept]

I've always found it depends on the scenario. I know that I always sized people up in the club; guys with eyebrow piercings or lip rings were going to get them torn out. Guys in casts or bandages were going to have their injured limbs twisted and crushed. Guys wearing flip flops were going to have their toes stomped on by my steel cappped boots, etc.

When I worked security years back we where always taught not matter the training not to trade blows with someone no matter what.

We were told the same thing, but it doesn't always pan out like that. Sometimes the situation devolves into an all out-brawl where the only option is to simply keep moving, and hit anything that isn't wearing a security shirt.

 

[bootcampbj]

I have experienced what you are talking about a bunch of times HS.

Most of the time your adrenaline starts to dump as soon as a confrontation starts, and your senses heighten and all your concentration and thoughts go into judging the situation.

It´s always depended extremely on the person confronting me like that on the job. Some want to get under your skin without going over the line where you can just kick them out, they push the buttons to see if you will keep control. In those times in my mind I´m thinking ¨i cant wait till you do this to the wrong fella and he kicks your ****¨ and try not to get distracted from my job.

When you get someone with violent bodylanguage who hasn´t acted on it yet, well a percieved threat is enough. All my mind is doing is looking for that twitch of a muscle that will show he´s about to punch or that gleam in the eyes where he loses control. You think about where your co-workers are, who´s in danger, what the best way to take the guy down is with minimal injury to them or yourself while keeping others safe.

You think about ways to defuse things, you try to isolate them from an area others can be hurt, your mind does all of this over and over a hundred times in a few seconds.

Thats how it is for me anyhow.


- bj

 

[Drac]

Hey all!

Just curious, while on the job and dealing with potential SD situations, what are the thoughts or techniques that pop into your mind? I ask because constantly I hear that conversation come up afterward, where it's said "I thought of this and that when he walked up to me." What are your thoughts that keep popping up?

As a former bouncer I never concentrated on ANY single technique..Whatever keeps me from spitting out my own teeth is what I used...

 

[sgtmac_46]

I didn't mean an attack, just some loud posturing in close quarters, that gets settled via talking and them backing off. Through the years I've always heard, after the fact, "I thought of this and that" etc... I was just curious as to what others thought in those situations.

Honestly in those tense moments like you're talking about I really don't have a concious dialogue anymore. I'm too focused on them. And the situations where i've had to use force as a cop, I didn't actually think about what I was doing. I usually have to put it together after the fact to even realize what I did. I guess that's the measure of good training if you don't have to conciously think about it.....or maybe i'm just weird.