| Go into a martial arts school and you will see | | | | was in three serious fights in one night. Ask your |
| pictures of the master meditating, stretching, | | | | strip-mall karate master if he was in three fights |
| doing forms and winning medals. However, should | | | | in his entire life. |
| you one day leave the school and be attacked, | | | | 3. Bouncers have to rely on themselves--There |
| the only thing in the world important to you will be | | | | are no SWAT teams or quick reaction forces for |
| your ability to fight like a street fighter. Being a | | | | bouncers to call when they are outnumbered or in |
| good street fighter is what it takes to survive | | | | trouble. A bouncer can never back down from a |
| street attacks. | | | | fight. If he gets hurt, he has to ignore the pain |
| So, who is really qualified to teach you to fight like | | | | and do the best he can. There is no referee to |
| a street fighter? A martial artist who has never | | | | stop the match if he cannot defend himself. |
| been in a fight in his life or someone who has | | | | Exactly the same situation as you will be in if |
| gone out of his way to get a job that basically | | | | someone would try to mug or rape you in the |
| consists of him getting involved in fights that | | | | real world. |
| other people start? | | | | 4. Bouncers haven't been there and seen that, |
| I would say that the best instructors are either | | | | they've been everywhere and seen |
| bouncers, some police or some military guys, but | | | | everything--Most bouncers have martial arts or |
| the most qualified to teach self defense to civilians | | | | sport fighting training. Most bouncers don't train in |
| are the bouncers. Here's why: | | | | sports or arts anymore. The best ones have |
| 1. Bouncers have the same (lack of) equipment as | | | | taken what they have learned in the gym, tested |
| civilians--Attack a cop or soldier with a knife or | | | | it on the street and combined it with the rough |
| gun and he will do his best to shoot you. Attack a | | | | and tumble street fighting techniques that they |
| bouncer with a weapon and he will be in exactly | | | | have seen work, time and time again. This is the |
| the same situation you would be in on the street. | | | | proving ground that has produced my concepts |
| Some bouncers carry lead gloves, retractable | | | | of street fighting based self defense. |
| batons or pepper spray, but most don't and even | | | | 5. Bouncers are masters of the mental aspects of |
| those weapons are things that any civilian could | | | | self defense--Situational awareness, fear |
| obtain and carry. What a bouncer does when | | | | management, killer instinct, pain tolerance. The |
| faced with armed and / or multiple attackers will | | | | mental aspects of self defense are the most |
| also work for you because the circumstances are | | | | important by far and exactly these aspects are |
| the same. | | | | missing from the repertoire of 99.9 % of the |
| 2. Bouncers are constantly fighting--Street fights | | | | strip mall martial arts masters or self-proclaimed |
| and attacks are over so fast that, if someone is | | | | self defense instructors out there, whereas 99.9 |
| attacked and another person calls the police | | | | % of the real bouncers out there have mastered |
| immediately, they can't possibly arrive before the | | | | all of these areas. Some bouncers are fat, others |
| fight is over. Bouncers are there from beginning | | | | skinny, many smoke, but they are still capable of |
| to end. True, some bouncers work for years in a | | | | constantly surviving every violent encounter they |
| high-class disco and never have to do anything to | | | | might face. How can that be? Well, without the |
| get their hands dirty. A good trainer would have | | | | mental edge, a bouncer has a very short career. |
| experience in a place like I work in. Last week I | | | | |