Tips for a new Bouncer/Door Host

So i have been calling up some local clubs to see if they have openings for bouncing and stuff.
im 6’1 korean/white 195 pounds
i earned a BB in TKD WTF im a 8th kyu in judo and have some combat submission exp along and have started taking BJJ.
i chose this because im a community college student and the hours allow me to go to class and train.

so i just want some basic tips on how to bounce/door host.

What kind of establishment are you looking to work in?

Clubs or Bars.

Be polite but firm. A smile can go a long way.

Think of the pissed little knobheads as customers and you won’t go far wrong.

Yeah and don’t be the wanabe jackass who tries to start a fight with 3 guys who all have extensive MA background over not letting them in just to get a call from your manager a couple minutes later telling you to let them in, you don’t want to be that guy, not only because you look stupid but you also risk your health and such. (Fucking moron insulted my friend when I was trying to solve the situation and came at us… just stupid)
Be the other nice guy who told the Europeans that it is okay to smoke inside after 12:30 on week days and who helps the girls on the bar to dance. Because then you might be one of the few bouncers who gets a tip… :thumbsup:

As opposed to being beaten up in the carpark or shot in the doorway. Nice doormen make such a difference to a night out. Too many of them are so coked up they forget they’re there to keep the peace.

Be smart, be patient.

If you can’t outsmart a drunk, or you are looking to fight, you run the risk of getting shot or stabbed.

Try to find a job at a strip club.

Then PM me.

One guy who occasionally comes to our gym (to supervise open mat time etc.) is a BJJ black belt, really good; has a few things like Pan Am silver and bronze and US Open gold under that black belt of his, and he works the doors of a place downtown.

I gather that most of the time, if someone tries to get past them and looks like trouble, they let him and keep an eye on him until the cops get there (which is very quickly in that part of town). I’m sure he has stories I haven’t heard, but the strategy is worth keeping in mind. (A location near LEOs may also be a non-terrible idea.)

You’re already looking at this with the wrong mindset. Your size & training are just icing.

A bouncer, especially a doorman, is a customer service specialist. You are the first face of the establishment a customer encounters. If you are an ass, they will remember, and that will affect your employer’s bottom line. What affects your employer’s bottom line affects your pay.

You are not on the job to fight. You are on the job to make sure that your employer does not lose his liqour license because of underage drinking. If you are caught in a police sting, your employer will likely fire you on the spot because your just cost him a couple grand, and likely some sort of court proceeding in order to keep his license.

Your job is to ensure that the customers have a good experience while in your establishment. This does not mean breaking up fights. This means preventing them. Observe your customers. Note who has had too much to drink. Watch body language. Work with your other bouncers to learn how to pull possible combatants out of the crowd before they swing.

Don’t go working tough bars just because you think you can. I’ve been stabbed, hit over the head with a wine bottle, slammed into hardwood bars so hard it cracked my ribs. A fellow doorman from a bar I worked at when I was younger was shot to death two weeks ago for breaking up a fight…over some young punk kid’s girlfriend.

Find a chill bar that you can enjoy working at. Get laid. My boss once told me that I was the first face a girl sees walking into the bar, and the last she sees leaving. There’s no excuse not to get numbers and capitalize on it. Work a small bar or pub. You’re in school, you’ve got your studies, you’ve got your training. The last thing you want is something that is going to have you on edge during your free hours.

Stop being so smart, you can’t lay out the work of a doorman/bouncer in a few sentences, what if everybody would do that?

Yes, you can.

YouTube - Roadhouse

You did not just posted roadhouse, no you didn’t!

Bouncing is the easiest job in the world. You are a glorified cashier at the door who knows how to use his eyes. Let people do their thing. Try to talk to them first. Most people will calm down once you talk to them.

If you are their to fight, you will get fired. No one cares what your training qualifications are unless you train in how to not get hit from behind with a beer bottle. Just be polite and play everything cool.

It doesn’t take too much skill to throw out someone who is drunk when you are sober. And get ready to throw out the occasional idiot who gets so drunk he passes out on the shitter. Good times.

I worked 3 years as a head doorman in a place where violence was common. My tips are these.

Be polite and respectful to everyone-When you are seen soaking up insults and rudeness from a 5’ 0" customer as he walks to the door, you will be respected for your patience. The same people will remember your patience when you are soaking up insults from the 6ft 4" guy as he walks to the door and will not mistake it as weakness.

Most guys don’t want to fight with you -They just want to escape with their pride intact-Let them.

You are paid to keep the peace and ensure everyone enjoys themselves safely-LEAVE YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR AS YOU START WORK.

DRINK/DRUGS do not mix with door work. Work sober and do not work with anyone who doesn’t.

A possible problem is better turned away at the door than allowed inside to become a bigger one.

Search everyone as a condition of entry. You need a female to search the girls.

Back each other up-Do not unbar a patron turned away by another doorman.

If you have got to the stage where you are employing force you have usually fucked up. The night to aim for is the one where your club made a shitload of cash. you have your money in your pocket and nobody got hurt.

I wouldn’t go to a club, let alone work at one, where I needed to be searched before entering.

I have worked clubs where we searched or metal detectored everyone.

I will never do that again.

I hear you mate but where I worked it was that or allow knives, chains and even on occasion firearms into a club. I would imagine the type of place I worked at would not attract someone with your intelligence in the first place.

Even at pretty nice places in London, a pat-down and a peek in any bags is very common.

just good advise all’round. One that I didn’t see: DON’T carry any weapons. If things are that bad, I’d skip the joint or you need to be a licensed pro and openly displaying a sidearm/tazer whatever.

A concealed weapon is worth nothing, except to whoever sues or jails you for using it.

I don’t mean to be a dumbass here about this, but for instance, I carry a pocketknife out of habit. I have to make sure I don’t bring it to a door job.

You mind elaborating on why not?