Last Wednesday I was asked by one of my partners how I’m able to consistently calm people down.  He said that when I’m not with the team, more fights happen which is a huge concern for him and a liability for the owner of the establishment we were working at.

My answer?  In a nutshell, I was trained 20 years ago to remove my ego from the job.  Whether I was working a door at a club or working as a Military Policeman… I was given great advice.  The first thing was to expect bad guys & drunks to start shit with you!  It’s what they do.  If it wasn’t you by the door… they’d do it to the guy working in your place.  That means it’s NOT personal.  Next is the principle that the more you train in combatives… the stronger you are… the more weapons you have… the NICER you should be!  In today’s era we need to behave in a mature manner.  No excuses!

I was taught a ‘model’ that was created by Peyton Quinn.  If you follow his advice, you will reduce the amounts of hands-on incident when working in professional security.

Here is what Peyton teaches:

1) Don’t Insult Him
2) Don’t Challenge Him
3) Don’t Threaten Him (physically or by telling him you’ll call the police)
4) Don’t Deny It’s Happening (be prepared for a violent encounter)
5) Give Him A Face Saving Exit

These five steps could easily be taught in a full 1 day course.  My intent today is to change the ‘bad-ass’ mindset that too many people have in our industry.  If you have to call the police, then do so quietly without the jerk knowing what you’re up to.  If you’re going to make a preemptive strike… then do so in a sly manner that doesn’t involve swelling up, running your mouth and basically giving everyone watching a heads up that the fight is about to go down.

Until next time, stay safe!

– Brian