Wow, what a busy night. The Offspring concert had been blaring for over an hour, and it was one of the busiest shows I’ve ever worked on. My traveling companion and I (wherever possible we choose two security guards for a patron) have already kicked out more than half a dozen unruly patrons and now we have to deal with a small group of drunks. The end result of dealing with this group of three drunken young men would leave an impression on me that would surely last a lifetime.
As a self defense instructor, I find it extremely valuable to have a valid security license. Working part-time security at concerts and other events where alcohol and loud music collide, I am occasionally involved in violent encounters. This physical interaction with people of different sizes and skill levels provides a great learning experience for joint blocking and physical control tactics. You know, what works well… and what’s harder to accomplish in a real-life violent altercation.
The Ambush: Every Security Worker Nightmare
Let’s get back to these drunks. We had prevented them from drinking or obtaining more alcohol that night. We knew they were going to cause trouble. I called an additional security guard and we were assessing the situation. We watch the three young men huddled together, talking in a circle and glancing at each other from time to time. Then suddenly they parted ways. What happened next was a calculated ambush that taught a lesson I will never forget.
The tallest, skinniest guy walked straight towards us while the other two walked away from us in opposite directions. With animated hand gestures, the tall skinny guy raised his voice as he walked toward us. Imagine yourself as a security guard, and a drunk man walks towards you quickly, using quick hand gestures. This is something that requires your immediate attention. He stood in front of us, almost too close as he explained how he should be able to buy alcohol. All his hand gestures and loud talking were carefully designed to distract us.
Then it happened.
We didn’t know it at the time, but the bigger guy who pretended to walk away from us, quickly moved through a crowd of people and sneaked up behind us while we were distracted. He quickly approached the security guard closest to him and punched him… knocking him out instantly. In an instant, he took a step towards me with the same intention of knocking me out as well.
Time slowed down as I only reacted. There is no time to think here. A low frontal ‘punch-kick’ to his lower abs, followed by a double brachial forearm strike to his neck, followed by a supported low knee that dropped this guy like a bag of dirt. It’s time to call the police.
Since that day, we security guards have learned our lesson, a lesson that can be carried forward in our normal daily lives. Sometimes things are not what they seem. You will never catch everyone on our security team focused in one direction. We face each other as often as possible, to watch each other’s backs. If you watch the nature channel, zebras do this in the African savannahs. I wish I had learned this lesson from the animal kingdom first.
Standing United We Have a Punch – Modern Samurai Society
to the bargen