 As part of our series of self-defense in different settings and an effort to develop environmental awareness, today we're going to talk about one setting that is often the host of confrontation. A bar, club, or any establishment whose primary purpose is the sale of alcohol. Now the purpose of this episode is not a criticism or lecture on these places, but rather the goal to help prompt people on being aware of what's going on around them and if there is an issue, what obstacles and advantages are in play. So let's explore self-defense in a bar. Now before we start, I want to make it very clear on what this episode is not going to be. This is not going to be a how to video on fighting techniques in a bar or a collection of bar fight footage. When we did the episode on self-defense in the parking lot a while back, it received mostly great feedback, but I did get a stream of some viewers who asked why I didn't show street fights or how come I didn't fight somebody in the parking lot and just film that. Well, the reason is that was completely against the objective of the video. The objective is to learn how to analyze the surroundings, take possible dangers into account and how to proceed safely. This is not a collection of security camera or fighting footage, but rather a discussion on environmental awareness so you don't get caught in the fight. I don't care how good you are, there may be somebody better, and if a fight does break out, someone is going to get hurt either yourself or if you are good, you can seriously destroy another human being. Neither outcome is ideal, so this video is my best advice on how to avoid confrontations in these environments or how to take your surroundings into account if you find yourself caught in one. So okay, that's enough of my soapbox rant, let's get to it. The first thing I like to do, and I've said this in a few videos, whenever I go to some place new, whether indoor, outdoor, or a new venue, is I try to take account of the surroundings. I do initial observations and that includes the size of the place. Now, if we're going to a bar or a club, how big is this place? Is there a dance floor? Are there tables, chairs, narrow hallways, where are the exits? Is it full of people? Check the crowd size. And speaking of the crowd, what's the vibe, what's the energy of the room? Is it more of a club concert where people are more amped up, or is it more subdued like a quiet bar? Also take into account what security measures are in place. Are there cameras, or are the cameras? Are there security guards, are there cops outside? Some clubs have cops on the outside, you know, some clubs and even some bars have bouncers, so just kind of, you know, take stock of what's around you. Also one of my favorite things is, and this is just my personal pet peeve or not pet peeve, this is my personal thing that I do a lot, is whenever I go somewhere new, I check the traction on the floor. I like to make sure is it slippery, is it gravelly, am I going to get caught? Am I going to be able to move? Am I going to be able to run? Just something to keep in the back of the mind so that you know what surface you are working with. Also furniture and bars. You've got tables and chairs, bar stools. Also any obstacle layout. Is it one big open room? Or are there half-walls, are there booths? Is the bar, you know, just a straight line or does it go around? Just take account the size, layout and energy of the place that you're going into, especially the first time you're there. Also how is the visibility? You know, a lot of clubs have low lights, concert halls, bars. They will have low lights. Some of them are still smoky. So other places might have strobe lights, laser lights, whatever. So anything that might obstruct your vision, just keep that in mind. Be aware of it. Keep an eye on strange behavior. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying go out there and profile people and spend your whole night watching this person, watching that person. You're there to have fun, relax. But if you notice somebody acting strange, maybe someone who appears to be intoxicated or somebody who seems confrontational or someone who might not be quite right or if you're not comfortable with the way a person's behaving, just keep an eye on them. Just avoid them if you can. Also, sometimes if you do find a person that is acting suspicious and not to label anybody but say there is a drunk person at the bar and he's causing trouble, don't assume he's alone. This actually happened with my wife one night. She was out with one of her friends and her friend had a little bit too much to drink against warnings. And she actually kind of passed out at the table. I got the phone call. I was on my way to pick them up. But during this time, there was a drunk guy who was going around bar table to bar table and just kind of harassing people. He was trying to be friendly, but he wouldn't leave people alone. And I could hear him on the phone. He was coming up to my wife several times. And she said, no, we're good. He's like, we can take you home. We're good. The bottom line though is he was not alone. There was a whole group of table of friends he was with who were doing nothing to curb his behavior. They were actually more laughing at him, but never assume a person is by themselves. So even if one person's going around the room, just be aware they might not be alone. And if something happens with this person, you do not know how they're going to react. Are they going to come and rescue their friend? Are they going to join him? Are they going to defend him? Are they going to try to restrain him? You never know. If there is a person that is making you uncomfortable or you feel there might really be something wrong with them, if you feel unsafe, just alert a security guard or a bouncer just to say, hey, look, so-and-so is acting kind of funny. Just keep an eye on them. All right, so let's take it one notch up. Say now a threat is starting to appear. You've noticed somebody who's acting suspicious or made you uncomfortable and you've tried to avoid them. And for whatever reason, things are starting to heat up. Somebody is trying to start something with you. So first thing is you have to determine is this person actually being a threat or are they just annoying you? I've had people in the bar who wouldn't leave me alone, but they're just talking. They're just chatting. They're drunk or they're lonely. They're not threatening, but you could tell that things went a couple levels up. If they got agitated, they could become a threat. So first you have to determine are you in danger, is this person a threat? Because people can be drunk. They can be high. They might be sober. You don't know a person's state. You don't know their background. There's people sometimes around medication that make them appear to be one way when they're actually not. So it's part of that how you feel if you feel this person's gonna be a threat. Are you with people that you care about? Keep that in mind. Of a fight where they break out, they could be at risk. You know nothing about this person. You have no idea how good they are. You have no idea if they have new weapons. You have no idea how aggressive they can be or if they're alone. So if you are with family and friends and people you care about, you might wanna take some extra precautions and just try to diffuse or avoid a situation if possible. And sometimes it's a matter of just cooperating with them and listening to this person. And again, I kinda wanna point to another example. One time last year my wife and I were out and it was a good, it was a party at a bar. A friend was having a birthday. There was one fellow there who was getting drunker and drunker and drunker and he was the life of the party. He was buying people drinks. He was being friendly. He was chatting up. As the night went on, he started getting a little bit aggressive. Not physically, but more verbally. He was getting upset quicker and he was a big fellow. So you're like, oh, you're kind of, people were trying to cut him off at this point. But the thing that was, you can't assume that he was dangerous or that he was trying to start a fight. We actually found out that he had a family member who was unfortunately murdered the previous year and there was information about the case, whatever it was going on. He was having a really, really bad day. He was not trying to start any trouble. He really wasn't a threat to people. He was just upset. He was loud. So again, you don't know the state of a person. In cases like that, sometimes it pays off just to cooperate. You know, if they come up to you say, hey buddy, you know, I can't, whatever they're saying, you might be like, oh yeah, you're right. You're right. Oh no, yeah, no problem sir, whatever. Listen to them. Sometimes that's all they want and sometimes that's enough to get them to cool down or come down another level. It might be an annoyance and it might be an inconvenience, but if you can spend five minutes to pacify them and avoid a fight, it's kind of worth it and you can go about your life. So basically my point though is there's so many variables. There's no definite. You don't know a person. So just try to look for ways to defuse a fight. You don't want a fight to happen if it doesn't have to. Okay, so say it finally happens. You've done the best that you can that you have tried to defuse a situation, you've tried to avoid it, but now you're actually in a confrontation with a person. Now you have to decide how are you going to respond? How much of a threat is this person? Are you talking about somebody who's, is this a drunk friend? Or just a guy who's just having a bad day and drunk and he's just kind of getting shovy. Maybe you're gonna restrain him. Maybe a couple of takedowns you can hold in place. Or somebody where you really have to hurt. You have to strike them. It's like they're a real danger to you. Or is this a situation where deadly force is needed? There are big, big differences in these scenarios. You know, if you're out with somebody, you know, you can have a friend who's got a bad day and he gets drunk and starts swinging. You're not gonna wanna break his arm and his nose and his ribs. You're gonna wanna restrain him. A stranger you don't know. At the heat of the moment, you have to decide what level of response is appropriate for this situation. And if you find that you have to respond, strategically place yourself in the room. Again, hopefully you've looked at the layout and the room and the furniture and the exits. So try to position yourself in areas where you can escape easily if you have to. You can work your way towards doors. Walls you might be able to use, you know, to cover your back if there's multiple people, but you don't wanna get caught in a corner either. Bar soles, are they fixed or are they freestanding? If you're sitting in a bar stool that is freestanding and somebody shoves you, that won't take much for that bar stool to tip over. So if you don't get to your feet quickly, you can find yourself on your back and in trouble real quick. If it's a fixed bar stool, you can either brace against it or launch off of it. Or if you see that something is kind of heating up, you can kind of get to the edge of your seat and get your feet in the floor in position where you can stand quickly if you have to. The bar itself. The bar itself is a hard fixed structure. It can be used to your advantage. It can also be used up against you. You don't wanna be pushed up and have your back and spine rammed up against that bar, possibly even bent over it, but at the same time, too, you can use that to the other person. It is part of the room. It is fair game to be used. Possible weapons. Objects. You are in a venue that's got glass, plateware, silverware, chairs. These are all very big thrusters. Nothing's stopping anybody from grabbing. You all see in the movie, grabbing a glass bottle, breaking it using his knife or silverware. I mean, there might be actual knives on the table. The floor, going back to the traction. You know, the floor, it's a bar. It might be sticky, it might be totally fine, but if something starts to break out, there could very easily be something spilled on the floor. Now it might be slippery, it might be sticky. There might be broken glass. I'm sorry, presenting to just you guys out there. You don't wanna go to the floor in this setting if you do not have to. This is not the prime grappling arena, especially with broken glass on the floor, especially with a crowd of people who can kick you. You don't know who's with who. So just try to avoid going to the floor if you have to, stay on your feet. This is not an environment that you wanna be on the floor for very long, if at all. And you know, I mentioned this before too about the crowd and this is why I mentioned about the energy of the crowd, read the vibe, because there's a good chance depending on the setting that you're in, other people might join in, even if they're not related to the initial confrontation. If you're at a concert with young teenagers, there's probably a more likelihood that people are gonna jump in and get excited and the adrenaline's gonna rush and more people will get involved versus maybe you're out and maybe it's more of an older crowd and somebody's starting trouble, there's less likely of other people from jumping in. And also if people do jump in, you have no idea what side they're gonna take. Are they going to attack you? Are they gonna defend you? Are they gonna attack the other side? You have, or they just, this is gonna be a big free for all. I mentioned this in the previous video about environmental awareness. We actually did this drill with kids. In some of the kids' classes, there's a sparring drill I like where we set up like a little fake restaurant. We call it the restaurant game. I said the kick master pads, we put up the gym mats, we make walls, we bring out the kicking shields, we make tables, and we kind of build a cafeteria for them. And they're all in their gear. And what I do is I'll send one kid out of the room and I'll choose three attackers or four attackers or two attackers. They never know the number. I'll pick a couple people who's gonna be the attackers. And then I call the other person back in. And the whole point of the game is they kind of mingle around until I say the word go and the attackers are going to go after the main person. And they don't know if they're gonna be attacked by one, two, three, or four people because it's up to them if they wanna attack at once or one at a time or two at a time. And the goal is for them to defend themselves and not stand there and fight and try to take them on but to get out of there. The whole goal is to get around the obstacles, use the obstacles, and get out of the bar. Get out of the restaurant to one of us or the security guards so they can learn to defend themselves and escape. But what's funny though is, and this happens every single time, say I pick three people, okay, you three kids are gonna be the bad guys. So when so-and-so comes out, you attack them. Once it starts going, by the end of it, there's usually four or five people fighting them. And it's like, well, I didn't call you but it's part of the example to show that, look, just because they weren't with this group doesn't mean they won't get involved. And I actually had one boy try to defend one girl and she hit him because she didn't know and he's like, Mr. Dan, she hit me, I was just trying to protect her. And I said, but you don't know that, she doesn't know that. So again, that is a big question mark variable. Other people getting involved and you have no idea what role they're gonna take. So you got to be careful and be very aware of that. Is there a pool table? You know, a lot of bars have pool tables. This opens up a lot of possibilities. I mean, you've got pool six, they can be weapons. Table itself is a very heavy fixed object to have to work around. You've got the billiard balls, they can be weapons, you can strike with them, they can be thrown. This is very different than say an open dance floor which has a totally different dynamic or a set of tables. So it's again, something to be aware of the fact of a pool table being in the environment does change the dynamic. Now, a lot of things you see in movies, I've fortunately not been in the bar front myself. I try to avoid those situations. But who has not seen the movie where, you know, a fight breaks out in the bar and they make it look like this big, exciting brawl. You know, if someone's chasing each other around the pool tables and one guy grabs the light and pushes it and swings into the other person or, you know, beer bottles broken over the head and people would just kind of brush it off. In reality, that's just movie glamour. You break a beer bottle in someone's head or if someone breaks one on your head, you are going to be hurt. It's not like the sugar glass they use in movies. It is a hard object, is a blunt object, especially if the beer bottle is full and you are struck with it. If that bottle breaks, that means you were hit with a lot of force. You're getting cut, you're getting a concussion if you're not, if you're even still conscious. Getting struck with an object like that is not like the movies. It's not like a quick brush off, oh, for coming to value. It's incredibly dangerous. So as you also see pool cues and chairs broken over people's back and they're like, oh, distracted. No, you hit somebody hard enough with a chair that the chair breaks. That person's getting hurt or you're getting hurt. Don't believe the movies. Bar fights and movies are meant for entertainment and fun. That's not how they are in real life. People get hurt for real. So like I said before, you want to deal whatever you can to diffuse or avoid a situation but sometimes crap happens and you have to deal with it. But don't think of, okay, I'll beat this guy up. Everything's done, everything's good, I can go home. Just be aware that whatever happens, there are consequences. There could be possible charges filed. Depends on how the situation started. Again, make sure you look defensive at the beginning because there's now liability in the play. The other party can claim that you started it. So if there are cameras or if there are witnesses, make sure they saw you trying to say, hey man, I don't want any trouble. Show that you were defensive ahead of time. So just to wrap this all up, this is not to make you paranoid. It's not saying, hey, you have to be on Robocop mode the whole night. Have fun, be relaxed, enjoy the company you're with but be smart about it. Be alert and just be responsible. That's all and just know what you're working with. So I hope you guys enjoyed this episode. If you have any other environments you suggest or would like to explore or if you have any experience in this, please share it below because this is where we can discuss this. This is where we can share our ideas and be all smarter and safer together. And so thank you very much. Please be sure to subscribe. Click on that bell icon for more notifications and we'll see you in the next video. Thank you.