Bouncer chronicles- How to hire a bouncer

When I was running my nightclub in the 70s and 80s we often started our after work play around 3am.  My shift started at 6pm where we prepped the night and began to get busy at 9pm. If you came after 10 you probably waited in line at the door for at least a half an hour.

There were always two bouncers at the door.  I was the manager and third bouncer most nights and backed the guys up and took charge if things started to get heated there. We had last call about 1:30 am and had all drinks off the tables at 2.  The music was done and people started heading home or sometimes congregated at a local all night diner for some late/early breakfast.

The nightclub crew’s night then began.  We mixed drinks for ourselves and often times played cards or pool for a few hours before we headed home.  By this time it was 4 or 5 am and the only place open was the gas station across the street where we would fill up the car for the 30 minute drive back to Norwich.

Having stopped at the gas station many times we often would chat up the attendant who did not see many people stopping in at this late hour.  It was a local eighteen year old named Gary who was always asking questions about the bar and wanted to know all the details.  He was interested in the bar fights and were were happy to tell him all about them.

One night as we were gassing up there were a couple of bikers hassling him at one of the pumps.  These were big biker guys with the hard look you would expect.  I heard that they had gotten gas and ridden off a few nights before and never paid.  They were back for more and thought they might intimidate this teenager and take advantage with their local toughguy big rep.

My brother and I started to walk towards them to offer Gary some backup, but, before we knew what happened he waded into them.  Gary who was an all state wrestler pounded them, tossed them and sent the home with a verbal spanking to never come back.  This all happened in a minute and there was never a need for any help.

After the bikers left Gary came over to us.  I only had two questions.  One, are you ok, and two do you want a job as a bouncer where you can get paid to fight and meet girls too?

I have been friends with Gary for over fourty years.  After high school he joined the marines and while stationed in Okinawa went in to become an accomplished back belt and judo competitor.  I even taught him some karate for a few years.

I think I will have to get more bouncer stories from him as we reminisce over the old days.

Grandmaster Ed Parker

Grandmaster Ed Parker, founder of American Kempo was a legend in the martial arts world.

This is my day with the Grandmaster.

Several years ago I attended a KRANE tournament hosted by Tony Cogliandro up in the Boston area.  Tony had been training with Ed Parker for a few years and hosted him as a special guest.  Parker was to be a judge in my black belt rings that day.  As usual at that time I had a pretty good day and was able to chat with him after the event.  As you might think he was heavily in demand.  We took this photo and we went our separate ways.

Over the course of the year Master Parker traveled all over the world teaching and meeting thousands of new people.  It was again time for Tony’s event and I was looking forward to attending. As soon as I entered the gym I turned to see Master Parker was again in attendance.  He walked over to me, shook my hand and said “Hi Mike, competing again this year?”

I was floored.  With all the people he knows and meets every year he remembers my name!  I was stunned and honored with that moment.  It was then I decided to attend his long running and prestigious event in Long Beach, California.

The internationals had been a who’s who event over the decades even having a famous Bruce Lee demo there a few years before.  The afternoon before I went to sign up with one of his daughters.  In New England a tournament was about 40.00 with extra events being about 10.00 additional per event.  The internationals were 80.00 per event, two events 160.00, wow!  When I mentioned our sliding scale to the Parker daughter she just laughed, she said you are not in Connecticut anymore!

I wanted to pay my respects to Master Parker (in Cali they called him Mr. Parker).  I was escorted into a private back room where he sat on a throne like chair taking audiences.  Very regal indeed.

I did take first place in weapons there and met Professor Toro Tanaka who was standing at the edge of my ring when I was competing.  Only about 3,000 competitors that day.

A memorable day with the Grandmaster.

Bouncer Chronicles - 5- Listen to the jungle sounds

Listen to the jungle sounds.

It was three months since we opened Michael's Place.  We had gotten the kinks out and the nightclub was really cooking.  We were off to a great start.  Anyone who did not arrive before 9 pm usually had to wait in line to get in, we were that kind of busy.

Being a new club we had the drinks flowing, the music blasting  and the crowd was revved up.  Week after week we had picked up steam and business did not seem like it could not get any better.  The dress code was keeping the clientele civilized and we met so many nice people.  And just then my college roommate who was also bartending jinxed us.

"You know we have been open for three months and we have not had even one fight yet"

 And then it just exploded.  Across the room a crowd of patrons had come together in a close group.  With the darkly lit atmosphere and the loud music we had not seen the conditions change.  The crowd in that area appeared to sway back and forth kind of like a school of fish darting back and forth.  We then noticed the animated movement, then the fists started flying.

By the time we had made our way over it was a full out brawl.  Five or more people were exchanging blows and people had stepped back from the melee.  We started ripping people apart and throwing them to the ground.  As soon as we did that the action stopped.  That was our baptism into bouncing at the new bar.  This was always followed by an after action meeting on how we could have done it better.

The key takeaway.  Keep scanning your environment for a change in the rhythm.  Just like in the jungle, when it gets quiet a predator is near.

Stay safe!

Mike Bogdanski

Roldan

        Roldan

Just like you might use the name "Cher", "Bono" or "Elvis, this late great martial artist is Wilfredo Roldan, martial arts Grandmaster.

His experiences and resume are a mile long and you can google him for his bio.  Here is a link that mentions just a few of his many accomplishments.

I was sad to hear of his recent passing.  He seemed perpetual to me, always full of motion, energy and, life.  I often saw his Facebook posts, photos of his seminars and travel, and often his acting gigs (usually/ always in the NYC area). To me, he was one of the greatest martial artists I have ever known.

Being lifelong friends with the famous Goju Grandmaster Chuck Merriman, I had the great privilege of spending many days with him over the years and he would share stories of many of his friends.  This day would be a personal insight to the notoriety of Roldan.

They were the pioneers in the New York City martial arts days.  They trained many days in the dojo of the unique Grandmaster, Peter Urban, and lived to tell about it.  This is the story of one night in New York.

Roldan had a unique sense of humor.  One night when they were done training they were waiting for the elevator to take them back down to the street so they could make their way home.  Roldan mentioned to Chuck,  one of these nights when we get in the freight elevator (with not much light) I will throw myself down on the floor, scream like I was falling down the shaft and make everyone have a fright, then a big laugh.

The next night a big group of the students walked toward the elevator.  Roldan ran ahead, whipped open the door and jumped in.  He made a huge scream and made sounds that made it seem real.

Only, it was.

While they were in the class someone had moved the elevator back down and Roldan did fall down the shaft and was injured with some broken limbs.  So much for the joke!

It was not long after that I attended several tournaments and got to know Roldan pretty well.  He was a great competitor and friend and we always hit it off.  One day we were competing at Charlie Ferraro's tournament and Roldan and I were lined up to do weapons forms.  I competed and then he followed.  After his performance, one of the judges asked him if he knew he had to do a traditional form.  He says "I did,  My form has a tradition of three years"!

Oh Roldan we will miss you.  Another great one gone

Mike Bogdanski

Neal Hoffler- “Worlds Most Dangerous Man”

Neal "Hop" Hoffler is one of the toughest men I have ever met.
 

Here we are competing at the Vermont nationals in Rutland.  Master Hoffler is my senior in TSD and always was there to help "train" us when were were hot on the tournament circuit and striving to become champions.

Master Hoffler grew up on the streets of Waterbury, Connecticut and learned how to fight way before coming in to learn martial arts.  His reputation in town was unparalleled.  

While Steve Best, Doug Peoples and Karen Harvey and I were blazing the tournament circuit and sponsoring our own tournament we thought it would be a great idea to bring a group out for a senior team match.  Master Jeff Goldberg, Master Hoffler, Clarence von Wilder and Tony Molina brought it that day in Meriden.  It was great to see them (our teachers) banging it out on the gym floor.

It was the start of a small resurgence.  In a few months Jeff and we sparred in New Haven against New England Patriot Andre Tippett.  Master Hoffler sparred in Maine and after sweeping an opponent to the ground football kicked his head.  It was a scary moment.  Master Hoffler carried a lot of street fight in his point sparring.

Master Hoffler used to get us ready before our matches.  We would stand against a wall, all geared up to go, and Master Hoffler would just beat on us for a few minutes while we absorbed the punishment.  He then told us "No one can fight you any harder than I just did, now get out there and win".

Thank you to Tang Soo Do pioneer Neal "Hop" Hoffler for showing us how to be tough and humble at the same time.  We needed strong mentors and I will always grateful.

Mike Bogdanski

A Tribute

 Tribute- a definition.

An act, statement, or gift that is intended to show gratitude, respect, or admiration.

The dedication in this book reads;

To Kwan Jang Nim Mike Bogdanski and SBN Kristin Duethorn who show that true leadership has no gender.

To Master Bogdanski, with appreciation for all I have learned and gained from you.

Gary Powell, author.

Description:

An exciting new book exploring why we have not seen the enduring changes that were once optimistically anticipated. Each chapter tackles an important question around gender and leadership, such as 'Why do leader stereotypes emphasize masculinity?', 'Why are there so few women in top management positions?' and 'Why do (some) men in top management feel free to sexually harass women?'.  

Leading international scholar in the field, Gary N. Powell explores cutting-edge topics including; the appropriate role of masculinity in leadership,  the ever-so-small numbers of female CEOs,  and sexual harassment by men in power such as Harvey Weinstein and the resulting #MeToo movement. 

With suggestions of practical steps that would work toward achieving a workplace in which all employees can reach their leadership potential regardless of their gender, Gender and Leadership is an important read for students and faculty members alike across the social sciences and humanities.

Thank you to our student Gary Powell for the kind words and extraordinary honor to be mentioned in this regard.  I am deeply touched by this recognition and always hope we as modern martial artists live up to this great ideal.

KJN Bogdanski

Do your children have everything they need for back to school #1

Do your children have everything they need for back to school? 

Going back to school means shopping for new clothes, maybe a backpack, school supplies and more.  However, preparing your child for September may take more preparation than a visit to the store.  Here are some of our top “Back to School” suggestions to keep your children healthy and safe. 

Teach your child the importance of exercise.  Getting sufficient exercise enhances mental function.  Moderately intense exercise increases your energy, stimulates a good mood, reduces anxiety and releases a chemical that rewires your brain to make better memory circuits.  It has to be a regular occurrence to maintain healthy brain function. 

Teach your children to get enough sleep.  We tell students about the importance of a restful night of sleep in order to have a strong body and strong mind. Muscles repair themselves when you are sleeping.  Many adults are sleep deprived too.  A good night's sleep will help enhance the learning and retention of the day's activities. 

Teach your children to eat a healthy breakfast.  Sending your child to school with fuel for the day is critical.  What would you feed your prize racehorse before sending them out to win a race?  Children who eat breakfast do better in school than children with an empty stomach.  Kids have different needs than adults when it comes time for cognitive work.  Between the constant stimulus of learning and the brain growing, children need more energy to function. 

Teach your children how to set a goal for excellence.  At Quest Martial Arts we say "We are a Black Belt school" using Black Belt as a metaphor for doing their best.  From the very first day a student enrolls we set the standard for high achievement and we expect to see improvements in class, at home and in school.  Our instructors always teach students that you don't need a Black Belt to have a Black Belt attitude, just try your best (although many children have not yet learned what their best is).  Give them some daily examples of excellence.    

Teach your children how to self-evaluate a performance.  A simple way to for kids to appraise their performance is to ask them to grade their effort on a scale of one to ten. One is stinky, rotten and not too good and level ten is a world class performance.  Which one do they want to be? 

The final lesson to get ready for school- (PPPPP)- perfect planning prevents poor performance. 

Master Mike Bogdanski has a Bachelor's degree in psychology and a Master's degree in school counseling.  He is a co-owner of Quest Martial Arts in Putnam with Master Kristin Duethorn, and are celebrating thirty years in business.   

The ANTI Bully

Many people know my story.  Bullied and beat up as a teen turned me to martial arts.  Often times over the years I have been invited to many classrooms to talk about our martial arts program.

I always brought my “story” about being bullied and beat up and how that experience motivated me to learn martial arts and then help others avoid this terrible experience if at all possible.  The trauma I suffered from being beaten up still lingers in my soul and the anguish comes right back when I tell the story of being beaten up.

Then one day my life changed again when the news flashed the absolutely horrible story of the Columbine shooting in Colorado.  It hit me right in the heart.  Not only for the victims that were shot, their friends and families,  but to the young men that had been harassed for years and thought they had no outlet for their frustration, except for getting some guns and shooting up a school.

I made a decision.  I was going to reach more kids, more classrooms, and more schools and let then turn their hate to hope.  It was time.

See more on my anti bully website

mikebogdanski.com

Bouncer Chronicles - 4

In some of these chronicles it may seem like things got a little rough.  They really weren't.  Although... 

One rainy dark Sunday night we were closing the bar, the doors were locked and there was a knock at the door.  There were double glass doors and someone was asking to come in and use the phone because his car had broken down.  This was way before cell phones but there was a payphone at the diner next door.     

I politely refused him and directed him to the payphone.  He argued with me and even kicked the door once because he was mad.  He eventually stormed away.  We had plenty of cash for the day and I was wary of this guy.  I kept thinking, all he had to do was pull out a gun, point it at me and demand to come in.  I would have been at his mercy and felt totally vulnerable.

The next week I bought a gun.