I never owed a bar but was married into a whole chain of em so did time behind them and learned early on which side of the bar I wanted to be on. It's hard work and the odds are against you.
My oldest brother tended bar for years....got pretty good at knocking drunks out with the ice scoop. All those years on the rubber pad finally got the arches in both his feet and he had to stop. Never got robbed (knock on wood) but had a few brawls to deal with. My bouncers were all college wrestlers and I was the cooler.....always had the nunchucks stuck behind my back. Best shot was a guy who had another guy on the floor with a broken glass to his throat....cracked him with a perfect temple-shot....not even a scratch on his victim's neck. And writing the payroll checks.....22 of them at one point...my signature now looks like I got cerebral palsy.