Well my height is okay compared to everyone in the pit (6') though I'm thin like I weight 130 lbs. So I don't have any kind of protective fat and when I'm hit by say an elbow, I know it, I'm 30 seconds in the pit I'll probably have bruises and it will hurt (well not that it really bothers) for days after. Though I like it, adds to the fun.

Straight up hardcore punk bands are fine, plenty of great shows in NY, it is mainly the metallic hardcore/metalcore/"moshcore" bands where it gets to be a problem.



Pretty much any strip club is full of sweaty guys, they're just in different places.

I did what was probably the most retarded thing I've ever done in my life - fun though, that should be noted.

I'm a small guy, really. Both short and thin, and this being my first live show, with Slayer of all bands, who have that tendency to get people moshing wildly...

... So little me goes into the fuckin' pit! No live experience whatsoever, 175cm, 50-ish kg (yes, I'm a bit underweight, I know), and I go into a mosh pit. For the five-or-so minutes I was there - let's just say I'm happy I have good balance, or I would've become a wet stain on the floor before anyone had even picked me up. I seriously thought "oh fuck, oh fuck, I'm gonna fuckin' die here!" until I managed to get out. In the end though, I even got out without being hurt... much.

My little moshing anecdote, and I'd like to add - unless you're a BIG guy, be careful. You're probably gonna end up fine, but... keep moving and think of the pit as a big, nasty animal - don't be afraid!
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Also, another thing to add, as for that concert and being 'round the floor. There was this huge guy (I'd guess nearing 1,90cm and probably closing 100kg, with dreads down to his ass, who did that annoying fucking hardcore dancing thing. I got a little too close (ironically, trying to move away from him) and got his dreads in my face. Funny how I barely got hurt in the pit, but this asshole, who probably didn't even know what he was doing on a Slayer show, comes and nearly ruins the night for me. Ouch, is all I can say, and maybe "fuck you" to people that does that kind of retarded, most likely forced, "dancing".

there are no rules, just go crazy and dont get influenced by harcore moshing

Moshing came from hardcore punk. Respect the hxc guys, and you wont get your ass handed to you.

Big guys need to watch out too, wannabe tough guys will try to pick fights with big guys and have their friends/crew/gang back them up when they start losing. I'm 6'10" (~209cm) and at any remotely mainstream or any -core (minus grindcore) show, there will be hardcore kids/crews/gangs trying to start fights. The hardcore power rangers flailing around will also throw face shots at tall guys, they don't always "accidentally" hurt people. There are plenty of hardcore fans who are clean in pits, but there are comparatively a lot more bad ones than metalheads.

Some of the toughest people I have seen in pits were smaller, a female friend who is around 5'6" and maybe 120 pounds will throw around the massive fat dudes who are 300+ pounds and other much bigger people.

Slayer pits are probably the toughest metal pit to start out in, due to both the bigger crowds, and the prevalence of huge/jacked bikers who can be pretty scary.

To the OP:
Stay aware of what's going on around you, brace yourself, keep accessories and that sort of stuff to a minimum, and try to be aware of whether or not you can handle the pit (depending on the average size of guys in it, the volume of alcohol that has been consumed, etc.). If it's too rowdy, I don't think anyone will look down on you for choosing not to join in.

I generally stay away from pits because of obvious size issues and I prefer to enjoy the band and do hair tricks on my own in the front or the sides. I sometimes hang around the fringes of the pit to have a look at what's going on or help people up in case they fall but that's about as far as my involvement usually goes. If the pit is friendlier, though, I'm not totally opposed to it.

Well just make sure you help people up when they got knocked down and not to mosh with people twice your size (I did this at a concert once and I got knocked out, it was actually pretty awesome).

Also, if you see a fucking slam-dancing wanker, kick them down or something.

Haha yeah I'm 13 I can tell people don't really know what to think when they see me at metal shows. I went in the mosh pit for a few seconds when I saw Cattle Decapitation, but went out.

I'm probably going to stay for longer in the pit when I go Destroy The Opposition next friday.

As long as you aren't inclined to be injured, go for it. Don't make the immature mistake a lot of people do in thinking that mosh pits should involve getting hurt, or intentional malicious violence. Mosh pits are friendly physical fun, a bunch of people slamming into each other, body on body, to accompany aggressive and violent music. You're in a pit with your brothers to have fun, not to fight or hurt people.

People do get hurt in mosh pits, but it is largely avoidable. I have been in a countless number of pits, and opted to avoid plenty of them too - I have never seen more than one person get hurt in a push pit at a metal show, where people shove each other around and slam into each other. If a hardcore/metalcore band is playing, there will likely be things associated with hardcore in the pit - karate (aka "playing power rangers"), fighting, crews/gangs and other unsavory groups, and other dumb shit that. I must note that I am referring to hardcore bands like Hatebreed and Terror for this type of hardcore, hardcore punk shows tend to not have much violence in the pit, sometimes karate shit and ska dancing don't mix with moshing, but the only problems I have had at this type of show was when a crew of hardcore tough guys started causing problems as some sort of scene-feud when I offered to help out some friends by doing security.

The type of music draws in different people with different tendencies, "moshcore" bands bring in a lot of unnecessary violence at times - bands like Hatebreed encourage clean pits, explain a few times per set that if someone falls down you pick them up, no fighting, no punching, etc. - other bands want the pits to get ridiculously violent, I guess its more fun because they are driving it, and it builds a reputation for them. Reputations such as this lead to shitty booking policies where the band is supposed to end the show if there is moshing - fuck the Knitting Factory in NYC, they ended a show during The Acacia Strain's second song after giving a warning, and they cancelled the two headlining bands after them, because they booked TAS expecting no moshing. The worst thing about this venue is that they cancelled a Napalm Death the next month, on the day of the show, because they were afraid of the same thing.

Most importantly:
-Mosh hard, mosh clean, you're playing it like a sport for fun, the objective is an intense mosh pit where nobody gets hurt.
-You are moshing with your brothers, don't do anything that you wouldn't do to your brother.
-If someone falls down, pick them up.

Avoid the pit if you don't want to be involved in hardcore karate, consider the pit if there are huge guys - I'm 6'10" (209cm) and my brother is an inch or two shorter, and we both look out for the smaller guys and girls and don't hit them too hard. I could be nearly three times your weight and we could safely be in the same pit, we just need to be attentive.

I'm too busy standing one foot on the stage airguitaring and headbanging with my mates. Moshing is a bit more a punk thing, I always thought. People don't really mosh at a lot of legit metal gigs that I've been to, or even punk gigs, for that matter.

The edge of the pit is the best place to be. You get to push and be pushed of course, but its a little more predictable; not having to fight a 360 degree battle allows more leway to headbang. Its a dirty job but someone has to do it. It's just a pain when assholes push people trying to exit the pit back toward the inside, watch out for that.

I work with a guy who went to a Dead Kenedys show at CBGB's where Blood for Blood was opening. A bunch of wiggers with FSU tattoos were in the pit and he decided to jump in only to have one big guy slam his head against the wall. He went down and the last thing he saw was a boot coming straight at his face. He went out and when he woke up he had broken ribs and a bite mark on his shoulder. Who the fuck bites in the pit? WIGGERS!!