Last time I say it. Chilton manual.
proceedure for changing hoses. Get a bucket. A big one. If you're only changing one hose, you only need to drain the rad to below the level of that hose. To clarify. One way or another, you're gonna drain it that far. Yank off a hose full of fluid, and it doesn't stay full long.
Usually, intelligent car manufacturers install a petcock (quit giggling) at the bottom of the rad. Unfortunately, intelligent car manufacturers seem to be getting rare. If there's no petcock, you have to do it the hard way. Since you're (hopefully) gonna change the bottom hose anyways, I personally opt for drilling a hole in the bitch (the hose, not the rad) and draining it that way, as opposed to yanking off a hose and having it piss everywhere as you try and guide it to the bucket. Do I really need to say that you don't use an electric drill for this? Thought so. BTW, it drains faster if you take off the rad cap.
Now, since you're going through all this bother, you've obviously bought all new hoses. You went to the parts store, told them the model and year, and they sold you all the right hoses. You asked for new clamps, and they gave you the right sizes. You asked for a new rad cap (it's a valve, remember?) and the right coolant for your model engine.
The question is, were you smart enough to hold one hose against the other and make sure they gave you the right ones before you went and started drilling holes?