As ahdus seems to be a theme of Sukkos, poking and shoving other congregants looks counter-productive. Is it the same in Israel, (areas where people serve) – one would think that people trained in holding their weapons safely should be able to deal with lulavim.
Maybe it is the idea – walking around with lulavim forces us to confront a need to be careful and not to poke others?
covid caveat: you can use a four amot long lulav to protect your private space.