grumpy

Hard to judge that one. I've taught plenty of kids and felt like I'm teaching a blank wall. And then seen them pull their act together during a grading day.

Kids classes are usually deliberately less structured than adult classes for two reasons. Firstly, parents expect their kids to be allowed to have fun, and complain if no slack is given. Second, instructors are aware they are kids and their attention span is less than that of adults. In practice, this means small kids may seem to be allowed to "goof off", but the intent is to allow them some slack. With kids, the reins are gradually tightened as they get older: the standard for teenagers is stricter than for small kids, and the standard for adults is stricter than for teenagers.
As I said, not everyone is cut out for teaching. If you're checking standard of teaching, the person to watch closely is the instructor in charge of the class. Watching BBs or assistants without checking the lead instructor is misleading: the BB or assistants are often there to learn as much as anyone else. If you saw a "BB club" or a "weapons event", you were seeing material that is INTRODUCED at black belt. Being a BB does not automatically imply ability to learn (or to teach new material). If the students you describe above had referred the problem to the lead instructor and s/he had muffed it, I would definitely be worried. If they didn't do that, it's hard to be sure if what you saw was significant or not.
Fair enuff.
I'd suggest learning to talk your way out of a problem, and building up your fitness so you can run away will help too. Using force to defend yourself (whether martial art training or pulling out a weapon) is a last resort.

In Australia, we're not allowed to carry ANY weapon (heck, we have a debate at the moment in one state about whether police should be allowed to carry weapons) so we have to consider other alternatives. None of this "right to bear arms" crap --- our laws focus more on the rights of people not to be shot in a pique of temper by some wanker with a gun. People being shot anywhere in Australia is a newsworthy event because of this, unlike the US where a day without ANYONE being shot would be newsworthy.

Infinite Recursion

Thanks for the info Grumpy. I watched the lead instructors as well as the students... the instructors were good at helping, but it was evident in that one instance that they weren't entirely aware of the procedure. In the blackbelt's defense, he was in "leadership training", but something so small as that... I would assume he would know... but further in his defense, after talking to him I found out that he just rejoined from a two year hiatus.

As far as confrontations, I typically try to avoid environments where I do not feel safe. I'm overly cautious as it is and in the event things start to "go south"... I take my leave. I certainly don't intend on packing a gun around with me everywhere I go... so that would definitely be a last resort. However, if someone comes in my home with ill intent... I will have no mercy as I pull the trigger. I'm overly protective to say the least.

The crime rates must be pretty low in Australia for the citizens trying to get the police to stop carrying wespons. Unfortunately, I can't say the same in regards to the US.

The Tae Kwon Do idea was just something to break my routine and to try and become more fit, not really out of a need for defense. Both of which I can do at the local gym for about $65USD cheaper and in the process have more options (pool, racquetball, track, etc).

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nnxion

How do you know if a visitor has ill intent? :p Maybe he just came stealing a cup of coffee.
I'm thinking that if someone comes into your house and has ill intent that he has a gun also and might be able to shoot faster, and more accurate than you. There are of course enough stupid thiefs, but I wouldn't kill one if I saw one, except if he had a gun out.

I wonder how America would do if guns were made illegal. How I'd react would depend on the situation of course. But shooting someone, I don't know if I could..

I find the local gym boring. An instructor instructing me and teaching me, would be cool.

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Infinite Recursion

Hah. If they are in my house uninvited, "ill intent" is assumed... thefore I take action and claim self defense.

If guns were made illegal in America, there would be a lot of "criminals"... I don't plan on giving mine up unless they pry my dead fingers from around them.

Yep, the local gym really sucks... but it beats buying the equipment and putting it in the spare room... I suppose jogging in the park is also a viable option.

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"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root."

Silvanus

I'm a fencer, which I suppose counts. I'd recommend fencing heartily; it has kept me sane through high school. It's the kind of sport that demands total focus on what you are doing, so fencing is great for NOT thinking about programming. It's also great for adults; I sometimes think they have a better time than we teenagers do- they seem to take it less seriously, not getting so upset when they lose.

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bl00dninja

fencing, curling, martial arts, PROGRAMMING...what do these all have in common? it's a sport you do by yourself.

i'm a 3rd degree black belt in shorin-ryu karate and have a black belt in okinawan aikijujutsu..."toide". haven't actively participated in it for years, but loved it when i did. amazing when you can fall off a ladder onto concrete and execute a backwards roll without even thinking about it. lots of benefits mental and physical, highly recommended.

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Ooble

Gonna have my black belt in Choi Kwang Do by August, hopefully. It's a lot of fun, and the attacks it uses are very powerful. No actual sparring, as it's geared towards health and fitness as well as being a martial art that will (hopefully) work on the street too. Anyway, I like it.

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Yarvin

I've been doing a modified Wing Chun style for quite a few years now.... My dad is my Teacher... ^_^

grumpy

That's not totally true, Bl00d.

Fencing is a competitive sport and, while there is a fair amount of training that can be done solo, it's a bit hard to compete or build a good standard without a sparring partner. Similarly with martial arts: there are the solo or "internal" activities, but a fair bit of any martial art involves working with others. Curling, AFAIK, is a team sport.

And a lot of software engineering (including the arguably lowest form, programming) often involves both working in development teams and with customers. It is possible to produce software on your own, but most non-trivial work is done in teams.

Ooble

Curling's a real sport? I thought they just made that up for the Olympics!

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