Jeremy said:
And in such a situation, preconceptions will get you killed or hospitalized.
True, never underestimate a "situation". You never know what the other person knows, or can do.
Jeremy said:
I took TKD pre-high school, got bullied around in high school, and found that fear and others not playing by your rules can quickly add up to your sparring meaning very little.
It's too bad that whatever type of TKD you took didn't work for you. But very good that you've found something else in it's place.
Jeremy said:
That's why I really like the drilling and muscle memory aspects of San Soo. I want to know that if a situation occurs that endangers myself, my wife, or my child, at least my body will remember what to do until the adrenaline kicks in.
If you were taking the same type of TKD that I am currently you would have found the same thing. Lots of drilling, & muscle memory. Improve tests for basic, & advanced self-defence are common place. Not just the stereotypical "TKD frontal sparring attacks" but grapples, back attacks, & the whole gambit of possibilities.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I'm better prepared then you, or I can kick Mr. X's @$$. I'm just restating the point that style means nothing. In the end (high mastery) most styles are very effective, & have borrowed from one another, or come to the same conclusion regardless of the path. (as there's a finite amount of ways for a human to attack & defend it's self). What matters is how good you are, & how good your teacher was.
Jeremy said:
Is it just me, or does San Soo attract a whole gamut of people. We've got 45+ mothers, young teens, armed forces vets, and everything in between in our class for every imaginable reason.
We've got the token group of 3 early twenties guys with one leader and two cronies who enjoy going to bars and sporting events and shooting their mouths off to see if they can attract trouble. Y'know, the ones who come back week after week talking about the 11 on 4 they got into that was over after a couple of eye gouges, knee breaks, and groin shots in 7 seconds when everyone decided running before the cops showed up was a good idea.
But we've also got the 20 something guys who are in here trying to fight the battle of the bulge (weight gain to those of you who don't have to deal with it yet), the young teens who are just looking for some confidence, the mothers who tell themselves its for self defence but really come because they like the people, young girls who enjoy the flexibility and excerise more than hours in the gym, and the men who come because they want to be deadly...
I'm one of the people trying to slim down if it matters. 
And if I can get some weapons training to look really good in the mirror while working out with the staff, sword, or double sticks then I'll be very happy.
This type of thing is common for most martial arts, at least that I know of in "western" cultures it is.
Jeremy said:
But after seeing what happens when it's on blacktop and the guy really wants you beaten on the floor bloody, he's got 4 friends, and he's not interested in staying at a distance trading blows, I'll opt for foot speed and avoiding of confrontation for now.
Only hero's & fools pick, or involve themselves in confrontations such as this. Sure I understand that there are indeed times when they just happen, & that there is no control over those times. However unless you think you're in a movie, most people would try to run or defuse the situation (regardless of style). Don't ambiguously "knock" another's interests, when those interests may serve certain people perfectly well. Or as well as your interests serve you.
