Grenadier

Saturday morning cartoons are not necessarily telling the truth. My explanation is probably full of holes as well, but at least it should hold more water than what the cartoon world asserts to be the case. Nunchaku, as well as several other weapons associated with martial arts, were derived from agricultural tools, since it wasn't unusual for peasants / non-nobility to be forbidden from owning swords (or whatever weapons of war there were). Nunchaku came from the agricultural flail, and were easily concealed within one's clothing.

Regardless of rank, we're all still students of the martial arts, and are continually learning, striving to attain mastery of one's self (which none of us will ever do). You are not the problem. As long as you are happy with your dojo, and know that you are getting good training there that fits your needs, then that's what is most important. I would wager that your friend's husband is somewhat insecure about himself, or possibly simply closed-minded. If he is closed-minded, then the only thing you can really do is play the waiting game, and hope that he one day wakes up to the fact that he's hurting his own development. If you've already visited his dojo, and if he refuses to come to yours, its simply not the right time. In the meantime, if he continues to belittle others in that manner, it's OK to give him a gentle reminder that courtesy is one of the most important parts for all martial arts.

I have mixed feelings about half-kyu grades, since it all depends on the circumstances. If you have a class comprised of adults and older children, I would wager, that you're going to be better off avoiding the half-kyu methods. However, for classes that are mostly younger children, it might serve you better in the long run, to throw them the proverbial bones along the way.

Failing a belt test is always a great disappointment, both to the student who failed, as well as to the instructor (I've been on both sides, and even recently as a student). How well the student and teacher recovers from such disappointment (believe me, it IS a depressing thing, indeed, on both sides), depends on the strength and experience of the people involved. It's not entirely unusual to see a beginner / intermediate student, who failed a test, quit entirely. Many times, they're simply not experienced enough (both in and out of the classroom) to deal with such failures, and let their feelings of depression get the better of them. While some folks may discard such students and say "well, they would have been weeded out anyways," and while I may somewhat agree with that statement, I still believe that there are those who simply needed more development, and could have easily passed the retaking of the test in the future, and could have become excellent martial artists in due time. To casually throw away diamonds in the rough might not be the best idea, IMHO. Failing a student at a low rank is very likely to cause quitting, while those who are more advanced, and have seen such things in the past, seem to be less likely to quit. Usually, this predicament is avoided by not letting the student test until the instructor deems that he is ready to do so, but even then, we're all only human, and mistakes can occur. Failing an advanced student shouldn't cause quitting, assuming that the student is sufficiently mature to handle such things, and that he is willing to try even harder the next time. At this point, I would have to agree, that it's up to the student to pick himself up, and rebuild (of course, with encouragement from the teacher).

Assuming you've had previous experience, I'd recommend going with a medium or heavweight gi. There are all sorts of 10 oz and 12 oz cotton gi's (some brushed cotton, some ordinary canvas) that will be plenty durable. If you decide that you need a heavier gi (14+ oz), then you'll know what to get by then. Besides, even if you end up buying another 14+ oz gi, it's not as if you're going to stop using the 10-12 oz gi entirely.

Wouldn't it just be easier to wear cloth / padded shin guards during classes? They really don't take up any bulk, and won't cause any undue distractions when others block your kicks.

Difficult to say... Assuming you went from 9th Kyu to 8.5 Kyu (sorry for the lack of a better term), I would guess that your next jump up would be to 8th Kyu, unless your school allows for the skipping of various ranks along the way for exceptional cases.