Shinobi187

Always try other styles. If you aren't comfortable with the teaching style you are in it's best to make sure you really like it before investing too much time in a style or orginization.

In all Respect MasterH, Just about any WTF school is miles above ANY ATA school. The ATA is a great place to send a child to learn respect amd some exercise, but not REAL MA. WTF may be olympic TKD but IMHO is still miles above the ATA. I have visited around 20 ATA schools in the past few years and the all qualify as Mcdojos or Mcdaycares with 9 year old black belts. In regards to the ATA I allways have heard people defending them as saying "yeah, some ATA schools suck, but not mine!" Well you know what that excuse only works a few times. The ATA is about bilking studenst for money NOT about martial arts training. Perhaps when you studied with the ATA they were legit, but they no longer are. I encourage you to visit a few of their schools and you will see what I am talking about. --Shinobi187

Betrayal is a harsh word, most folks train at a plain old dojo/dojang not a Shaolin Temple or have been taught "Teh deadly" ninja secrets. just my .02$

Again, I can't talk about all ATA schools, but we do not have contracts. I think you should elaborate on all the ATA students you have been in contact with in fighting situations. Why do you feel it is only for sport, because you read it, or because you experienced it. If you want it to be for sport it will be for sport. If you want to use it for self defense you can use it for self defense. It is not the organization it is the instructor. I agree, it is based on the instructor not the organization as a whole. Perhaps the ATA students I met didn't come from the best of schools. I encourage people to evaluate several schools to get a good feel. Most schools should let you take at leat a couple of free classes. I also reccomend that you watch a black belt class to see the quality of the black belts in the school. Watching low level color belts isn't the best way to evaluate the school as a whole. On a side note ive met some really crappy WTF and ITF TKDist as well.

1 agree 100%, you are a paying customer. In my opinion if an instructor doesn't want you to cross train perhaps he's afraid you might discover that what he is teaching you is worthless.

ATA is OK for sport TKD, not for self defense. Make sure you read the contract carefully at an ATA school, they like to use 24 - 36 month contracts.

Use a small aquarium pump, or a siphon (so?) attachment for draining a waterbed.