There are some people in my school's chain that teach some weapons but it's not currently happening at my school's location. I wouldn't mind learning a couple of weapons (escrima, bo, sai, and chucks) Sai would be my top choice but that was more because I was always fasicnated but the Ralphael from Ninja Turtules. Another student that use to be my college professor, we have some interesting discussions, she and I have both have different backgrounds, she studied several other arts and I being a former wrestler, back on topic she once said, "weapon can be useful but it's something that can be taken away and you should focus on your techinques before you even think about weapons" which has helped me focus more on what I'm doing and turn down the desire to want to learn weapons right away. (Maybe I might seek training after balck belt).

Nothing inherently wrong with a chain school.  Our school became a chain school last summer when we opened a second location.  I guess if you think about it, all KKW schools are a loose chain in a general sort of way.  Chain school or McDojo, if the instruction is good, then that is all that counts.  I have seen some very fine instructors in some of the most cheesy McDojo style schools (seen some pretty horrid ones too).

Daniel

In escrima the hardest thing for me was learning when to drop the stick.  As you engage (especially to the inside) if your opponent is skilled enough he may be able to trap the weapon and if he does there is a time when the stick becomes more of a hinderence than an asset so you have to learn when to drop the stick, giving it up to the guy, and go hand to hand. 

But I her thinking is flawed, in the times that we live in learning weapons training is 99% for demo I can honestly say that short of a pistol, pepper spray, or taser like device, I personally don't know of anyone training in weapons for self defense.  You don't see guys walking down the street with nunchuks, or a sword, or tonfas, or even escrima sticks.  As a matter of fact if a cop pulls you over and your on you way to class and your weapon of choice is within reach in the car they can arrest you carrying that weapon.  So she is right about work your hand to hand for defense but wrong abut even thinking that weapons training is about self defense.  It is, what it is, cool to be proficient and flash with sticks and blades in the foot steps of our martial arts forefathers 

All that being said, I always thought that in a combative situation I was more likely to find something resembling a stick than anything else.

O_G, I don't think she talking strictly MA weapons, but any weapon. What took away from her statement is that you can't rely on a weapon for everything.  Cops don't, around me they have guns, tasers, peper spray, batons because they know they could lose some of those things.  Some people who know how to use gun thinks they are untouchable but once they don't have that firepower they are useless.  I agree with what you are saying all the MA weapons we can learn is more for show then anything else.

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O_G, I don't think she talking strictly MA weapons, but any weapon. What took away from her statement is that you can't rely on a weapon for everything.  Cops don't, around me they have guns, tasers, peper spray, batons because they know they could lose some of those things.  Some people who know how to use gun thinks they are untouchable but once they don't have that firepower they are useless.  I agree with what you are saying all the MA weapons we can learn is more for show then anything else.

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I guess I've been pretty sheltered I hadn't even considered that.  Living in and around base in countries where guns are outlawed and in general living the family life not out there late at night in places where stuff happens I haven't needed to concern myself with it.  Past having to subdue a user who just lost 5 hrs worth of work because of a system crash, we live in a pretty safe environment.  Good call.