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This quiz was our 2026 April Fool's Day prank. Please see more here: https://karateforums.com/topic/52511-april-fools-the-is-your-martial-arts-school-a-mcdojo-quiz/ Hope everyone had a great day. Patrick

Hey all, Our April Fool's Day prank this year was to launch a quiz where you could find out if your school is a "McDojo" or not, just to poke fun at the idea and understandable sensitivities around it. It was actually possible to be told that your school was not a McDojo, and that happened in 2 of 13 results. The quiz remains online at the moment, and will be for the foreseeable future, so please feel free to play with it. But for the sake of posterity, please find the questions and answers from the quiz, and how they informed whether or not you were told that you were in a McDojo. The answers generally led you to the opposite of what you would have assumed. Thank you to @bushido_man96 for question ideas. Thanks for all of your good natured replies, as always. The quiz was not anyone saying that any of the traits mentioned is definitively a "McDojo" or not because while some traits may be more common in schools where training quality may not be good compared to the cost, there are plenty of exceptions where the opposite can be true. Hope you had a great day! Patrick Introduction: Do You Train at a McDojo? Answer these questions to see whether your school leans more toward quality training or has questionable “belt factory” vibes. 1. How many colored belt ranks does your school have? Less than 5 (this answer indicates your school is a McDojo) 5-10 (McDojo) More than 10 (neutral; I did this so that ties would always go to your school being a McDojo) 2. Does your school train only on hardwood floors? Yes (McDojo) No (Not a McDojo) 3. Does your instructor display his certifications in the dojo? Yes (Not a McDojo) No (McDojo) 4. Does your instructor use a curriculum that starts simple and gets more complex as ranks increase? Yes (McDojo) No (Not a McDojo) 5. What happens when a student makes mistakes or struggles? They get coached with specifics, patience, and realistic feedback (McDojo) Students are praised no matter what, and standard feel unclear or lowered to avoid discomfort (Not a McDojo) 6. How does the school handle cross-training or visiting other gyms/schools? They're supportive or neutral (McDojo) Cross-training is treated like betrayal (Not a McDojo) Outcome #1: Not a McDojo (Solid School). Your school shows strong signs of legit instruction. No school is perfect, but yours looks focused on growth over gimmicks. Outcome #2: Full McDojo (Belt Factory Alert). Sorry to say that it appears you are training at a McDojo.

1) 100 Things Raiders Fans Should Know And Do Before They Die by Paul Gutierrez, with a Forward by Jim Plunkett. The ultimate resource for true Raiders fans. 2) If The Walls Could Talk: Raiders. Stories from the Raiders Sidelines, Locker Rooms, and Press Box by Lincoln Kennedy and Paul Gutierrez, with a Forward by Tim Brown. A behind the scenes perspective on Raiders history from Oakland to Las Vegas. 3) Cheating Is Encouraged by Mike Siani and Kristine Setting Clark. As told by the players who were there. A hard-nosed history of the 1970’s Raiders. My wife, Linda, who’s a die hard Raiders fan just received these books. She’s starting with book #1 above. I might read book #3 above because the Raiders of the 1970’s was a team to be reckoned with, not like the Raiders of today, imho. (Edits because I can’t type or spell or autocorrect has lost its mind)

It is a quick read. I am not aware of an updated one. I read this book about 15 years ago and decided to again since his passing. Fun fact: The Chuck Norris jokes were started in 2005 by a then high school student on Long Island named Ian Spector. He posted a few online one night before going to bed and woke up the next morning to the jokes having 10,000 views. It immediately took off and Ian wrote a book about the Chuck Norris facts, then Norris himself wrote a book about it. Norris loved the jokes and the memes.

I took it again, this time with a previous school in mind and gave several different answers. Again, it was a McDojo. Has anyone gotten one that wasn't a McDojo?

Oh noes! I'm training at a McDojo!

My Knights are in 3rd place in the Pacific Division. Here’s their stats: GP 75 W 33 L 26 OTL 16 Pts 82 What is one to do with that?!? Drop back and punt!!

Careful there, Brian because the back is nothing to take unnecessary risks with. I agree, take it easy today or tomorrow too.

Excuse me?!? Well…I never!! I know 2 people that are spinning in their graves now…my sensei and his sensei!!

I've got one of these, but it was written quite a few years ago. If there is a newer one that is updated, I'll need to find it. The one I have isn't a very big book at all.

I have seen that book for years but never pulled the trigger on it. I will pick it up the next chance I get. Thanks for the suggestion!

4/1/2026 Strength Training Deadlifts: 135x3, 185x2. Back still sore, and the pulling didn't seem to agree with it. Going easy today and hopefully can bet back to pulling next week.

3/30/2026 Strength Training Press: 45x5x2, 75x5, 95x3, 125x5, 125x5, 125x5. Lat Pull-downs: 120x10, 120x10, 120x10. Back was still a little sore, but the workout didn't seem to aggravate it further.

Dang, me too....

Well golly gee! I always had a feeling, but it's nice to have the confirmation!

I assume this is for April Fools? Either way might be amusing!

I am happy to see the outpour of Chuck Norris tribute songs that have shown up on YouTube since his passing. I know they are mostly AI generated but some of them are catchy.

Chuck Norris Facts Book by Chuck Norris

The Winnipeg Jets had a bad start to the season but have been turning things around, and after tonight's win against Chicago they are only one point out of the final playoff spot. The Kraken lost to the Oilers, and Seattle has 75 points, still withing striking distance for the playoffs for sure, but these teams on the outside need all the points they can get. It is not just winning the games; you have to pass other teams that are in front of you and the fewer games that are left the tougher that is to do. The Kraken would have to pass the Sharks, Kings, Jets, and Predators to get into that 8th spot. They have been the beneficiary of a weak Pacific division but have not been able to take advantage thus far. They have nine games left to make a run. The Buffalo Sabers won tonight and have now reached 100 points, tying them for second best in the league with Carolina and Dallas. The Sabers playoff drought of 14 years will end, though they are not officially in the playoffs yet, they will be locking up a spot any day. Big game Wednesday night between the Blues and Kings in Los Angles. Both teams are on the outside looking in right now but could still get into the playoffs. The Kings are in a better position with 76 points; the Blues have 73.

I like it! I took the quiz though and found I might be training at a McDojo. This is going to be a fun feature.

Hey all, We're adding a new feature to the site: Quizzes. Our first one is now available, drawing on nearly 25 years of conversations here in the community to help you determine whether or not the school you are currently training at is a McDojo. Take the quiz and find out! Quiz: Is Your Martial Arts School a McDojo? We'll be adding a new quiz every week through the summer, so stay tuned. Thanks for reading. Patrick

We don't spar in kobudo per se, but we do perform bunkai of our hojo undo techniques. We use bamboo or rattan bo as they are much less jarring on impacts and fairly inexpensive to replace. When you perform the bunkai for the hojo undo it definitely helps with your technique; poor technique definitely shows when someone is actually whacking you with another weapon.

Hi, I was wondering if anyone knows any great Kobudo weapon maker in Australia or one who can source wood from Australia. Most specifically looking for some Gigdee tree Tonfa. Ironbark and Bulletwood are also options I am looking in to.

You have likely already had it recommended / read it but the best book i have read myself for BJJ is Saulo Ribeiro's Jiu Jitsu University. Well written, clear pictures etc. There are also loads of instructionals etc. available online either to buy on topics or online resources to subscribe to. If you decide to go for any of them then my personal advice would be to identify firstly the style / area you wish to learn more of and then try to find an instructor with similar body type who teaches it. Eg for me i like to look at stuff by Roger Gracie as we are very close to the same size i think (granted he is a million times more flexible, stronger etc but body dimensions wise we are similar). Reason why i think this matters is everyone does things a little differently and if i learn techniques that have been adapted to themselves by a 5'6" instructor, while they will be correct and would work they won't be as optimised for me as they would be from someone with similar proportions

It has been a tough season for the Panthers. Maybe back-to-back titles and three consecutive trips to the Stanely Cup Finals have caught up with them. Panthers have 73 points and are holding the basement in the Atlantic division. They will not make the playoffs and will have to get ready for next season. I have not followed the team much, so I am not sure what the struggle has been. Panthers are not alone in disappointing seasons. The Maple Leafs fired GM Brad Treliving tonight. It's been a long year in Toronto, only a two points ahead of the Panthers in the Atlantic. The Maple Leafs have continued to underachieve and now their top player is out with an ACL tear. In a situation like that you can only hope that Matthews is ready to go at the start of next season. The anger towards Treliving started last summer when he traded Mitch Marner to the Golden Knights, and Ryan Reaves to the Sharks, thinking that Reaves was no longer an NHL caliber player, however Reaves has been playing in the Sharks lineup all season. Maple Leafs might be getting ready to rebuild. In the games tonight the winner were the Penguins, Avalanche, Sharks, Maple Leafs, and Golden Knights. Ducks do get an OT point in their loss to the Leafs.