Putting McDojos out of Business

[ninjanurse]

What good instructors should do, as you say, is look forward to the day when your students have learned everything you've got to teach. And they are better at it than you! But, that's why you have to keep learning, so you always improve and have more to bring to them. I have a couple of green belts(getting ready to be anyway) who have been with us and working hard for the past year and a half. Now I have to pay some attention to them when we spar. I'm teaching them everything I can. every little 'trick' and 'secret' that I've learned over the years. Things about hip movement, twist, getting core muscles into every strike etc. Just little things that add up. If I keep that back, and make them work, hoping they will discover them on their own(Like I had to a lot of them), I'm cheating them. I'm failing as an instructor.

If I held back things that will help my students improve. If I taught them things I didn't believe were real and functioning. If I claim to impart knowledge or ability that I'm not. If I do these things I've gone down the path of the McDojo. If you're honest about what you're teaching/training for, then it's not a McDojo. At least that's my opinion.

Absolutely spot on!!!

[JiuJitsuNation]

I am always learning. Jiu Jitsu is forever evolving and there is so much to gain from other styles. I currently have more than I can use, which is good because I can teach anyone regardless of body type. Grappling is very different in that sense. You can't have a rigid curriculum because not everyone can do the same things based on how they are built. So where as a most stand up schools have x number of techniques to learn as you move up the ranks, grappling cannot be set up this way. Everyone can throw a jab but not everyone can use a triangle choke. So you have to have a vast number of techniques to teach but only need to be good at a few to be effective as an individual.

[sensei8]

As I've stated before...McDojo's are here to stay no matter what we may or may not think about them. I'd rather spend my efforts in things that are more to my martial arts betterment than trying to shut down McDojo's.

Consumers decide, not us of the martial arts world!

[Celtic Ronin]

Mcdojos will put themselves out of business. Sad thing is though the out going ones will be replaced by new Mcdojos.

[rmurray]

It's a shame that some schools will water down the value of a blacbelt by giving them out too freely but it's not anybodys place to say what another dojo should do. An undergraduate degree from MIT or Yale is valued far higher than a degree from an online university but their all bachelors degrees. MIT doesn't have the right to tell University of Pheonix to make their courses harder. The people who put in the hard work at better schools got the better education just like you get better training by putting in your time and learning more at a good dojo. A good karate school Sensei will have a strong history and a recorded lineage, is probably at least in some way connected to and recognized by some larger federation. and you know how long it takes to earn a blackbelt. I'd say a fair standard is that a real blackbelt should not take less than 5 years to earn. When someone says they got their blackbelt in 2 years than you just nod politely. You have no reason to belittle them.

[Lupin1]

Mcdojos will put themselves out of business.

I seriously doubt that. We live in a McSociety. McDojos are the perfect fit. All the ones around where I lived are thriving while the school I go to, which is free, has maybe five or six adults who come on a regular basis and the kids, while there is a waiting list to get into the class, have a very high turnover rate. People like McDojos and I think they're here to stay.

[JiuJitsuNation]

McSociety!!

[Lupin1]

McSociety!!

Yeah. I just came up with that. I mean, I'm sure I'm the first one to come up with it. There are probably entire studies written about it. But I haven't read them.

[JiuJitsuNation]

I think you are right and that word pretty much sums it up. I'm sold on it. I'll have Webster give you a call for your complete definition!