Putting McDojos out of Business

[orion82698]

I don't want to put them outta business, just add a nice "buyer Beware" to their front doors.

[kivikala]

I've had to deal with McDojos since the day one. Back then I hated them, I wanted them wiped from the face of the earth. Well, that wasn't going to happen. I came to realize that they can be of use to me. Their advertising helps me as much as it helps them. I saved thousands of dollars thanks to their ads! They are a constant source of students (amazing how the dissatisfied found themselves on my doorstep). And without them what would be my source of free amusement? So there is a place in the food chain for them.

[Muaythaiboxer]

Bravo!!!

when i was a little kid i started in wrestling (thank goodness) and when my parents put me in a mcdojo i remember thinking, where are the push ups? where are the wind sprints? and i left and went on to better things.

Mcdojos give me coutless one time sparing partners and some great friends whom now train in legetiment arts.

[Eric_]

Aye, but there is an issue here, in that it has presented a societal measuring tool. A means to 'gauge' whether someone is 'qualified' to teach or not. This is where the problem lies, for it also presents an 'accepted' norm by which persons can shop. And this falls well into the lap of the unscrupulous. In a way it adds one more avenue for the 'problem people,' as you put it, to exploit.

I agree fully. But the problem isn't whether or not McDojos are in business, it is a matter of using a piece of cloth for certification. What we need is a standardization of certification within the martial arts. We have orginizations that allow consumers to verify the rank and skill of instructors, but only within the organization's own specific style, and not all styles have such organizations, and not all respectable schools belong to their style's respective association. Basically, what we need to combat these McDojos is a martial arts equivalent of the bar associations to which lawyers must adhere. We are an unreggulated industry, and changing that by creating a national (but not style specific) standard is the only sure way to restore integrity to our arts.

[Mr. Mike]

brava...I never thought of it like that...

what a paperework mess that would be, eh?

another problem is that as with any organization, it will tend to corrupt. Something like the bar is easy...the laws of the nations are written in clear and concise copies. That isn't true for most of the schools/styles/arts out there. Think of the MA industry as a sort of pre 1776 usa. Too many chiefs, not enough indians. If we wanted to standardize it, we would have way too many wars to wage...both paper and otherwise.

Personally, I think that if we are talking teaching here, then we should promote a ntaionally accredited teaching course, or at least something industry specific...much in the way of the Kovar's Instructor Training Program.

Eric_, I think you already know a bit of something about that, as you are well on your way to getting your teaching certificate and hopefully someday running your own school within the bylaws of the IKCA.

[Eric_]

Of course it wouldn't be easy. If it would be easy, someone would have done it already. Just think of pre-1776 U.S.A as pre-1776 U.S.A. It worked out fine for them (well, depending on your definition of "fine,' anyway). And Kovar's ITP is right along the lines of what I would like to see, but implemented as a nationaly recognized standard of instructor certification, working with, not above, existing heads of scools/styles/arts. And as far as corrupt organizations go, it's true, power corrupts (reference pervious parenthases), but it seems to be working for the IKCA very well, so maybe something a bit bigger could manage.

I appreciate your confidence in my potential as an instructor, and there is definitely a world-class martial arts school in store for Texas next year.

[masterphoenix]

Some people want to train in a McDojo environment. It is not for me, but who am I to dictate what other people should do?

Exactly. I used to stress out about this and resent them, and then a few thoughts crossed my mind and I haven't worried about them since. On the positive side, they are providing a service that gets people interested in martial arts who might otherwise not make it in a tougher class. For that, I'm thankful. I'd rather people do some martial arts than none. Some of those people will eventually seek out a deeper level of training.

The other thought that crossed my mind is that it was mighty egotistical of me to be so high and mighty about my opinions of other schools. Anyone can look at anyone else and wag a finger, and no one is any better for it. I eventually learned that pointing to other people as McDojos was my way of self-validating and make myself feel more legit. I do that now through the way I train, teach, test and act, and that speaks volumes more about what I believe than pointing fingers.

Having said that, I totally agree that some schools are really devaluing the black belt because of their practices, but the best way to fight it is to be so awesome at what you do that no one wants to go to a McDojo. There will be some people who will be lured in who might have joined a "better" school, sure, but you can't control that. To be fair, some will also take a deeper interest and leave.

All in all, I'm not convinced that its as big of a problem as we make it out to be. Its challenging to stay in business with people giving out quick black belts, but insulting them won't help, increasing your own quality will.

[Lord Yasai]

I suppose it depends on the person, but would United Studios of Self Defense be considered a McDojo?

[masterphoenix]

I suppose it depends on the person, but would United Studios of Self Defense be considered a McDojo?

I hope people will at least discuss specific things they do or don't like instead of being insulting or passing condemnation. This kind of questioning walks a thin line. There is another message forum I really dislike where the majority of what they do is find something to pick on about other schools. This board is very decent. I'll be interested to see how people handle this question.

[masterphoenix]

I don't want to put them outta business, just add a nice "buyer Beware" to their front doors.

Haha. Too funny.