Question to see if a Dojo is a McDojo or not.

[Budman]

I've been reading learning a lot about different Martial Arts again, getting quite interested in starting up again.

I used to do Tae Kwon Do a long time ago, (not very long). Anyway, I'm interested in Kempo Karate because of the mixture of styles that can be added into it or possibly Okinawan Karate.

Anyway, my question is do you feel that https://www.robinsonskarate.com or https://www.okinawanmartialartsacademy.com are mcdojo's?

I have yet to check out either place just yet (Class + work) but I plan to this week.

At some point I want to learn a grappling art but I want to get proficient with a striking art.

Just wanted all of your opinions

I live very near St. Louis, Mo.

Thank you for your responses as they are appreciated.

[marie curie]

Robinson's looks good, if a little pricey for a family.

They don't advertise a timeline of belt promotions (as McDojo's have a tendancy to do), they suggest shopping around for a dojo, and don't actually say anything about rank.... I'd ask though about how often one generally promotes (after a while you don't want to be paying to promote every 3-4 mos), and what the cost is to promote, just to make sure.

And the Okinawa one doesn't give much info.

[Red J]

The first one is $65.00 a month with no contracts or test fees. You could always try it for a month or two and make a decision. If you don't like it walk away. They also have quite a few training days.

There's not a lot of info on the second one.

Go visit each one, ask some questions, etc. If you get a good vibe take the plunge!

Good luck.

[MartialArthur]

It's virtually impossible to determine a McDojo from a website.

Robinson's looks like a good value for only $65/month, however price matters little if you don't like the school when you try it.

Just try them both and see if you like their training. Talk to the instructor to see if the training matches your goals. Talk to a few students if you can. Don't judge a school by it's website.

..

[JWLuiza]

Actually, Robinson Karate on paper is exactly what one should look for. They even encourage you to look around. GREAT attitude!

Best

[Budman]

Well thanks for the info guys. I know I'm gonna go up there some time next week.

Appreciate the help!

[jaymac]

Budman, I agree with others, you should check out both schools in order to determine what is best for you. I have to say I am skeptical about the Robinson MA. Maybe I am wrong, but I didn't see what style they actually teach. Also, I too am a Nidan as the instructor is. I believe I have several more years of training needed under my belt before I would attempt to run my own dojo and be as proficient of an instructor as my 7th dan instructor (who has run his own dojo for years, but only after achieving 5th Dan himself). Maybe this head instructor has several years under his belt though. Find out the credentials of the instructors. I am not saying for a minute that this is a McDojo, but feel they emphasize importance of ranking by placing a picture of two young boys sporting Black Belts on their website.

[Fairfax_Uechi]

From the OMMA website "The OMAA system is rooted in the study of fighting forms or katas from Chinese Kung Fu and the Okinawan Arts: Uechi Ryu, Goju Ryu and Shorin Ryu."

This sends red flags to me. Nowhere on the site besides this quote and a similar quote in the adult class section do they mention styles. From the little bit I know about Gojo Ryu it's very different from Uechi so I wonder what the deal is.

Also no information on the Sensei other than his name in the endorsements is made. This also concerns me.

The other site looks much better as far as information.

Like others said, I'd suggest you check them both out. As far as OMMA. If you seriously consider them, check into their lineage, and let us know, I can check on the Uechi and I'm sure others can do so for the Gojo and Shorin.

[tekki]

The overwhelmihg mix of systems they advertise gives me some pause, but you never know, it might be a great, coherent eclectic system. They apparantly encourage you to shop around, they don't lock you into a lengthy contract, and most importantly, they don't fix a time period for you to automatically receive promotions. Definitely worth a look, as it's hard to tell. This might be the place for you, or it might be utter rubbish that drags the good name of karate through the mud.

[granmasterchen]

defintely check out each school personally by just sitting in and watching a class or two....if they don't allow you to watch for free it is not worth your time my friend.

another thing you want to check out is how long you want to stay at one school, if you plan on going for black belt and higher then you need to check out the instructors rank. I noticed on your first site that the two instructors listed only held a 1st dan and a 2nd dan respectively. You don't want to get into a situation where there is nothing else your instructor can teach you because you have reached their rank and level of knowledge, check if there are other instructors or a head instructor or what not.....my advice is to go in there and check them out, over all from the websites the first sounded pretty good....and the second offered very little information, regardless you can't judge a school by their website so again....check them out and let us know what you find.