To my colleagues across the pond!

[Wastelander]

Thanks S8 I appreciate your advice!

Its what I feared when he told me about it. It screams McDojo. They even have a minibus service for picking kids up from school as well as loads of other activities which need to be paid for which will no doubt be reflected in membership, uniform and grading fees! I've given him a few pointers on what to consider before signing up for anything!

Well, my dojo has an after-school program with a van to pick those students up from their schools, so I wouldn't say that, in and of itself, is a bad sign. If an instructor is teaching for a living, the youth programs are what keep the doors open and the lights on. What is important is that they teach what they say they teach. I'm more put off by the outlandish claims of teaching secret "tactical systems" and ninjutsu, and by the fact that I didn't see anything on the site about who taught the instructor.

[tallgeese]

For me, I have to attack the problem from the angle of the whole "tactical system". The way that presented is a bit odd. I've ran across a couple of these types over the years, most people won't go to that level if they have zero qualifications, but I've seen some.

Quality "tactical" guys will usually operate out of facilities that have little in common with your standard martial arts academy. They are not, in my experience, secretive about their background or why they do what they do. All legit guys I've trained with are very cool about telling you what their qualifications are and where they learned them. Most are also pretty humble and nice guys.

That wording alone, and with the lack of information, would make me wonder. If there's one question about what the school is putting out there it would make me wonder about the rest of the programs. At the very least, I'd have them dig deeper.

[DoctorQui]

Thanks S8 I appreciate your advice!

Its what I feared when he told me about it. It screams McDojo. They even have a minibus service for picking kids up from school as well as loads of other activities which need to be paid for which will no doubt be reflected in membership, uniform and grading fees! I've given him a few pointers on what to consider before signing up for anything!

Well, my dojo has an after-school program with a van to pick those students up from their schools, so I wouldn't say that, in and of itself, is a bad sign. If an instructor is teaching for a living, the youth programs are what keep the doors open and the lights on. What is important is that they teach what they say they teach. I'm more put off by the outlandish claims of teaching secret "tactical systems" and ninjutsu, and by the fact that I didn't see anything on the site about who taught the instructor.

After school martial art clubs are not common in the UK, if they exist at all so its probably just my perception of that.

[DWx]

Thanks S8 I appreciate your advice!

Its what I feared when he told me about it. It screams McDojo. They even have a minibus service for picking kids up from school as well as loads of other activities which need to be paid for which will no doubt be reflected in membership, uniform and grading fees! I've given him a few pointers on what to consider before signing up for anything!

Well, my dojo has an after-school program with a van to pick those students up from their schools, so I wouldn't say that, in and of itself, is a bad sign. If an instructor is teaching for a living, the youth programs are what keep the doors open and the lights on. What is important is that they teach what they say they teach. I'm more put off by the outlandish claims of teaching secret "tactical systems" and ninjutsu, and by the fact that I didn't see anything on the site about who taught the instructor.

After school martial art clubs are not common in the UK, if they exist at all so its probably just my perception of that.

I helped run one the autumn term of last year in a primary school. On school premises though so no bus. Was a voluntary programme as we were asked in by the school as part of an effort to get the kids interested in different types of physical activity than what they'd normally encounter.

Looking at the website and Facebook page I don't really see anything that would indicate it is quality martial arts instruction. And I agree with tallgeese that the systems he does list don't seem very credible, (especially the Shadow Wolf Clan!). But... the kids look like they're having a blast in the pictures. They don't seem to be doing much in the way of martial arts training but they do look like they're having a lot of fun. So the question really is what does your nephew and your brother want from the club? If it's an activity where he can make friends, keep active and develop confidence, it looks like this school could provide that. But I don't think they'd get credible martial arts training from it.

[bushido_man96]

Looking at the pictures on the facebook account, this school does a lot other than martial arts. How much time is left for and how good are the martial arts? Don't know. But we're talking about a 7 year old here and these kids look like they have a blast. What does it matter if Master Tanaka is his shidoshi?

But from a serious MA standpoint, I have some major issues.

I actually agree with this perspective. My problem is when a school claims a system that it clearly does not teach (there are only a handful of certified ninjitsu experts in the U.S.) or when they make outlandish claims such as teaching "an elite tactical system" but won't disclose the system name.

My biggest problem with this is that they are lies. To begin a relationship based on a lie is never a smart idea.

Good points made here. It could be he's using these names to try to sensationalize what he is doing a bit, and it could be for the advertising of it. Like he tries to put out an air of mysteriousness in what he has to teach. Or, it could be the opposite, which is no good, either.

I've never heard of the bus pickup. I'd be a bit leery of my kids getting on a bus like that.