Define mcdojo

[Lupin1]

As a school starts to grow the owner is going to find they are no longer be able to do everything. The decisions that are made about what you are going to do and what you bring others in to do will define what sort of school you become. When the club owner/chief instructor spends more time in the office than on the floor while other less experienced instructors teach and decisions are made for purely financials reasons then you are starting to look like what most define as a Mc Dojo.

What if the owner is an amazing business manager/marketing guy but a so-so martial artist? If he's able to hire people who are outstanding martial artists and manage the work environment to let the talents of his people shine while he concentrated on keeping the place running smoothly for them, wouldn't that be better?

[jaypo]

I think it all boils down to intent. If the owner/head instructor is in it more for the money than he is for teaching his art, then it is a McDojo. In the example above, if he's a good business person and not a great instructor, but he hires the best possible instructors to teach his art, then he has an interest in providing the best instruction of his art. AS LONG AS HE IS PUTTING THE QUALITY OF THE INSTRUCTION ABOVE THE PROFITABILITY.

I was recently appointed the title of Deshi in my club, and I've become the treasurer. I am able to see the business side of our club now, and I'm proud to say that my instructor is truly in it for the love of teaching. The personal profit is minimal, but myself and our "Ichiban" are working on ways to make the club more profitable. Not for our own pockets, but for better quality training materials and facility repairs. I think clubs that put profit first ahead of quality of instruction fit the definition.

[Zaine]

As a school starts to grow the owner is going to find they are no longer be able to do everything. The decisions that are made about what you are going to do and what you bring others in to do will define what sort of school you become. When the club owner/chief instructor spends more time in the office than on the floor while other less experienced instructors teach and decisions are made for purely financials reasons then you are starting to look like what most define as a Mc Dojo.

What if the owner is an amazing business manager/marketing guy but a so-so martial artist? If he's able to hire people who are outstanding martial artists and manage the work environment to let the talents of his people shine while he concentrated on keeping the place running smoothly for them, wouldn't that be better?

I agree, I think that it would be a better arrangement.

I think that overall our conceptions of what a mcdojo is can be pretty black and white. Just because you sign a contract doesn't make your dojo a mcdojo. One may pay a lot of money to train but that doesn't make their dojo a mcdojo. While these things may be red flags, they don't necessarily mean that the place is a mcdojo. All in all it's hard for us to say that this-or-that thing will necessarily mean that the dojo is a mcdojo because we can't be aware of all of the circumstances or reasons. Remember that some places make you sign contracts to protect you from them as much as it is to protect them from you. If I had to pick on thing that would define a mcdojo, it would be a mass allowance of students to progress to black belt quickly even though they lack the skill to hold the rank.

[sensei8]

It's funny, well, no it's not, but it is what it is. A black belt in one style is a green belt in another style for many reasons.

[skullsplitter]

Yes it's not clear at all. Our school does promote kids to blackbelt. It's a 4 year journey to that goal. The instructor does not charge for grading or promotion. She does use contracts, but will cancel contracts when someone decides to quit. She just does not want to handle money. Plus I do know of some that pay when they can due to financial issues. So she is definitely not in this to make as much as she can. Our school does wear pads for sparring but we go hard. We do bunkai and self defense too. So the kid blackbelts are a red flag for some, but the school does a lot more than just give the kids a blackbelt.

[Zaine]

While I don't agree with kids having black belts, I absolutely understand the reason for some of the better schools doing so. It's an ego thing, kids want to advance in rank and know that they are progressing as much as adults do.

[sensei8]

While I don't agree with kids having black belts, I absolutely understand the reason for some of the better schools doing so. It's an ego thing, kids want to advance in rank and know that they are progressing as much as adults do.

Would you say that it's politically correct to do so?

[bushido_man96]

While I don't agree with kids having black belts, I absolutely understand the reason for some of the better schools doing so. It's an ego thing, kids want to advance in rank and know that they are progressing as much as adults do.

Would you say that it's politically correct to do so?

I think its really up to each individual school to decide. The instructor needs to decide what route he goes, and why he chooses to go that way. It would also depend on the curriculum. Ours doesn't differ between adult and child. Our Little Lions don't do the same curriculum as the children and adults, so they are separate. Otherwise, the kids can move at the same pace as the adults.