Instant instructor course.

[Harkon72]

One of our local schools published an interesting advert on social media. They are offering a course for people to follow an "accelerated" martial art journey to achieve the rank of a qualified instructor of said martial art. They say that you need little martial arts experience or even ever had membership of their association. I can see that they want to produce a line of instructors as soon as possible. I hear organisations such as GKR do a similar thing. What are they playing at?

[Nidan Melbourne]

That sounds rather interesting. Sounds a lot like GKR to me because i've heard they do something exactly like that.

It makes me think scam big time

[Spartacus Maximus]

The very idea of instant instructor qualification with no previous training reeks of a scam. Considering how long it takes to become proficient at something and have the minimum depth of understanding to actually teach, this is ridiculous.

What if it were not martial arts? Let's say something like this: Instant qualification in Medical Science. No experience or degree required! Only one short accelerated course with guaranteed certification!

Would you trust some guy who took that course and called himself Doctor?

Hardly anybody would be fooled by an offer like that. So why is it not as blatantly obvious when it comes to instructor qualification in martial arts?

I cringe just picturing the abysmal quality of so-call instructors produced by these types of course. They may as well just give out certification to any buffoon who can make poor imitations of Bruce lee yelps while waving their arms around like an epileptic having a fit.

Whoever thought of this scam and actually gets people to pay is surely having flatulent fits of belly laughs all the way to the bank

[devil dog]

Can you say McDojo?

It never ceases to amaze me that what takes most of us the better part of our lives to achieve can be gotten online, at home study course or just by paying the money required. Scam doesn't even begin to cover this.

[JohnASE]

One of my customers answered a similar ad once. They started him at white belt, and he earned his black belt. I don't think they skimped on teaching him. I believe his intention was always to open up his own studio one day, but I don't see anything wrong with that being one of the motivations to train.

I concede that "accelerated" is a red flag as is this type of marketing, but they might teach quality martial arts.

By the way, that customer started training about 40 years ago, did open a studio, and is now the grand master of a small organization. He valued what he learned, and he shared it with thousands of others.

[sensei8]

I wholeheartedly agree with everyone...RUN AWAY QUICKLY!!

[ninjanurse]

The watered down dojos of today are only in it for the profit and the stroking of egos. Anyone can open a dojo, form their own association, and call themselves Master after a few years or so-does not make them legit! Their longevity speaks only to how good they are at perpetuating the lie and how many fools walk in their door.

Yep-strikes a personal nerve......

[mal103]

I think I spoke with them a while back while I was investigating teaching qualifications, I was curious so left my number.

It sounded like one of those get rich quick schemes where you are given testimonials first and price last.

If the instructors can live up to their reputations AND you have trained for a while then you may receive something worthwhile about teaching or running a club but I doubt it would be worth the money.

You would be better linking up with a good established association, but check them out first as there are plenty of good sounding people who regurgitate the same old rubbish.

I think we all owe the Martial Arts a promise to promote the highest standards that we can enforce and achieve. Good students will soon work out who trains properly and who is selling rubbish, unfortunately for some this will cost them...

[devil dog]

I think we all owe the Martial Arts a promise to promote the highest standards that we can enforce and achieve. Good students will soon work out who trains properly and who is selling rubbish, unfortunately for some this will cost them...

Here in lies the problem. Students, especially new students often do not figure it out until they have a few years of their lives and lots of money wasted chasing what turns out to be a mere lie.

However in most cases students that answer these types of ads are not the types that would come into our schools. There is a reason these scams are successful. There are students that want the fast food instant rank without the effort and don't really care if it's legit or not as long as they get there fast.

[Archimoto]

Unfortunately it boils down to simple supply and demand theory.

Shorts cuts are in high demand - shockingly even if they're too good to be true!

I'm not condoning or encouraging - I'm just not surprised these programs exist and succeed. It's the same dynamic that allows hocus pocus fad diets and devices to make billions.