Can someone Help Me with this?PLZ!?URGENT!!!!!!?

Question

i decided to join a tae kwon do class in garland, tx but i have no experience in martial arts and have no idea how to spot a mcdojo so this is what i have seen so far:

the instructor was friendly his office was pretty small and there were alot of awards on the wal one of which said grand master

there were alot of little kids but only 1 of them has made it past yellow belt and is a red belt and the classes cost $180 for 3 months

are any of these signs of a mcdojo i think its pretty good but i am unexperienced so i need the help of someone with experience

PLZ HELP!!!!!!!!!!1

Answer 1

What I would do if I was you, is just go on ahead and travel to Japan or Korea, but if you MUST settle for instruction here, collect as many martial arts magazines as you can, all of them with a "choosing a school" article, and look for any commonalities in those articles.  Look for what they state consistently.  That is, look for any qualities of a good school all martial arts mags consider "good," and see where they repeat.  Look for consistency in those articles.

In your place at least that's what I'd do; collect martial arts magazines, look for any "choosing a school" article or order back issues if the current issue doesn't have one.  Or, you could purchase any books published by those magazines on how to choose a school.  Purchase those books, study them closely, look at the different articles and if at all possible consult with a high ranking black belt who works for martial arts organizations.  There are several here in America, and they can all be trusted for giving advice on a good school.

If I could not travel to Japan or Okinawa, and was stuck here, that is what I'd do if I were you.  As a general rule, you DO want someone whose lineage can be traced back to east asia.  Believe it or not, learning a few moves from martial arts books, is actually not that difficult.  And all you need to establish a business is a licence, there are no legal bodies questioning the legitimacy of your claim that you are a martial artist.  If a man, say, wrestled in high school, picked up a Kata manual, a few videos, and self taught himself martial arts, they can adapt high school wrestling with any Karate they taught themselves and pass themselves off as an instructor.  Even worse because some people are natural athletes, its easy for them to do a few flashy moves and pass themselves off as "masters" when they're not.

Finding a school is not easy, but there are governing bodies in this country, and they are generally the best people to go to.  The most reliable martial arts schools are those connected and afiliated with a well organized body, and generally, you DO want to stay away from independent schools because, running their own business, they have no one to answer to.  A school connected to a larger body on the other hand has standards to uphold.

Get whatever books you can get your hands on how to find a school, and contact, via telephone if possible, as many martial arts bodies as possible.  An example of a martial arts body is the IKMA, or, the "International Krav Maga Association," of which there are two chapters, one in Israel and another one in Los Angeles.  And I think there is one in New York.  Virtually every style has a governing body, and those governing bodies have taken efforts to certify trustworthy schools and instructors and it is from those people you want to learn martial arts from.

Again, learning a few forms, believe me, is not difficult at all.  If the manual is well written, if the person is athletic, and they have a high school wrestling background they can adapt and pass off as "Karate grappling," based on athletic instinct, too many people can get away with that because, again, American law does not check the legitimacy of a martial arts school, whereas in Japan and Korea, because martial arts are so entrenched in the culture, over there there ARE laws governing legitimacy.  The closest thing you can have here though, is consulting large governing bodies, and finding any schools nearest you who are afiliated with those bodies.

If a dojo has no larger authority to answer to, the instruction is suspect, always remember that.

I hope that helps.

Peace out.

Answer 2

You should join a jiu jitsu academy instead because jiu jitsu is much more fun, effective, salutary than TKD.

Answer 3

Yes mcdojo's prices usually hit 100 dollars a month which is ridiculous. I would say possibly not but is ur Master highly skilled in combat? Is he arrogant? If he can fight and teach you how without showing off or being a jerk, you are in a decent school.

PS- laotoau is a fool. 150 dollars is insane. TKD is a basic and limited art, so try Kung Fu, Traditional Karate, or Judo.

Answer 4

Almost all taekwondo schools are McDojos.  I would suggest you go to all the different martial arts schools in your area and take a free intro lesson (most schools offer these or will let you do this if you ask).  This is the only way to really judge the quality of instruction.

Answer 5

The price is not bad but you should look for an ATA school.  They are the best the instructors are trained and receive continual training.  While each school is different I have always enjoyed myself and learned a lot.

Answer 6

What are your goals in TKD?

Tae Kwon Do is a great martial art, especially as a base martial art.  

All the people that believe everything they see on youtube and only believe in MMA, Muay Thai and BJJ are clueless.

I don't see any signs of McDojo from your describing.  A lot of people here seem to think that 9 of 10 martial art schools in karate or TKD are McDojo's, but that isnt the case.  

I agree with the previous post, try it out for 3 months, or for a year, and if you like it, stick with it, if you don't, try another martial arts school.

Good luck.

James

Answer 7

CCC is right

Answer 8

you may have visited on a beginner class day, that could explain the lack of higher levels. also at $60 a month, it is worth it to try out the school for 3 months.  If you like it stay, if not try another school.

If you still aren't sure about that school, look for other TKD schools or other styles of martial arts in your area.  compare price, and instructors till you find the one for you.