Does this sound like a mcdojo to you?

Question

I just joined a WTF taekwondo club that had me sign a 3 year contract. It was $2000 which i had to pay 1000 the first month and 1000 the next month. The master looks like he is in his 40s and he offered my brother one year free. He is a korean guy and looks like he is in great shape. At that place i saw many trophies and they all look legit. There is also a black belt club that was available if you joined the 3 year program. I watched one of the lessons for 15 minutes and there were about 8 students. Most of the students were yellow to green belt with an assistant being black belt. There are classes everyday which I can attend.

Answer 1

one more time

Instead of focusing on sparring, the class is mostly divided into practicing kata/forms, one-steps, board breaks, etc..

The school or instructor promotes the idea that his school and/or style is the ultimate best in the world, or that cross training in another form of martial arts is 100% unnecessary.

If the school or instructor forbids entering tournaments, or if tournaments are restricted to specific styles or associations.

If the idea of take-downs or wrestling is never addressed, or if "anti-grappling" techniques are taught.

If the test for belt advancement consists mostly or entirely of memorization and making your form & one-steps look pretty

If board breaking has a heavy emphasis, or is taught to be an indicating to how well you would fight, or is used as a supplement to full contact fighting.  [What is wrong with this?]

If the school has too many belts, or made up belts (such as camouflage belts)

If the school insists on long contracts and or uses collection agencies for late or missed payments.

If there are expensive clubs that you must join in order to learn or participate in various clinics or seminars, such as the "black belt club", or "masters club"

If the school owns an actual franchise, such as "Karate for Kids" or "Tiny Tigers"

If the school uses a pitch book to get you to join or to convince you to sign your kids up

If the self-defense techniques that are taught aren't at full speed or contact, or if the school is insistent only on one way of doing it

If the equipment (gear/uniforms/weapons) costs too much and/or is only ordered through the organization

If testing and monthly fees are excessive, for any reason

If the instructor is a master, 6th or 7th degree under 40 8th or 9th degree ubder 55.

If the instructor's credentials seem sketchy or are non-existent.

If the instructor proclaims to be a master of many arts, and is also extremely young.

If the school advertises that the grandmaster of the style regularly teaches there

If the school has many students, such as over 100, or if there are many black belts

If once reaching black belt students are encouraged to go start their own school or consider teaching

If ground-fighting is offered, it's exclusive to club members (which usually have a high fee) and/or not allowed until a high rank

The instructor rarely works out with the students and has his assistants do most or all of the teaching

If they teach weapons like the sai and nunchaku as a form of self-defense

If they are a Chinese martial art and use karate belts

If they glorify or try to imitate the Samurai or ninja.

buyer beware

Answer 2

If this is not a McDojo, I'll eat my hat.  

Typical signs here:

1). long contracts.

2) Big money up front.

3) Black belt club.

Understand this:

1) The rank, trophies, condition of the instructor has very little to do with matters here.

2) Black belt clubs mean that if you pay and come to class you will be promoted to black belt even if you do not deserve to.

3) No legitimate instructor will ever indicate that anyone will become a black belt. Much less have a schedule of promotion to a black belt.

EDIT: READER you hit the nail on the head.   It always amazes me how many high ranked martial artists can't tie their belt correctly. Makes me suspecious of them.

Answer 3

Sad to say, many of the TKD schools today are somewhat McDojo....High prices, lame techniques, falsified black belts (ATA is the most nefarious) Yet you could benefit here is how:

If they have great equipment there, use it your advantage on a daily basis

When you reach Shodan, venture into another art, it will make you more well rounded.

TKD can be a great cardio workout, so milk it for all it is worth

In the end you could come out on top

Answer 4

Assuming you train every week and don't get injured you are looking at $12 per week (ish).  Also if you train 3 times per week that will work out at approx $4 per session, which is reasonable.  However because you signed this contract, if you get a lengthy time out to say a bad back, you could lose out.  You should re-read the contract to check for any clauses stipulating injury timeouts.  In my eyes you should have an extension to your contract every time you are injured.

I am always wary of these sorts of contracts, I would never sign one and I would never use them.  This is because it is hard to see what is going to happen in the future.  The teacher could be a prick who loves himself and is only getting the money from you to pay for his next holiday!  The organisation I am with is pushing its clubs to sign up for a similar scheme, I will always refuse.  The way I see it is that MA are for everyone and not just for the rich, I only charge £3 adults and £2.50 kids and my classes are packed.

I work very hard to ensure all my students get advice and tips; if I haven't seen every single student then I know I haven’t done my job right.

I hope the money you have paid is worth it and the instructors are top notch, otherwise you have just wasted a month or twos wages!

Good luck and in case you didn't guess already I do think it is a McDojo.

:-)

Answer 5

The use of contracts isn't sufficient for McDojo status. If the "Black Belt Club" implies that at the end of your term you're guaranteed a black belt, then that is sufficient.

Keep in mind that it's hard to run a martial arts school as a business. You have regular expenses with irregular attendance. People will join up and leave a month later, and there can be months were, if you were not using contracts, you would be unable to make rent on the space, let alone utilities. Sometimes, all the black belt clubs mean is that people are free to attend any and all classes taught at that school without additional payment.

Franchise schools are a huge part of the problem. Then it turns from genuine skill and love of the art into a profit engine.

Belts have jack-all to do with it. The colored belts (colors other than black and white) were invented for westerners as encouragement, but there's no hard and fast rule about what the colors should be. The obi system didn't exist until the 1930s when Jigoro Kano started doing it (Kind of making it a Judo belt, and not a karate belt, huh?) and it was done as a way to differentiate between the "more advanced" and beginner students. The black belt traditionally indicates only a reasonable ability to perform kihon (fundamentals). It's a ribbon, and a way to get people to do things for that ribbon, just like Napoleon realized.

Further, the Dan grades are not limited from 1 to 10. Kano himself said that if ever anyone surpassed 10th dan they should be promoted accordingly.

You should be able to confirm your teachers credentials since it's an organization based club (WTF). The one year free offer is probably just business -- good way to build enrollment.

The common sense thing to do is this: Ask yourself, "Does this sound too good to be true?" If "Yes" then it is, and you're being conned (that is, you're not going to learn anything worth while).

Either way, you're probably not getting your money back (read your contract) so you're out $2000. Might as well train.

Answer 6

It kind of does sound like a money-crunching McDojo. I'm usually wary of any place that focuses on its own competitions and trophies rather than what might seem to be the students. But the 8 students to one instructor is a good ratio, so that's a plus mark. The massive upfront fee is a big turn-off though.

If you're already under contract, you might as well enjoy the three years.

Answer 7

I give a thumbs up to Pugs on this one, and just to add to the mix. There is a MA school next to my gym. While walking past it one day and looking in the window I noticed they were doing promotion ceremony, so I decided to stop and watch for a few minutes. There was about 20 to 30 kids there lined up in uniform. Then the show began, the instructor proceeded to give every single student a promotion of some type whether it was a stripe or belt every kid got something. "Give me a break". Another thing I tend to notice when I check out other schools during my travels is that a great majority of the students can't even tie a belt properly, even the higher ranks. These little things scream McDojo. Just my 2 cents.

Answer 8

$1000 the first month defiantly sounds like a mcdojo to me.

Answer 9

"It was $2000 which i had to pay 1000 the first month and 1000 the next month."

You should have run when you saw that.  $1000 the first month?  For taekwondo?  And you're not even a shodan?  What??!?!?!?

You can earn a black belt at a rec center or YMCA.  You can pay a lot lower than that a month also.  

Do you want fries with that black belt?  Dessert?  A wushu pie on the side?