What do you think of this martial arts school?

Question

I was planning on checking it out, but after I saw the website alarm bells started ringing. It sounds as if it was written by a double-glazing salesman:

http://www.castlebba.co.uk/

Can you confirm my suspicions that this is one serious mcdojo?

If I did go, do you think I would actually learn anything or are they just after my money?

Answer 1

1ST he started trainingt at 5 yrs old 2 black belts while in his teens been training for 25 yrs so we have a 30 yr old "master"

He doesn't mention being a recognized member of any official BRITISH  governing body for martial arts or CQB  association likely because those organizations would take this 30 yr old "master" and kick his *** before telling him to take his bullshit elsewhere.

Do you want to learn from someone whose main training has been the watered down c**p they teach children.?

All he has done is take some fitness guru's adds and added the words karate and jujutsu etc. into the come on promo.

Answer 2

It's good. Remember that school is just a 25% of the aspects in learning. And 25% is your money (allowance) and 50% is your faith to know martial arts.. :), any school will work

Answer 3

just join a class, their all good when you get stuck in!

Answer 4

Looks like a MMA school. 30 days of free classes is a very long trail to give away. Most would only give about a week. Try it out and ask about it after that.

Answer 5

Seriously they seem to promise a little too much, I teach Martial arts. It is a mixture of Kempo Karate, San Shou and most of my kicking techniques are from Tang Soo Do...that is it in a nutshell..They seem to promise a little too much, but look into it for curiosity sakes...

Answer 6

I'd stay away from here. It stinks really bad.  Here are a few things that bother me from just the quick look at their web site:

1) Personally i have a problem with any dojo that uses "Black Belt" as any part of their name. To me it implies that the school may be a "Paper Mill" (Read as McDojo).

2) Site starts with some really aggressive and bold claims that just don't feel right.

3) On the Instructors page they mis-spell the title Shihan by spelling it sheehan?  First I though it was a typo, then I saw that they repeated it several other places. Anyone familier with Japanese or Okinawan martial arts would never make that mistake.

4) One of the instructors looks like he is not old enough to drive. In 41 years of training I have yet to see anyone that young that is qualified to teach.  They simply lack the experience, knowledge, and maturity.  Simply is not seen in Japan or Okinawa.

5) The Blue Gi that several of them are shown wearing bother me. That is not to say that if someone wears a blue Gi that they are not good. It just makes me really skeptical. Why does any competent martial artists need to wear something that makes them stand out. It does not improve their skills. It does however give me that circus feeling.

Sorry I can't go further on this. I've just got my feelings on this and they are telling me to stay away.

Answer 7

I would be wary

one thing I learned from martial arts training is that you don't learn any art overnight, and any somewhat serious student of the martial arts would know that

it seems he's selling hard to the lay person crowd, even by saying it's for "people just like you!!" meaning people who are in the habit of signing up for gym memberships and not going

even 30 days isn't enough to really learn anything that's going to stick with you; I think this guy just wants a high volume of "normal" people who will sign up, give him money, then blow it off, as opposed to a smaller volume of dedicated, commited students who are in it for the long hall

so go ahead, get your 30 days free, then walk out the door

Answer 8

I was willing to give some slack until I saw the name of teh school.  Anyone who has a school called "Black Belt Academy" does scream McDojo in my book.  McDojo's brag about how many black belts they produce.  The truth is that anyone can start a martial arts school and order black belts from a catalog.  

I contrast that to my master who, after developing his own style 25 years ago, has awarded fewer than 100 black belts.

Answer 9

they say they are giving u a 30 day free trial, you might as well try it then! seeing how they wont take your money and you can find out yourself! although the whole "transformation overnight" is kinda shady.

Answer 10

i think that school will kick your as#

Answer 11

"Martial arts mastery is one click away" that is straight up McDojo with cheese.