01/28/2020
Recognize a good school!
The Top 10 Warning Signs Your Dojo is a McDojo
Your uniform:
⦁ Multicolored uniforms are the norm.
⦁ Camouflage belts are all the rage.
⦁ About a thousand badges/patches on your gi.
⦁ Instructors wear ‘instructor belts’ rather than regular belts reflecting their true ranking.
⦁ You have stripes on your belt that signify how much you have paid (rather than what you have earned)
⦁ You get colored tabs on your belt to denote ‘half’ or ‘quarter’ ranks.
⦁ The dojo’s web address and/or phone number is printed on the back of your uniform.
⦁ Wearing/buying the dojo merchandise is mandatory.
Sensei/Instructor
⦁ Your 30 years or younger sensei is a “grandmaster” with 9th dan or above.
⦁ Your sensei says he “doesn’t want to hurt you,” so he refuses to fight you.
⦁ Your sensei has an 11th dan, 12th dan, 13th dan or even higher grade, and he got it in a foreign country.
⦁ Your style was created by your sensei, yet it has special advantages over all other styles and is considered by him "traditional." The name of the style is absurdly long.
⦁ Your sensei knows the ‘no-touch’ K.O.
⦁ Your instructor prefers to use “grandmaster”, “master” or “sensei” rather than his real name. Both in print and person.
⦁ Your sensei studied Karate for less time than marketing.
⦁ The dojo’s decals are required on instructors cars.
⦁ The police know your sensei because he registered his fists as deadly weapons.
⦁ Your grandmaster rarely is a hands on teacher.
⦁ The instructor uses students as punching bags.
⦁ The instructor refuses to teach you certain techniques in an attempt to hold you back.
Dojo
⦁ No-Contact Karate is promoted by the dojo.
⦁ Prospective students are required to become a member before even trying a lesson.
⦁ Claims of being an “award winning dojo,” with little or no solid evidence.
⦁ Other schools are put down.
Black Belt Qualifications/Progression
⦁ You are awarded a black belt in 1-2 years (Those new to martial arts, especially).
⦁ Advancement to the next rank is at great expense, instead of an honorable achievement.
⦁ They advertise a special course that will get you a black belt in 6 months or less. (That course is really expensive.)
⦁ Signage states: “Guaranteed Black Belt”.
⦁ Time-based progression through ranks, rather than achievement-based.
⦁ There are 7-year old black belts.
Grading
⦁ Nobody ever fails at testing time.
⦁ Testing is fifteen minutes long.
⦁ You can grade via mail order/the internet.
Individual Freedom
⦁ Personal expression and Individual development is virtually non-existent. Conformist mentality is encouraged, since it makes it easy for a sensei to rule the dojo.
⦁ You are not allowed to compete. It is not considered honorable.
⦁ You are required to compete. It is considered honorable.
⦁ Cross training is discouraged.
⦁ Showing techniques you learned from someplace else is frowned upon.
⦁ Doing stuff that actually works is seen as less important than doing stuff that’s "correct."
Forms (Kata)/Movement/Weapons
⦁ You never practice low kicks.
⦁ Speaking of forms/ kata; there are too many of them.
⦁ You are doing forms/ kata to music.
⦁ Weapons training consists of glow in the dark weapons that weigh a maximum of 4 oz.
⦁ “Sensei, when will I learn my next form/kata?” "When you take this private lesson or buy my DVD."
⦁ Your sensei teaches crescent kicks as a disarming technique for knives and handguns.
⦁ You practice back flips.
Kid's Classes
⦁ Students scream more than they bow.
⦁ Kids’ classes are more games and chaos than actual Karate.
⦁ I will repeat it again: There are 7-year old black belts.
Money Money Money
⦁ You must pay for an entire year up front, no refunds.
⦁ First thing that greets students when they enter the dojo is cash register.
⦁ New students aren’t allowed to watch a class before signing on the dotted line.
Pridefulness
⦁ The sensei is always right.
⦁ The style is always right.
⦁ The dojo is always right.
⦁ Questioning the style, teacher, lineage or dojo is discouraged. (It is not okay though to disrespect your sensei. If you have a question then ask them privately.)
⦁ The instructor demands respect, instead of earning it.
Please note: I am not saying that if a dojo utilizes any of the items listed above that they are definitely a McDojo. After all most dojo's are commercial enterprises and as such, sensei's must use some tools at their disposal. This list is, as it were, a cautionary tale. If you know what a McDojo is then you can avoid them. Trust your instincts.
