05/03/2026
Recently I discovered the post below from another Martial artist that .. well it rang a familiar bell with me. So I have edited a bit while retaining its true story I see and hear so often. However its what exists today and its so familiar…
***************************************
A few days ago I was in Walmart grabbing water for the my Martial Arts school. A parent stopped me mid-aisle and proudly told me their 12-year-old had just earned a 3rd degree black belt which happens often since we have a McDojo school in the same city.
I looked at them, smiled, and said, “Nice.”
Because let’s be honest, there’s nothing “3rd degree” about a 12-year-old. That’s not opinion. That’s not “my style versus your style.” That’s reality.
But here’s the part people don’t like to hear: it’s not the child’s fault.
The child showed up. The child listened. The child did exactly what they were told to do. The parent paid the bills and trusted the school. From their perspective, everything is working exactly the way it’s supposed to. It isn't about building real ability in the student...it is about cashing on making them happy.
That’s the problem!
There are schools out there that have turned rank into a product. Show up, pay your fees, pass the next test. Repeat. Belt after belt, title after title, no real standard, no real pressure, no real depth. Just progression on a schedule to rake in the money.
I’ve been teaching for 35 years. I’ve seen it over and over again.
I’ve had prospective students from area schools walk into my dojang wearing black belts, some even multiple degrees, who couldn’t demonstrate basic structure, timing, or control. Not because they were lazy, but because no one ever demanded more from them. No one ever taught them, they just kept ranking them up regardless how good they truly were.
And when you show them where they actually stand? Most of them leave.
Not because they can’t improve, but because starting over means giving up the illusion. And most people would rather live the lie than truly earn it.
That’s the truth.
Every school can run how it wants. Every style has its own method. But there is a line between teaching martial arts and selling rank, and a lot of places crossed it a long time ago.
A belt is supposed to represent time, pressure, failure, refinement, sacrifice, hard work and growth. It’s supposed to mean you’ve been tested...not processed.
When I walked out of that store, I didn’t feel impressed. I didn’t feel angry either.
I felt bad for the kid because, one day they’re going to find out what that rank actually means when it’s put under real pressure.
And I felt worse for the parent because they probably spent thousands of dollars thinking they were investing in something that held real ability, skill and value.
All you can do is make sure that inside your own dojang, rank isn’t something you buy.
It’s something you earn.
