McDojo Intervention

**plasmagoat** · Posted On: 10/26/2005 4:29am

Originally Posted by kpmurphy

Is there some sort of intervention for friends in a McDojo? A buddy of mine decided to take up martial arts around the same time I did. The difference is I had been thinking about doing it for years and spent a lot of time on this site just lurking and learning from the posts and the articles you guys put up. I have found what I think is a great school. I have only been there for two weeks but I feel I have what I was looking for.

I don’t think my friend did the research. He started in late august and when I talked to him the other day he has already done “knife defenses” and he is going to be testing for his next belt after just nine weeks or so, one or two lessons a week. I haven’t been to his school but it sounds like a McDojo to me.

Have you guys had friends in McDojos? How did you broach the subject with them? I don’t have the credibility to criticize his training. I should probably just point him to this site. Anyone ever had a similiar situation?

There's nothing bullshido about knife defenses, and 9 weeks doesn't seem unreasonable for the first belt (if it's the first one).

**chaosexmachina** · Posted On: 10/26/2005 4:34am

Originally Posted by plasmagoat

There's nothing bullshido about knife defenses, and 9 weeks doesn't seem unreasonable for the first belt (if it's the first one).

I think you forgot to take your medication or you took some you weren't supposed to, because I'd think it'd be at least one YEAR to the first ranking.

**plasmagoat** · Posted On: 10/26/2005 4:41am

Originally Posted by chaosexmachina

I think you forgot to take your medication or you took some you weren't supposed to, because I'd think it'd be at least one YEAR to the first ranking.

Ah. I guess our system is different. Virtually every MA has a "basic course" first, which teaches you the basics of the art, as the name implies (judo, for example, might have a lot of falls to prepare the student for the later techniques). It lasts about a month or two, and then you get the white belt, or its equivalent.

**Beatdown Richie** · Posted On: 10/26/2005 4:50am

I think you forgot to take your medication or you took some you weren't supposed to, because I'd think it'd be at least one YEAR to the first ranking.

Nah. A couple of months is a realistic time frame for someone who trains consistently. There should be a significant difference in skill between a bloody newb and someone who's been there for, say, six months.

Depends on the school and style, though. With some training methodologies, you don't acquire any skills even in years. And whether that is the case is something kpmurphy will have to find out.

kp: if you check out the school, it might be good to take one of the advanced people in your club with you, preferrably someone who has done a variety of arts and can put things in context.

**kpmurphy** · Posted On: 10/27/2005 10:22am

Ah. I guess our system is different. Virtually every MA has a "basic course" first, which teaches you the basics of the art, as the name implies (judo, for example, might have a lot of falls to prepare the student for the later techniques). It lasts about a month or two, and then you get the white belt, or its equivalent.

He already has the white and is being promoted to the next (orange? yellow?) belt after roughly nine lessons. He goes about once a week. Kinife defense in just nine lessons just seemed quick to me, that's all. Seems like there are plenty of other things to work on first.

I'm in the process of leaving an ATA TKD Mcdojo. I wished someone had planned an intervention for me, woulda saved me about two thousand bucks and two months of wasted time.

There is the argument for telling him.

As for broaching the subject, don't take it too seriously if they're not particularly serious about their training. I make sure to give all my WC freinds (who do it at school, which is a bit suss...) **** about the fact kung-fu was made by girls, just to stir up freindly rivalry :P (spare me your pedantries; I havent done extensive reasearch into it, Its just something i say) Just go with it, ya know? If the topic of credibility comes up, refer to the above point of bagging his school :P

And here is why I probably won't bother. He doesn't take it too seriously. He is doing it because he likes it and for the exercise. No harm in that. Maybe a few months from now we can spar and see what happens.

**ojgsxr6** · Posted On: 11/15/2005 3:06pm

I have a similar situation in my office. I don't tell anyone from work that I do any type of MA, but one of the women from work wants to send their son to Tiger Schullman's. Now I've heard nothing but good things about the training there, but should I warn her about the money and the contract situation at the school?

**Judah Maccabee** · Posted On: 11/15/2005 3:09pm

Originally Posted by ojgsxr6

I have a similar situation in my office. I don't tell anyone from work that I do any type of MA, but one of the women from work wants to send their son to Tiger Schullman's. Now I've heard nothing but good things about the training there, but should I warn her about the money and the contract situation at the school?

Yes. Check out my review of the Degerberg school in the Bullshido forum. They have an incredibly high tuition rate (comes out to $35 per hour of training if I remember right) for a very limited amount of instruction.