Anyone familiar with this school: Miami Budokai?

**thaclient** · Posted On: 3/09/2006 6:31pm

Hi everyone,

I was just curious if anyone has any information on this school? I have been wanting to start training here (in Miami) and this school is really close to me. I know that Moacir "Boca" Oliveria, an instructor with ATT, teaches there which looked promising.

My concerns came in with the fact that the website seems to be sort of McDojo'ish. I realize that the website isn't the best, nor an accurate representation of the school so I figured I'd solicit opinions.

http://www.miamibudokai.com/ is the school's site.

My other option is going to the Avellan brothers school, but with traffic it would take me 20-25 minutes vs 3 to get to Miami Budokai.

I know the best advice is to go check out the schools in person, which I will do when things calm down a litle for me (next week). Thanks everyone.

edit: I edited in McDojo instead of bullshido since it probably is a better description.

**ojgsxr6** · Posted On: 3/09/2006 6:35pm

What looks like Bullshido on that site to you?

**yokumo** · Posted On: 3/09/2006 6:36pm

check it out, i cracked up at the videos though. the aikido though i noticed they were doing (what appeared to be) old-school wood board training, which was intersting. :P

**thaclient** · Posted On: 3/09/2006 6:43pm

Originally Posted by ojgsxr6

What looks like Bullshido on that site to you?

The video/ commercial... actually McDojo would probably have been a better descriptor than bullshido.

I'm assuming (hoping) that it was made to attract the largest audience and that is why they featured all the kids training.

**Teh El Macho** · Posted On: 3/09/2006 8:10pm

I used to work very close to that school back in 2001. Never had the chance to check it out, but the one thing I found weird is that they say in the home page that Aikido is 'a offensive style of martial arts'. Anyways...

I guess your only option is to check budokai and FFA and see which one you like best. As for the 25 min. drive to FFA, heheehe, that's if you are lucky. Traffic is a mess in Miami nowadays :P

BTW, there is a small back road between 24st and 8st... don't remember the number, but it's passes next to a HS, and it takes you almost in front of FIU (and FFA) - I used to take it looooong ago when going to school to avoid all the fucked up traffic in 24st and 8th. I think it's 16st or something like that. I'd suggest you do some experimental driving during the weekend when there is less traffic. Who knows, you may end up cutting off your drive down to 10 minutes ;)

**thaclient** · Posted On: 3/09/2006 8:29pm

elnyka:

Thanks for the info. I live really close to budokai (and where you must have worked). It would be really easy for me to get there, but if it is McDojo I'd rather make the drive. I'd be training more for self-defense and general health than for competing, and I'm not sure if an Aikido based defense system would be the best thing (although the BJJ program should be good). I've only heard good things about FFA, and that they are a real-deal type of place.

Anyway, as far as traffic. The one thing going for me is that if I train in the morning I'd be going against rush-hour (west) and that wouldn't be so bad. If I have to go for classes at 4-7 would be really, really bad and increase the time considerably. I'm going to have to look for that back road (maybe Google map it and look closely) because that would be a time saver. Thanks again.

**TehDeadlyDimMak** · Posted On: 3/09/2006 8:44pm

Well Daniel Gracie is conducting a seminar at Budokai. Even if the school sucks that's pretty cool in itself. I wonder if you can go to that even if you're not a member of the school?

**thaclient** · Posted On: 3/09/2006 10:38pm

I believe they let in anybody for the seminars. Here's the last one they held:

http://www.miamibudokai.com/seminar.html

It'll be interesting to see when the details are put online for this seminar.