Dojo Reviews and You - in-house bullshido.

***JohnnyCache*** · Posted On: 1/20/2007 2:50pm

I was just reading through some reviews as kind of a warm-up before writing my own, and I'd like to re-iterate - this is a an absolute scale encompassing the whole martial arts world.

I'm not going to queen the forum up by posting examples, but I'm taking it on myself here to remind everyone that we do have non-arbitrary guidelines for the numerical ratings, and eventually, another person IS going to walk into your school and this website. This isn't me laying down the "moderator law" or anything, I'm just parroting the guidelines that are already up and adding a dash of my own opinion.

There are a lot of people handing themselves 9s and 10s in things, and I think that's a bit much in most cases. Let's talk a little about what is and isn't a ten.

A ten for equipment, for example, or gym size, is the sort of thing I would say is reserved for the OTC, or at least the sort of shiny new complex they had on TUF.

If your fighters have the sort of pampering that say a college football team gets - one facility for games and events, one for practice, a full weight room and several sets of different sorts of bags and dummies, both with duplicates of many stations so that there's never a wait, lockers and showers, maybe a whirpool, at least one full ring or cage as appropriate to your sport, brand new, shiny, squeaky clean **** just barely used enough to be broken in nicely, plenty of parking, a video room where you can watch tape, many water fountains and a shelf for your shoes, with a nameplate on YOUR shelf, you're a ten in equipment. If the place is big enough to hold all this stuff, you're a ten for size. If your instructor has a winning national competition record in your sport, and he is a good teacher to boot, you're a nine for an instructor. If you've got a specialist who is the BEST in what he does AND a connected person who can take you places in the sport - that's a TEN. A ten is someone who, if not a household name, should be known at least to martial artists outside of your area.

The best guy in town is not a ten. (If you're from LA, NY, whatever, read town as 'neighborhood.')

Adequate but careworn gear is not a ten.

A roof and a mat is not a ten.

A guy who has been in a cage a few times is not a ten.

Sorry, again, directed a no one in particular, I'm just wondering if we're all clear on the guidelines. I like my school a whole lot. It's the best school I've found for miles. My instructors can kick my ass six ways from Sunday, and will be able to for the forseeable future, They can also get me fights when I'm ready for them. We have all the gear we need, and our room holds everyone and has a ring and mats - but I wouldn't say we're a ten in ANY category on this review, barring atmosphere, and the people I train with and under would eat the average TKD school for lunch, but they do concede that there are fighters and facilities and instruction out there above and beyond our level.

Please be very honest with your reviews if you believe in what we're doing here. If your school lacks in an area, instead of being tempted to fudge a little hear and there, take the hit and talk about why. My school, we're focused on competing - we don't train with weapons AT ALL. That's a big fat 0 in an entire category. I'm not going to go "oh well we do have some rubber knives in the corner and we screw around with them twice a year...I'll just give myself a 5 so the averages aren't thrown off..."

The reviews are supposed to help people decided if the school is right for their experience level, finances, and expectations. If you are less then accurate and honest in the review, you're wasting the time of the people that read it, and you're doubly wasting the time of anyone who visits your school based on the review, not to mention lowering the credibility of bullshido.

Sorry. I have to do one long rant a year. Got it out in Jan. this year, that's good.

tl,dr; Don't pretty up your reviews. Read the guidelines on the number scales before you post them.

**Ke?poFist** · Posted On: 1/20/2007 3:37pm

Well said....now I feel a little guilty

**Ke?poFist** · Posted On: 1/20/2007 3:38pm

BTW I gave my school a 10 on equipment, because BJJ doesn't require alot of equipment in itself, so having boxing gloves, mma gloves, pads, throwing dummies, crash mats etc... is all +'s IMO :P

**johnny3443** · Posted On: 1/20/2007 4:21pm

Good post Johnny, I know I could use more guidelines for the school review area. I will hopefully be contributing to that section soon.

Let us know when your review is up. BTW aren’t you in the WA state/Seattle area?

***JohnnyCache*** · Posted On: 1/20/2007 8:56pm

No I am not. I would move for the girl in your avatar, though.

We do have guidlines, they are just tucked in kind of an odd place

http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=48577

Just for the record, before someone asks, this thread is NOT directed at anthony. The school he trains at is pretty much tip-top and deserves its ratings. ATT's main school is actually a damn good example of what you need to give yourself a 10. In fact, if you haven't read his review of ATT's huge, state of the art facility or looked at ATT's website, you should do so now. Ladies and gentleman and knightmare, that is a ten.

Note the things that take this school 'above and beyond' - the boxing coach is a gold medalist. There are multiple BJJ blackbelts, multiple household name fighters, a dedicated weight room, sports medicine facilities, a conditioning coach. Tons of great equpiment, perfect mats and competition areas to train in, etc.

Kempo: I would say a Matt Serra and a stable of what ...4 other BJJ blackbelts? Is pretty top notch grappling instruction. Your review doesn't talk much about the phyisical layout of the place, but those are the things we have pretty much the best guidelines on, it's pretty easy to say, "well, if the school is x, it gets a _"

**Ke?poFist** · Posted On: 1/20/2007 9:14pm

Well Johnny, thanks for this thread. I just updated my review in accordance to the guidelines that I didnt know existed. My judgement on equipment and aliveness was off. But yeah I still give it a 10 on atmosphere and grappling instruction because I refuse to get off this wonderful nutriding experience :)

***JohnnyCache*** · Posted On: 1/20/2007 9:17pm

Well, I've never been there, but Serra seemed like a guy I would get along with and so do you so I'd probably go with that...and like I say, I don't think the high score in grappling instruction can be messed with.

**alex** · Posted On: 1/20/2007 10:50pm

fair enough i might rehash some parts of my scoring for the size and equipment ratings. no door on our shower >_<

i see that almost everyone gives their striking and/or grappling instruction a 10, there needs to be some kind of qualification for it cos you wouldnt be training somewhere if you didnt think it was the best, whereas if it failed to meet certain criteria its not really an option. (maybe 10 could be has students who are at a top level in their respective sport- not just some guy who lost in an undercard k-1 event in nowheresville europe)

of course that makes it kinda difficult to judge things like kung fu... but they all suck anyway :D

**Ke?poFist** · Posted On: 1/20/2007 11:19pm

Nah, I completely agree with perhaps having top level fighters in their respective sports as a barometer of worth. If your style doesn't have any form of competition it can enter into then it's most likely crap anyway. But then again, I'm biased. My school still gets a 10 on grappling instruction *rides away on his nut*

**emboesso** · Posted On: 1/21/2007 1:16pm

Originally Posted by KempoFist

BTW I gave my school a 10 on equipment, because BJJ doesn't require alot of equipment in itself, so having boxing gloves, mma gloves, pads, throwing dummies, crash mats etc... is all +'s IMO :P

Hey, forget that. I want to see a review of your old Kempo school, the head instructor's 1980s Bon Jovi hairdo, and the 1980s black acid-washed gis.

Now *THAT* would be a review!