Shift to Commercialization...

**OnceLost** · Posted On: 1/31/2007 7:30am

Oh and OnceLost, I see you are still using the "MMA (TKD Aikido & Irony)" phrase in your style field from either the "TKD Sensai" or "PMA" threads.

In the immortal words of Eeyore, "Thanks for noticing me." Originally I just had "MMA (TKD and Aikido), but people missed the irony there so I threw it in for good measure.

Debul, how long did it take for that club to go 'commercial?'

The clue that finally pushed the 'something isn't right' button for me was the titles. BBs would help teach in the classes before their own (standard) and the class would thank them when bowing out (again, standard to a TMA) - what killed me was when someone had the idea to start calling the BBs senpai (senior student) to avoid the confusion of having to separately thank BBs of different gender (thank you, sir, thank you, ma'am). My issue is that the style was 'Shaolin Ke?po,' and there was an American flag on the wall - why use Japanese honorifics?

**FUNKtastic** · Posted On: 1/31/2007 7:31am

Originally Posted by debul937

I told him to **** off to which he replied he would call the head instructor and tell on me. I left and never went back.

Ahh T3h D3aDlY tell on you....glad they didn't overlook this self-defense beauty.

**Judomofo** · Posted On: 1/31/2007 8:47am

Hey OnceLost,

I stopped by there to get the skinny. It was an interesting trip to say the least. I think I can PM now, at the very least email you.

Those guys seemed cool about certain things, they had a good attitude about martial arts in general and about their style. Then they had some huge warning flags for me, let me know if you want to talk about it.

**OnceLost** · Posted On: 1/31/2007 9:28am

I'm not sure if you can PM or not - I sent you one, though.

**SpringHeeledJack** · Posted On: 1/31/2007 9:38am

"Debul, how long did it take for that club to go 'commercial?'"

Well, I was there for only about six months. The downfall was pretty swift I suppose. Also, the titles thing really pissed me off. If calling everyone by those names was the protocol when I first went there I probably wouldn't have signed up(I'm not particularly into the whole traditional thing). The fact that all of a sudden I had to start calling white people Chinese names, when previously I called them Joe or Bob or Mike really got under my skin. I felt stupid just saying that stuff. Every time i called one of them by name they corrected me. "No Wes, you should refer to me as sihing." Get the **** outta here.

Edited to protect identities

**OnceLost** · Posted On: 1/31/2007 9:55am

Nuck, I agree that a successful MA business isn't necessary a bad thing. I'd love to be involved in one someday. BUT, the sacrifice of integrity for $$ is bad for the school, the students, and MA in general.

**OnceLost** · Posted On: 1/31/2007 10:07am

Absolutely. Just as a side-note, I think most schools that DO sacrifice their integrity and instruction don't actually believe that they did...

**OZZ** · Posted On: 1/31/2007 5:09pm

Funny thing how commercial schools practically trip over their own words to try and get students...the other day I was downtown and looking up at this sign for a school called "ALL CANADIAN MARTIAL ARTS" ( which is run, incidentally, by as former Black Arts Society member) and then riight next to it is a sign advertising what they teach and it says "JAPANESE JIU JITSU" and "BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU" along with MMA and KICKBOXING.
What exactly is ALL CANADIAN MARTIAL ARTS then? Why advertise Japanese and Brazilian fighting styles and call yourself ALL CANADIAN MARTIAL ARTS? Silliness...they advertise the styles they think will draw people in and then what.. appeal to their sense of nationalism or something and contradict themselves with their own ads.:laughing9
Oh well. The only comforting thing about Mcdojoism and commercial schools is that you can flip through the yellow pages and know that 90% of the stuff advertised is BS and the MA schools out there are not really producing anybody dangerous. That's why you train for the real fighters you might encounter and not the ass clowns.

**new2bjj** · Posted On: 1/31/2007 5:48pm

Some of the Gracie schools really try to sock it to you in fees, uniforms, seminars, collection agencies, etc, but they do teach the real BJJ. AS far as TMA's go, when you take judo, you will have to learn there terms and wear a regulation Gi. That shouldn't mean you have to buy a patch, and all your gear there, however. The problem is, a business is run to generate a profit, so buyer beware. Plus, your McDojo is someone else's Family Martial Arts center, where there hyper kid gets to blow some steam off and does better in school. I'm a parent, and I don't need my kid to be a bad ass, I just want him to have fun. That doesn't mean I'm going to send him to a McDojo, but I understand why people do. And there are a lot more people that want the McDojo, and believe me, in their heart of hearts, most McDojo people know they can't hang with an MMA guy or kickboxer. It's just a hobby. If people wanted hard core training, then Judo would still be the number one martial art, not TKD.

**polishillusion** · Posted On: 1/31/2007 6:44pm

its not commercialism. it is people being lazy and full of bullshit.

you guys write like you don't want others making money, but, who the **** cares?