McDojo?

**ksmythe** · Posted On: 10/23/2002 2:51pm

Check this site out. Kind of has as wierd clean yuppie appeal thing going. Anyone here from Salt Lake know anything about em?

http://www.shaolinarts.com/

"You were bored .... so you thought you'ld try some kung fu"

Michael · Posted On: 10/23/2002 2:55pm

Jesus Christ!!!!!!!!! Go to ussd.com guys, same system of martial arts as far as I'm concerned. I've said it once and I'll say it again....these guys are kempo/kenpo....Since they are not openly telling the truth I dubb thee McDojo.

**Dark Knight** · Posted On: 10/23/2002 3:20pm

these guys are a Villari/USSD spin off. They want to Claim Cerio, but they didnt start there.

**Freddy** · Posted On: 10/23/2002 6:16pm

Oh! ****! Attack of the BRADY BUNCH!

PEACE!

**matzahbal** · Posted On: 10/23/2002 6:36pm

Defenite Villari/USSD spin off..weird seeing them on this part of the states. It's funny how they just change the name of the studio but keep the same manual. Go to any USSD or Villari webpage and compare their dojo rules and etiquitte to theirs, it's pretty funny, oh and a nice history section from the USSD manual.

"But some apes they gotta go, so we kill the ones we don't know" - 'Ape shall never kill Ape' by The Vandals

Edited by - matzahbal on October 23 2002 20:43:38

**Rico** · Posted On: 10/24/2002 12:05am

I am always suspicious when they don't quite say which style they teach. The T'ai Chi section has that problem, too. I know of one kempo dojo that actually invented a T'ai Chi style because they couldn't find anyone to run their T'ai Chi class.

**TheEdge883** · Posted On: 10/24/2002 2:45am

Interesting, I'm not familiar with this school. I'll have to check it out and get back to you all.

**transparent** · Posted On: 10/24/2002 3:01am

That whole page gave me an allergic reaction.

Im gonna go sit in a corner and scratch myself now...

**strats36** · Posted On: 10/24/2002 1:11pm

I vote a definate no.

If you get past their front page and do a little reading you will soon realize they are not McDojo. Check out their consumer education page:

http://www.shaolinarts.com/pages/overview.html

Some of the ideas expressed sound pretty anti-Mcdojo. For example:

"Be aware of long term contracts. You should be able to pay month to month in some form. Being forced to sign contracts is really a strong indication students leave that school after a short time of study. Contracts are often designed to keep you, or at least your money, at the school when normally you would have left"

or

"In a sense, a system is only as good as the instructor’s ability to teach it - to develop those skills within you. Some instructors run martial arts studios as shrines to themselves. Having pride in yourself is important but an inflated ego is a sign of a weak personality."

Their Chi development may be questionable but other than that, they seem to be an honest organization.