Does this taekwondo dojang look like a scam?

**fatprince101** · Posted On: 8/09/2010 7:33am

Here's the link: http://www.edtkd.com/ (sorry, I know its in chinese but there's no english version!)

General Info:
Gym size: 1500-2000 square feet (around 180 meters square)
Class size: 15
Instructors: 4 at any one time, 6 in total (four second degree black belts, one fifth degree black belt and another sixth degree black belt)
Equipment: paddles, boxing bag and sparring gear
Cost: $60 per season (twelve sessions, each ninety minutes long)
Testing fee: $27.5

Things I am concerned about:
- Tests are held every three months for junior grades (10th to 7th guep), six months for intermediate grades (6th to 4th guep) and nine months for senior grades (3rd to 1st guep). Is that abit too long/short?
- Some times the poom students teach the guep students during class time.
- There are some 1st guep students under the age of 13.
-The earliest poom (junior black belt) student is only 14.
- The sixth dan teacher is overweight (five foot eight and over 200 pounds/ around 90 kilograms) and, even though he once won alot of trophies, can barely fight now.

What do you think people?

Thanks

***Omega Supreme*** · Posted On: 8/09/2010 9:09am

*shrug. It's Taekwondo, I wouldn't say that the age of the instructors really matter at that age. From my Taekwondo training 13 is considered okay.

**Alucard619** · Posted On: 8/09/2010 10:25pm

What is a poom student? (Or did you mean to say poomsae?)

***Omega Supreme*** · Posted On: 8/09/2010 10:39pm

Originally Posted by Alucard619

What is a poom student? (Or did you mean to say poomsae?)

Oh, you know what he meant.

**fatprince101** · Posted On: 8/10/2010 2:23am

Originally Posted by Alucard619

What is a poom student? (Or did you mean to say poomsae?)

poom is the term used for a person who had passed their first guep grading but has not turned fifteen yet. therefore, he/she is not eligibile to wear a black belt uniform. instead, he/she will wear a uniform that looks excatly the same as the black belt one, but where the areas that should be filled with black (for example the collar in WTF styled taekwondo and the bottom edge of the dobok for ITF) is filled with half red and half black (black on the top, red on the bottom). They are also sometimes also known as "junior black belts". :eng101:

**svt2026** · Posted On: 8/11/2010 2:07pm

Everything sounds fine. Poom is a designation for someone under 18 years old. I have sceen TkD schools with 3rd degree black belt under the age of 13.

Prices seem great since here most places charge over $100/month.

So what if the 5th degree instructor is overweight, that's what happens when you get old stop training and only teach. It catches on quick. Most people cant do TKD snappy kicks when they get old its really hard on your joints. So in turn they dont really work out with the students.

If your worried about your school being a Mcdojo than it is or your just not happy there. Why dont you look at what you like about it instead of posting this and threads about promoting to slow.

**ajmillar16** · Posted On: 8/11/2010 6:05pm

reading the first thing your concerned about thats actually a good school just because gradings are held at these times does not mean people will grade at theses times it just means if you are good enough you can grade at these times. it would be a lot more worrying if they were held every two weeks like some McDojos do.

**V_ajra** · Posted On: 8/11/2010 9:37pm

Originally Posted by svt2026

Prices seem great since here most places charge over $100/month.

I can attest to this. It seems like a trend between dojangs or something...

**svt2026** · Posted On: 8/12/2010 9:07am

Its schools trying to be competitive price wise while trying to pay for high rent.

**Alucard619** · Posted On: 8/12/2010 8:50pm

That actually doesn't sound bad then. Doesn't matter if the 5th Dan is overweight. My own instructor is chubby. To his own defense he quotes teaching martial arts for over 20 years plus marriage and two kids to his large girth lol.