Hey there, it's been awhile.
I've been busy in Israel, and now that I've made citizenship I have a chance to breathe for a few moments and write some posts.
This is a particularly important topic in martial arts. In fact, before you learn how to fight, how to weave and dodge, choosing the right school, or training area, is more important and integral, than anything you will do after you begin practicing.
Your teacher is who will illuminate the road you will walk on in martial arts, and as this path is one that is rife with potential injury and a very timely thing; who you select to be your teacher, if they will take you, will determine the rest of everything else you can do in your respective martial arts.
I began at a school somewhere between traditional and mcdojo. I began at four and spent the next nine years there, until an after school scrap that I lost. I couldn't fathom how as a third dan I got beaten up. So I decided it wasn't my fault (which it was, I was too timid at the time to use anything I had been taught) and switched schools to a much tougher, and more traditional school.
Ah, now these were, and most still are, fighters, and by the time that school closed I actually felt I deserved the black belt I wore- and it took two years of restarting at their school. But that is a story for another time.
Since then I have taught at mcdojos and traditional schools. Over twenty in all in the D.C. and Maryland area. I used to make quite a bit of money as a contractor going from school to school and teaching children basic self defense and martial arts. So it can be lucrative to a degree.
Anyways,
The point is this- the student will go as far as they can. You, me, we all are students. But even if gifted prodigies, if we are taught wrong- if we are taught only the sport side of TKD or any other martial art, it is not comparative to being able to defend yourself on the street. And having had to do that since, in both the United States and in Europe, I can tell you that picking a school and your teacher could have the weight of being life and death.
If you are taught to disarm a knife dangerously, and you get hurt trying to do so in self-defense, is it your fault, or your teacher's?
I'd wager more on the latter than the former.
Your best bet is to avoid to mcdojos. Don't get me wrong- I've had good times at such schools. I made money, and taught as pragmatically as I could, but ultimately if you want to learn actual martial arts, and protect yourself you need a more traditional based school.
So how to spot a mcdojo?
1- Does their martial art system have belts?
This is kind of vague, but the more money you tend to pay for a rank in a martial art, the more it demeans something priceless.
I've been to schools where I had to pay anywhere from $200 to $1000 for a black belt. What's the difference when the latter practically gave away belts, while the former made you have to fight through four people at once to get your money's worth and pedigree.
Pay attention to how easily the belts are given away, and how much it costs when they are.
2- Are their black belts actually worth calling black belts?
The rank of 'black belt' or '1st dan' is arbitrary. I received my first black belt in Moo Duk Kwan TKD, and I was 7. I'm told I did well, and everything asked right, but y'know, I just don't believe it. 19 years later I look back and wish I could retake that test- I can do so much more now, and actually deserve that first rank.
After that street fight I lost at 13 and I switched schools, one of the biggest reasons I did so was no because they had amazing technique, but because their brown belts could beat the shit out of any 3rd dan I knew from my other school, or even the other schools in the area.
And their fighting was brutal. Absolutely so, and worth it. When you see a black belt at a school an they are sloppy, invariably you need to look at who is teaching them.
3- Does the school's head teacher have an unconfirmed background?
Keep in mind you can buy belts online. All of them, even camouflage, pink, and rainbow belts if you fancy it. You can buy the rainbow in sashes or belts and wear them, but does a black belt make a black belt?
The highest rank I ever decided to go for in martial arts is my 3rd dan. That was 10 years ago, and I have vastly improved since then, gathering belts from a multitude of Korean and Japanese styles. But I never go past 1st dan. This is usually because of circumstance, such as a school closing (I've had two schools where the head master passed away, one where he retired, and another where they closed shop for more gainful employ) but after awhile, you realize you are still growing despite not acquiring new ranks.
I've been called a master since, not only in the U.S. but now Israel as well. I don't think I am; in what style?
But the point is this; anybody who is wearing something that states importance, without doing anything important- anybody who wears a belt over actually demonstrating how to do such and such, is someone to be leary of.
I certainly am. You say you're a 5th dan? I have two questions; what is your styles name (you'd be amazed how many martial artists cannot answer this) and who was your teacher, and his teacher.
And you better believe I'm going to look up who these people are if I can, and if I cannot, chances are I have someone who obtained their belt dishonestly.
In fact, one of my favorite lessons to teach kids is to take my belt off and let it fall on the floor. I then ask them, "Do you think now that I've taken this off I can do any less?" and with adults, I'll let them spar me to prove that point.
It isn't the belt that makes the person, and all too often we give a deference to people who wear a belt, but who when take it off cannot back it up. Be careful of that- most mcdojos are worn by people who paid for their belt, but did not earn it.
4- How expensive is the school?
Mcdojos, like Mcdonalds, exists to make money. Martial arts is priceless, and anybody who truly loves the art will move heaven and earth to make sure it is affordable, or idealy free. I had a teacher who in 25 years of being open, never once raised his price. He closed his doors because the lease just kept going up and up (as he was successful and had around 400 students who came in 3-4 times a week mandatorily) and he refused to raise his price.
Now that's integrity.
I don't even know if I'd stick to my principles that hard when people are begging me to just raise prices so I can keep the doors open.
But I admire the principal- if I could teach martial arts for free, while gauranteeing I have a stable roof over my head and meals coming, I would teach for free. But life doesn't work like that. But if someone offers you a membership for an entire year, be wary. How do you know if this is the style or school for you? It takes time to figure that out- a couple of months, but by then you're in some contract where even if you can't or won't go to class you have to pay.
Somehow, that seems to taint martial arts for me.
If you want to learn, how much you can pay shouldn't be something I consider, let alone have as a model to run a school. At that point the teacher's focus isn't on you, it's on your wallet.
5- How foofy is the school. Do black belts still wear stomach protectors? For breaking practice are you using wood, or concrete when you go for black belt?
Basically- when you go in and watch the students fight or practice, how weak do they look. If you see a uniform sloppiness, and want to join, I'll tell you right now in 6 months or 3 years you will look the exact same way as you saw when you went to check the school out.
If you want to be a good martial artist, not only is not enough if you are dilligent- but you need to find a teacher who is equally committed, not necessarily to you, but to the practice and teaching of the art itself. And in that, being committed to passing on what they know to you follows.
See that's the thing about martial arts- there comes a point where to progress you can no longer just be a student or practitioner- but you must teach.
And if you cannot teach, you cannot improve myself. It's simple as that. And while many can do, not many can teach. And that skillset is the only thing keeping martial arts alive.
So when you choose a teacher think on that- you want to be the best martial artist you can be.
Take care to choose a teacher who will show you where to step on the path, and not distract you with the bullshit that's around the path.
Best of luck training!
