The Infamous McDojo
Why it exists and how to identify and avoid it
Nearly every serious student of the martial arts is aware of the existence of dojos whose only purpose is to churn out a massive number of black belts. These dojos exist within every art, though there are some arts that seem to produce such entities more readily than others.
There are many identifying signs of a McDojo, though the presence of such things does not guarantee that a particular school is a McDojo. Of course, the more such signs a school exhibits, the more likely that it does, indeed, deserve the title.
The most telling sign that a particular school is a McDojo is a guarantee of achieving a certain rank within a certain amount of time. Different students learn at different rates. This means that such a guarantee only guarantees a lack of skill in at least some of the advanced students.
Large belt fees, especially when combined with an expanded number of belts, are another sign of a shady dojo. In some McDojos, testing fees for brown and black belts can rise into the hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
A focus on success in tournaments is another potential sign. It isn't that there's anything wrong with learning in order to win a tournament. However, such a goal is often fueled by the instructor's desire for fame and/or money.
If there are children who are black belts, and especially if there are a a large number of child black belts, there is likely to be a lack of standards in the ranking system. Barring prodigies, children are not capable of the exacting standards that should go into making a black belt. The exception to this rule is if there is a separate belt system for the children. In some schools, this system stands separate from the adult belt system. Once the child begins adult classes, he or she starts out as a white belt again.
If the instructor has attached one or more lofty titles to his name, this is another sign of a McDojo. Grandmaster, soke, hanshi, o'sensei, are some of the most common ones. Such a person has a need to feel that he is better than others, and so tries to heap respect on himself with titles.
Similarly, if an instructor has inflated his own accomplishments, or if several instructors have worked together to grant each other belts, the instructor(s) have done nothing more than lie to their students about their qualifications.
A lack of lineage of an art, a "secret master who wants to remain anonymous", or an art that was created within the past few decades are all warning signs, as well. It is possible that an instructor just is so focused on the art that lineage is unimportant to him, or that an instructor's instructor is a reclusive hermit who doesn't want his name known, or that an effective art has been created within your lifetime. More likely, however, is that there is no real lineage and the art is mostly bull.
Ridiculous claims can be a sign of a McDojo, as well. "Kill attackers from twenty feet away without a weapon!" "You can win every fight you get in with our system!" "Master the secrets of [insert name of any art here] in one month!" These are claims that have been seen in real advertisements for dojos. They are (or should be) obviously outrageous.
So why is the McDojo such a hated entity? Honestly, part of the hatred is born of elitism. Everybody wants to feel like they are better than others, and this often leads to a degradation of those who are similar in order to make one's self seem more important.
However, there is also substance to the claims against the McDojo. Students of a McDojo may walk away from it feeling like they're part of a rich history that stretches back centuries when the instructor made up everything he teaches a few years back. They may believe that they are capable of handling themselves in a fight when all they've been taught is a glorified gymnastic routine (Not bashing gymnastics or people who practice cinematic martial arts if they know what they are learning. These are impressive skills. They just aren't terribly useful in a real fight). They might feel like, because they have a black belt on their waist, they are part of an elite few of people when, in truth, the color of the belt one wears isn't important. Rather, it's the skills that one has mastered and the changes that one has effected upon one's self that are the true mark of a martial artist. They may feel that they are better than other martial artists because they have learned the secrets of Indo-Chinese Ninjutsu, a ten-thousand-year-old art that allows its practitioners to touch someone and, through that contact, kill any of his relatives. Of course, they don't realize that there is no such thing as Indo-Chinese Ninjutsu, or that it is very unlikely that a structured martial art is anywhere near ten-thousand years old, or that such mystic feats are not possible.
Another effect of McDojos that is not so immediately harmful to the students but threatens to leave an indelible, shameful mark on the martial arts is the cheapening of the arts. TaeKwondo has a history of effective combat use. However, when one mentions the art, many martial artists will scoff. This is because, in America at least, many dojangs practiced unscrupulous business principles in order to make more money. Further, many instructors focus on winning tournaments, yet claim that they are teaching an effective self defense art. The same can be said about American Karate, and it seems that ninjutsu may be heading in the same direction. Those outside of, or on the fringes of the martial arts see these dojos, hear the claims of the instructors, realize that they are complete bull, and turn away from the art completely.
Lastly, the type of people who would run a McDojo also tend to be the kind of people who attack others to make themselves feel more important (as described above), and thus, are found to be grating to those around them.
So how do you avoid McDojos? First of all, check out the manual on choosing a school. Also, just look for the marks above. The more that are present, or the more prevalent a particular mark is, the more likely it is that you're standing in a McDojo.
Now that all of this has been said, it is important to note that there are certain people and groups that attach the title of McDojo to any school that is not their own, or whose practices are different than their own. On one site, it is said that any school that uses katas is a McDojo. Another has gone so far as to say that any school that uses weapons is a McDojo. Ironically, people who make such claims likely either belong to or operate a McDojo. Others just have no care for the history of the martial arts, and do not realize that there is more to the martial arts than self defense.
The point of saying this is to get across that you should not presume that, just because a website or person labels a particular dojo as a McDojo, it is. Make your own opinions on a particular art or dojo, rather than blindly accepting the point of view of another.
So now you know a little bit more about the McDojo. It is the task of every martial artist, in his or her support and practice of such a broad and grand history of all martial arts, to help preserve the honest arts against such profiteering and egotistical instructors.
Outright attacking a particular dojo, either physically or verbally, will do little. This is why there are no specific examples listed here. Rather, education is the important thing. Learning about, and teaching others about, the various martial arts, as well as spreading the information on how to identify unethical martial artists, will help negate some of the harm that McDojos are doing to our wonderful arts.
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