FAQ - What is a McDojo and How Do I Spot One?

aye, my TKD school has one sub level each belt but I've seen schools in the past have several sub-levels/multiple stripes. They just seemed like merit badges for the kids /shrug.

 

Yes. A good, but simple and effective term; "merit badges"

 

See that brings up a totally different issue though: financial viability. In order for a school to survive in areas with higher costs of living a teacher needs to earn x amount to pay not only the bills for the school but also for his life outside of the school. I cant say I'd want to teach martial arts simply for the sake of teaching it. Maybe thats shalow of me. I'd want to have a reward for my efforts such as a nice lifestyle and that can't be had here for 30k a year or whatnot. It simply isnt feasible. Add into the mix a wife, kids, ect and in all honesty that teacher needs to earn 100k plus. In order to do that he needs students and lots of them and maybe even multiple schools.

Lets look at it this way. Rent on the school: 6k monthly or MORE, utilities (water, electricity, heat): $300 a month or more, advertising, uniforms, and lord knows what else, onto that we add a mortgage, car notes, personal expenses, childrens day car or tuition, groceries..... in some areas a school with 20 or 30 students can bring its instructor a decent living but in my area, no way.

So you almost have to have a school of 100+ students of varying ages and experience levels. Classes have to be full (20+ people). I cant imagine I'd be able to guage them all well enough simply by watching them twice a week for an hour during class. I know I'd want some sort of tangible standard by which to mark performance. So to me, stripes make sense. I ask you to show me your required technique. You do. If its acceptable you get a stripe and move on. if its not, you dont. If test time is approaching and you still havent earned your stripes I can easily see who needs personal attention and who's got it in the bag. Now let me stress there should never be a CHARGE for that. It should be a part of the curiculum.

As I said, looking at MA as a business, I get it. It makes sense. Do I agree with it in a more philisophical way? No. I dont. In fact, speaking philosophically there is much about modern day MA I find lacking but I want to work as a doctor during the day and teach martial arts as a secondary thing for the joy of teaching rather than the money, I think the "sub-step" system is acceptable.

 

There is a Chang Moo Kwan place around here that was very forthcoming with information for me. I ended up not going there because of the prices, but I've seen some of their people at tournaments, and it looks quality. Perhaps you just found a bad place.

 

mine wasnt "CHANG moo KWAN"... close but different. as for maybe I just got a bad place... you tell me?

http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=10648

 

My mistake.

 

I hope I didnt come off as rude. I was just typing fast cause I was at work, lol. No worries Matt!

 

That's all utter nonsense. First off I earn £17,500 from my day job and managed just fine on my own with some spending money left over after I've paid all my bills etc. There are plenty of martial arts teachers who teach out of community halls, church halls, sports centres etc. You don't need to have a whole building to your self. You just need a hall equipped to your needs for when your class is actually running. Which cuts costs considerably.

I don't buy this "running costs" argument. It doesn't work on me because I've been involved with clubs that ran successfully as a business hiring facilities only when they needed them.

So where in the world are you that requires at least 100K to live a decent life style? Why are martial arts teachers expecting to live a more comfortable life than any of their students? Makes no sense to me. Sounds like you'd want a luxury life style in return for teaching martial arts.

 

Not rude at all, MIkey. In fact, I'm glad you're putting this kind of information out there. The thing you're posting goes way beyond McDojo into the realm of criminal coercion.

 

thats a bit harsh brother. Just because you can live on pennies doesnt mean the rest of the world can. I live in Illinois. I had to move into the coutnry to get a house I can afford and it still cost over $300,000.00. If I were closer to the city it would be closer to half a million. I make over $60K at my "day job" and get by with a few bucks left over. Its not enough. As a contractor I made nearly $76K...

If you're fine teaching in halls and community centers, good for you. But that doesnt mean everyone ELSE should. If you want to run a school as a business then you need to BE A BUSINESS and here no respectable business runs in a rented hall, whether you personally buy it or not.

 

I'm just saying there are options. Simple as that. It's not the students job to fund your lifestyle.

 

It is if teaching is your JOB. If thats all you do then quite frankly it IS the students job. Thats your INCOME. The more students you have the more income you have the better your life style.

You made a choice to live a certain way and in truth I commend you for it. I mean that. But we know the world is a greedy place. MA schools are businesses ESPECIALLY here in the states and ESPECIALLY TKD. My teacher recently travelled to New York to study with a friend of his who has over 450 students!! Can you IMAGINE?? I cant. I consider a school like that to be the Microsoft of Dojangs. Its big business here. Not saying its right, just that its the flavor of things now. I can understand it, which is not the same as condoning it. I'd atually LIKE to see a movement away from all this but money is a powerful thing; its grip is strong, so I dont see that happening any time soon sadly.

 

Oh yes it is

 

I don't believe it is. And even if it was that doesn't justify fleecing students out of more and more money with needless gradings. Just charge more for the proper grading. When they ask why it costs so much. Be honest. See how many think you should have a better life than them.

http://www.househunt.org/cgi-bin/househunt/visitor_form.cgi

For $350,000 apparently you can buy a house with 5 bedrooms. Why do you need a house that big? As i said I don't buy the expenses argument.

 

My house has 3 and its very plain but if I found a lot and home my size near chicago it'd be nearly half a mill. As for why I needed a house that big I have a wife, a daughter and a father dying of cancer that couldnt take care of himself.... not that my reasons for my purchase are really yours to scrutinize.

Your life choices are your own but that doesnt make them the only ones that are proper.

 

My house is only 5 years old and much more attractive on the outside but in terms of sq. footage and bedroom/bathrooms the numbers match.


http://idx.prudentialah.com/details...ortacdc=desc&searchgeo=chicagoil&searchtype=2

 

Never said they were. I just don't accept your justification for so many gradings. You very quickly went from judging the progress of students to funding the teachers life style. And that's what annoys people. All the crap excuses.

If it's expensive to run a club in your area then your teaching has to be good enough to reflect the price you will have to charge. Otherwise it's just not viable for you to run a school in that area.

There are other ways to help students pay for more expensive gradings. For example you could set up a payment plan. That would be a far more honest way of doing things rather than hitting the student with lots of little gradings pretending they mean something when they really don't.

 

I never said we pay for any of the little gradings. Only the belt tests. We have stripe tests as part of regular classes but those dont come with a fee of any kind. They are important as a means of clearly establishing whether a student is competent at a given part of their requirements.

But your point about simply not having a school in a given area due to cost. The area will bear what it can bear. Its that simple. If i want to open a school and become rather well off through teaching martial arts then I will do what ever I can to earn as much money from as many people as possible. The saying "more product to more people more often at higher prices" is a rather established business model. It can be applied to MA as well. If I want my MA school to be my sole source of income then I'll charge for everything from uniforms to testsings to paper cups for the water cooler if I have to.

Now, if I want to run a club (not a thriving business upon which rests my livlihood and that of my family) then I will do things nearly 180 degrees differently. You seem to be very pro club. Thats great! I am as well. However I'm also very greedy and money conscious so the thought of a thriving MA school rolling in 1/4 million + a year appeals to me in a very wickedly powerful way, lol.

I dont begrudge anyone their lifestyle. If you wanna be a bigshot and you can figure out how to, go for it. If you dont, and want a more simple life, then God bless you as well. But make no mistake, the MA business machine THRIVES here in the states and as long as people are throwing their fat, candy-gobbling kids into TKD classes en masse it will continue to grow unchecked. Its here to stay my friend.

 

3 kids and a spare room takes up that space. I hope they're all double rooms

 

At my last grading I figured out that there were 87 testers. The cheapest test fee is $60 with the most expensive been $120. So to average, if everyone paid $90 thats a total of $7830.00 in a single day. We test every two months so lets say that $7830 equates to $3915 monthly.

Now, monthly fees are $129.00 unless you signed up under a special which is typically $99 a month. So lets say everyone pays $110 on average. Lets say the school has 150 students for ease of math. Thats $16,500.00 a month in just dues not including uniforms, sparring gear profits, or private lessons which cost $125 an hour.

16,500.00
+3,915.00

= $20,415.00 TOTAL income PER MONTH from just a single location. So lop 6 grand off for rent, and lets say a grand for incedentals and advertising. That leaves $13,415.00 a month (havent taken taxes out yet though), to live on. Thats $160,980.00 a year from one location. My teacher and his brother have a total of 3.

Maybe I need to get my **** teaching TKD??