School & Instructor bashing

This is something that happens all the time. Personally, I do my best to refrain from bashing another school. IMHO, if the potential new student took the time to check your school out, I'd think that it would be good to give them a positive impression.

Mike
 
Eternal Beginner said:
The funniest, and very out of character, thing he ever did was at our karate tournament last weekend he had actually cut the head of a former blackbelt of the club out of a club photo because he felt he had so dishonoured the club. So here is this lovely display of past tournaments and group photos with a perfect little square cut out where the instructors head used to be.

*snicker* Wow.
 
Eternal Beginner said:
The funniest, and very out of character, thing he ever did was at our karate tournament last weekend he had actually cut the head of a former blackbelt of the club out of a club photo because he felt he had so dishonoured the club. So here is this lovely display of past tournaments and group photos with a perfect little square cut out where the instructors head used to be.

LOL! One of my Instructor's did that too! He has a group picture of his students that he promoted several years ago. In the front were the kids who had received their promotions that day and in the back were the students that were promoted to black belt. One of the students who had been promoted to black belt, caused a bit of a stir immediately following his promotion to black belt and stopped training soon after. The picture still hangs in my Instructors dojo but if you look close you'll notice that someone has been inked out with a black magic marker. :rofl:
 
green meanie said:
LOL! One of my Instructor's did that too! He has a group picture of his students that he promoted several years ago. In the front were the kids who had received their promotions that day and in the back were the students that were promoted to black belt. One of the students who had been promoted to black belt, caused a bit of a stir immediately following his promotion to black belt and stopped training soon after. The picture still hangs in my Instructors dojo but if you look close you'll notice that someone has been inked out with a black magic marker. :rofl:

So I guess this isn't so unusual. I guess from the bb's point of view, they put a lot into each student they promote to bb so it must hurt a lot when things don't work out and the student turns against them.
 
I don't bash other instructors-it just is bad manners. Kind of like what Mom always said, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything."

I may disagree with their practices, but I can only control myself and my education. Better to extend your own line than to try to cut someone else down.

Miles
 
Eternal Beginner said:
So I guess this isn't so unusual. I guess from the bb's point of view, they put a lot into each student they promote to bb so it must hurt a lot when things don't work out and the student turns against them.

No doubt. Fortunately, I haven't had this happen to me yet.
 
Miles said:
I don't bash other instructors-it just is bad manners. Kind of like what Mom always said, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything."

I may disagree with their practices, but I can only control myself and my education. Better to extend your own line than to try to cut someone else down.

Miles

Exactly. Frauds, however, are another matter... I don't mince words when I know someone is making false claims.
 
I'm rather amazed. I would think of blacking out a person's face or cutting it out of a photograph as juvenile. We all go through hurt and pain and have problems with each other, but ... well I guess there's the grown-up way to handle it and the not-so-grown up way to handle it. Not trying to bash here, though.
 
shesulsa said:
I'm rather amazed. I would think of blacking out a person's face or cutting it out of a photograph as juvenile. We all go through hurt and pain and have problems with each other, but ... well I guess there's the grown-up way to handle it and the not-so-grown up way to handle it. Not trying to bash here, though.

No, you're right and I understand. It made me laugh when I saw it the first time and not it's become one of the novelties of the school. I don't know how I would react in that situation and so far I haven't had to find out. I hope it stays that way.
 
I had a falling out with a black belt while I was still a color belt; she and I had been great friends in and out of the dojang. I have pictures of her with my family and my children, but I haven't done anything with them - they're not framed and hung, nor are they destroyed, cut up or blackened.

We never speak now and likely won't much in the future outside of basic niceties to appease those around us. But we don't stalk each other, we don't crank-call each other, I don't drive by her house wondering what might have been or to check up on her or make her nervous and to the best of my knowledge, neither does she. We have quite simply and very efficiently gone our separate ways. I'm certain she's just as happy about that as I am.

:asian:
 
Courtesy is one of the most important things when it comes to the martial arts. Even if I don't agree with a certain style's training methods, or even if I don't like a particular instructor from another school, each of the above does have its merits, for the most part.

I won't bash another style, their schools, or the instructors (with a couple of exceptions, such as everyone's favorite neo-ninja with the initials of
A.K."). If people want to train in the other schools' methods, and if they don't like what I teach, then that's their right to simply leave, and go train elsewhere.

The way I see it, different styles, different instructors, and different schools, all have something to offer. If they can offer something that is good for the students, then it's not my place to bash them. As long as the other schools conduct themselves in a decent manner, and don't interfere with our operations, then I'll simply have a healthy respect for them.

Now, the question remains, do I have disdain for other schools? Of course. There are many schools that I do not like. Either their instructors are nothing more than glorified thugs, their instruction is sub-par, etc., but I honestly believe that it's up to the prospective student to figure that out for themselves. Maybe that's what they want, or maybe not, but again, it's not my business to spread rumors.

All I can do is teach what I teach, and if people like what they're learning, they'll stick around. Plain and simple.
 
While its not right to bash other schools. I have had to not recomend certion schools in the past As to knowing more personal information about the instructor. So you have to not recomend a school at times when its the best interest of the M/A reputation to do so. As I will send people to different schools if they are looking for that type of training. or that type of training would be the type that they would better benfit. But for the most part All schools have something to offer And an instructor should not resort in bad mouthing them. But also know when not to recomend then at the same time. And just a small number fall in that area.
 
I've trained for 13 years and during that time have been to quite a few schools. Two situations that come to mind were a MMA school in which the instructor bashed another MMA school that I trained at (even though the teacher at the bashed school was more well known). I was disappointed to find this going on at a kenpo school that I went to visit, too. The instructor there was talking trash about a school across town, saying that they didn't teach "real" american kenpo and that the instructor's lineage can't be verified. It left a sour taste in my mouth and I never went back to that school, despite the qualification of the teacher.
 
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