A
Amanda Sedai
Guest
Seeing the "someone should..." thread made me think: it would be nice if someone wrote a list of traits that make a school a McDojo versus a "real" dojo so newbies like me know what to look for and avoid in a school.
The dojo I'm considering going to has a two-year black belt program. Is this good, bad, or normal? This isn't one of those McDojo deals where you're garanteed a belt after two years; you still have to earn it through testing. It sounds like it's somewhat common there for students to take lessons for more than two years before earning the black belt. But what I was wondering about is if it is normal to have to sign up for two years' worth of lessons? Do most schools do that? (They also offer a 6-month beginners' program, but if you want to continue after that you have to go into the 2-year program.)
Also, when choosing a martial art how important do you consider the popularity of the art to be? This dojo is considered Okinawa kenpo karate kobudo. I think this type of martial art is cool. (the black belts train with Okinawan weapons, which I would really like to learn how to do, but the basics are karate, which I think is more important than weapons from a self-defense point of view. Also, I'm interested in the history and culture of Japan and Okinawa, so I think this would interest me more than, say, a Korean or Chinese art.) However, it doesn't seem to be nearly as popular as some other types of martial arts (like EPAK or TKD). I'm in college right now and in a few years I'll probably get a job in another state. If there's no Okinawan Kenpo school near where I live, will I have to start over completely at something different? (It seems kind of pointless to spend all this time and money on something just to have to spend more time and money on something different.) On the other hand, this is the only dojo that I know of near where I live right now, so if I want to do martial arts now I may not have a choice.
Well, any suggestions? :asian:
The dojo I'm considering going to has a two-year black belt program. Is this good, bad, or normal? This isn't one of those McDojo deals where you're garanteed a belt after two years; you still have to earn it through testing. It sounds like it's somewhat common there for students to take lessons for more than two years before earning the black belt. But what I was wondering about is if it is normal to have to sign up for two years' worth of lessons? Do most schools do that? (They also offer a 6-month beginners' program, but if you want to continue after that you have to go into the 2-year program.)
Also, when choosing a martial art how important do you consider the popularity of the art to be? This dojo is considered Okinawa kenpo karate kobudo. I think this type of martial art is cool. (the black belts train with Okinawan weapons, which I would really like to learn how to do, but the basics are karate, which I think is more important than weapons from a self-defense point of view. Also, I'm interested in the history and culture of Japan and Okinawa, so I think this would interest me more than, say, a Korean or Chinese art.) However, it doesn't seem to be nearly as popular as some other types of martial arts (like EPAK or TKD). I'm in college right now and in a few years I'll probably get a job in another state. If there's no Okinawan Kenpo school near where I live, will I have to start over completely at something different? (It seems kind of pointless to spend all this time and money on something just to have to spend more time and money on something different.) On the other hand, this is the only dojo that I know of near where I live right now, so if I want to do martial arts now I may not have a choice.
Well, any suggestions? :asian: