I spent some time dropping off a flyer at a local YMCA a few weeks ago for an upcoming event that I thought the students might like. And as I walked down the big hallway that leads to the stairs to where I was going I saw the people I was going to deliver the flyers to training in a raquetball court. I will not comment about their training facility, it is better than a cold garage. As I walked by I saw a child I use train up until last June. He was a Yellow belt at that time. As I walked by I noticed he was was now 3rd degree brown belt. His class was just being dismissed and he refused to get of the floor because he lost a sparring match. He was swearing, and threatening to quit because he didn't think it was fair that he lost. My first thought was I would have kicked his little bottom out of the school for 3 months if he came back he would have apologize to get on the floor ever again. My second though was how does a kid go from Yellow belt to 3rd degree Brown belt in 8 months. My third thought was how can a brown belt act that way even if he is only 9 yrs old.
I walked up to one of my former students and asked what was going on, he said it was time for the nightly temper tantrum. I told the guy I would catch up with him at the end of class and asked that he not tell all my old students that I was there. I wanted to speak to the Instructor to make sure it was ok to hand out the flyers. I waited up above their class watching intently as they warmed up, and was amazed that these people's techniques had decreased so much since they started training with their current instructor. It turns out that he has gone back to the sloppy training methods he had in the past, and has no sense of discipline. He refused to allow me to hand out the flyers for a great upcoming event where they would all benefit. Since I am no longer affiliated with his instructor I am the competition and therefore evil.
As I was leaving at the end of the their class, I decided to use a side door to sneak away feeling shame for what I had seen that night, one of my previous students came up and asked me if I had a few minutes to talk. I said ofcourse so we amd a couple others went for a coffee. He told me how far the school had degenerated, how the instructor showed up only half the time, and Brown belts with little more than 3 yr experience run most of the classes. He always shows up for the first class of the month to get paid , and is always there to greet his instructor when he shows up for gradings, he then melts in to the wood work til the end of the testings. There is no longer any discilpine in the school, no morale, most of the students only show up a third of the time because they know they don't normally get their lessons.
When I asked about the temper tantrum I was informed that the child like most of the children there are mainly learning tournament stuff, and the kid was awarded his brown belt because he had won a bunch of tournaments for he school. The kid is very small and his opponents have a hard time getting a point in, since the head is not a target in the local tournaments.
I am now wondering how much of the Dojo Darling thing is traced back to the instructor. I believe with the poll that is currently running
http://www.martialtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1338 about the lack of discipline in the modern martial arts can be partially traced directly to an Instructor who wants the dollar more than they want to teach. This disgusted me to the point where I couldn't write about or talk about until this time. I was trying to help a friend who owns a martial arts school that had a great event palnned. To those that have read the thread about OKKA camp
http://www.martialtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1093 , you would know how an event like this would benefit any martial artist especially a kenpo practioner. It is really sad when little minds control what others think and learn.
Yes I am sorry that this has been a long winded rant, but I finally had to let it all go, and I find this to be oneof the best methods I know.
Lets stop the Dojo Darling syndrome, stomp out the Mc Dojos and concentrate on quality arts that retain their discipline and integrity.
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