First post to MT forum, and I hope it doesn't get me off on the wrong foot, but I see several recent threads about the McDojo/McDojang idea, and I feel compelled to jump in. I'm new to the forum and relatively new to martial arts (8 months), but I believe I'm a mature person and a clear thinker, so I hope you take my ideas seriously.
Il-do Taekwondo in Irvine, CA would qualify as a McDojang by the standards of many on this forum:
I started TKD to get my son (age 7 at the time, now 8) into a sport and SD activity that we could do together. If I took him to a butt-kicking dojang, he would never want to go back. If it took him a year to progress from one belt to the next, he would get discouraged. We are both learning and taking it seriously, so we are benefiting. They push us, teach us a combination of sport and SD techniques, but you get out of it what you put into it. The instructors are good at what they do both technically and interpersonally.
When my son gets his BB, he will be 9 or 10, and I know he will be healthier and better prepared for SD than if he had done nothing. It's MY JOB as the parent to help him understand that he's still not ready to take on the world and running away is a safer option than fighting, but if he has to fight he will be a little better prepared (of course not bullying - referring to genuine SD). When he gets the TKD BB, I expect at that point I will encourage him to continue toward mastery or to move into judo, wrestling or something to broaden his skills, and I hope we both will have the mental toughness to push ourselves.
I think most MA students are civilian (not military or law enforcement) and amateur (not competing for money), so these folks are generally looking to "get better", not "be the best," and their level of commitment will reflect it. There's nothing wrong with a dojang targeting that market, as long as they are honest. At our dojang, a black belt seems to mean "mastery relative to your age and physical ability," not absolute mastery. They're not just giving them away or selling them, nor are they requiring us to devote our entire lives. Again, I'm okay with that.
I think a healthy dialog about "how easy is too easy?" and "what are minimum standards?" is a good thing. For those of you who warn about McDojangs out of a true passion for excellence in your art/sport or to expose real charlatans - thank you. I'm not disagreeing with you - I just think we should all avoid an "I'm more special than you" attitude.
Il-do Taekwondo in Irvine, CA would qualify as a McDojang by the standards of many on this forum:
- Black-belt Club (2 to 2 1/2 years, but not guaranteed BB)
- Lot's of kids
- Family programs - often all progressing at the same pace
- 10 belt levels
- Children and teenagers awarded black belts without true mastery
- etc.
I started TKD to get my son (age 7 at the time, now 8) into a sport and SD activity that we could do together. If I took him to a butt-kicking dojang, he would never want to go back. If it took him a year to progress from one belt to the next, he would get discouraged. We are both learning and taking it seriously, so we are benefiting. They push us, teach us a combination of sport and SD techniques, but you get out of it what you put into it. The instructors are good at what they do both technically and interpersonally.
When my son gets his BB, he will be 9 or 10, and I know he will be healthier and better prepared for SD than if he had done nothing. It's MY JOB as the parent to help him understand that he's still not ready to take on the world and running away is a safer option than fighting, but if he has to fight he will be a little better prepared (of course not bullying - referring to genuine SD). When he gets the TKD BB, I expect at that point I will encourage him to continue toward mastery or to move into judo, wrestling or something to broaden his skills, and I hope we both will have the mental toughness to push ourselves.
I think most MA students are civilian (not military or law enforcement) and amateur (not competing for money), so these folks are generally looking to "get better", not "be the best," and their level of commitment will reflect it. There's nothing wrong with a dojang targeting that market, as long as they are honest. At our dojang, a black belt seems to mean "mastery relative to your age and physical ability," not absolute mastery. They're not just giving them away or selling them, nor are they requiring us to devote our entire lives. Again, I'm okay with that.
I think a healthy dialog about "how easy is too easy?" and "what are minimum standards?" is a good thing. For those of you who warn about McDojangs out of a true passion for excellence in your art/sport or to expose real charlatans - thank you. I'm not disagreeing with you - I just think we should all avoid an "I'm more special than you" attitude.