Flying Crane
Sr. Grandmaster
They are evil and they are criminals, plain and simple. I guess that isn’t the definition of McDojo, in my opinion.There are also levels of McDojos.
Case in point. Back in the day…..I was getting a haircut. Same barber for a long time. His co-worker, Maureen, was working on the hair of a woman in the next chair. She asked me, “Buka, I need some serious help, figured you might be the one to ask.”
She tells me her husband has been training at a dojo for six months. Three months in - the owner approached him and told him they see something special in him. Want to film him and send the tape to the GM Poobah overseas. So they do.
Next thing they tell him is the Poobah replied, Poobah also sees something special, and wants the husband in an accelerated instructor’s program. Wants to get him his own school within the next year. (Six whole months he’s been training!)
Then she tells me the husband has given them forty thousand dollars, their life savings. (And this was in 1988 dollars)
They now want him to take out a loan…..
I stopped her right there, got all the details, copy of receipts, paperwork, etc. Called a friend in the FBI the next day.
Within a week they shut the place down, made arrests, and the McDojo was no more. Unfortunately their forty grand was no more, either.
I’ve done that with two schools over the years. The other one was part of the Moonies.
All these people are evil.
I’m thinking more in the line of, a big chain of schools designed to get maximum penetration in every market with a consistent training program from one school to the next, with a low baseline quality of instruction so that nobody gets frustrated and everybody gets a new belt every time, and everybody keeps writing a cheque.
Of course my whole point prior comes into the picture: who decides what is high or low quality? But that’s another discussion.
I guess I never thought of a McDojo as being downright criminal. They just offer an overall low quality product. Just like, ya know, McDonalds. Some people actually like eating there. The food will keep you alive, as long as you don’t eat it all the time (just watch Supersize Me for an example of what can go wrong) but it is inarguable that the quality is low. But there is nothing illegal or blatantly criminal about that. But maybe there ought to be.