What are signs of school that is a belt factory?

Hey, I was just wondering how to tell the difference b/w a serious school and a belt factory school. I'm looking for a serious school in the Athens, GA area (not Athens TKD Center) and I would like to know the difference.What are signs of school that is a belt factory?one of the easyest ways is to talk to the students already taking class there. and ask them if anyone ever failed when they were belt testing with them. if they say no its mcdojo. if they say yes then the school has some merrit to itWhat are signs of school that is a belt factory?Believe me you will know when you walk in the door. One way is if the main instructor has a bunch of acne faced teenagers teaching the class.What are signs of school that is a belt factory?I have over 26 years of martial arts training and I have earned the rank of Third Dan (Third Degree Black Belt) I started back in the 70's which was probably way before your time so unless you have some martial arts background explaining what to look for in the aspect would be hard for you to recognize so the best advise I can give you is to call The Attorney General of Consumer Affairs and The Better Business bureau to get some feedback on a business also word of mouth goes a long way. You might also want to see if this is the one and only martial arts school of it's name or they have a franchise of them, highest rank there is he/she being taught and who is their sensei (instructor), do they have black belt classes, tournaments, seminars, how long has this school been around, is this a made up school by someone picking up a book or branching off from another to make their own name.......Hope this helps some.What are signs of school that is a belt factory?If you are guaranteed a black belt in a certain time frame. If you are good you can get one in 3 to 5 years. It takes most legitimate black belts around 5 years. Be careful though, a school that claims to take ten or fifteen years to get a black belt is probably just stringing you along for the money.What are signs of school that is a belt factory?One more time



Instead of focusing on sparring, the class is mostly divided into practicing kata/forms, one-steps, board breaks, etc..

The school or instructor promotes the idea that his school and/or style is the ultimate best in the world, or that cross training in another form of martial arts is 100% unnecessary.

If the school or instructor forbids entering tournaments, or if tournaments are restricted to specific styles or associations.

If the idea of take-downs or wrestling is never addressed, or if %26quot;anti-grappling%26quot; techniques are taught.

If the test for belt advancement consists mostly or entirely of memorization and making your form %26amp; one-steps look pretty

If board breaking has a heavy emphasis, or is taught to be an indicating to how well you would fight, or is used as a supplement to full contact fighting. [What is wrong with this?]

If the school has too many belts, or made up belts (such as camouflage belts)

If the school insists on long contracts and or uses collection agencies for late or missed payments.

If there are expensive clubs that you must join in order to learn or participate in various clinics or seminars, such as the %26quot;black belt club%26quot;, or %26quot;masters club%26quot;

If the school owns an actual franchise, such as %26quot;Karate for Kids%26quot; or %26quot;Tiny Tigers%26quot;

If the school uses a pitch book to get you to join or to convince you to sign your kids up

If the self-defense techniques that are taught aren't at full speed or contact, or if the school is insistent only on one way of doing it

If the equipment (gear/uniforms/weapons) costs too much and/or is only ordered through the organization

If testing and monthly fees are excessive, for any reason

If the instructor is a master, 6th or 7th degree under 40 8th or 9th degree under 55.

If the instructor's credentials seem sketchy or are non-existent.

If the instructor proclaims to be a master of many arts, and is also extremely young.

If the school advertises that the grandmaster of the style regularly teaches there

If the school has many students, such as over 100, or if there are many black belts

If once reaching black belt students are encouraged to go start their own school or consider teaching

If ground-fighting is offered, it's exclusive to club members (which usually have a high fee) and/or not allowed until a high rank

The instructor rarely works out with the students and has his assistants do most or all of the teaching

If they teach weapons like the sai and nunchaku as a form of self-defense

If they are a Chinese martial art and use karate belts

If they glorify or try to imitate the Samurai or ninja.



What are signs of school that is a belt factory?The thing to keep in mind is that TKD schools have an entirely different philosophy on belts than most karate schools do.



For example, in Kenpo Karate, I was a a white belt for 13 months and it would take a minimum of 5 years to get a black belt, probably longer.



In Tae Kwon Do, you would probably go through 4 belts in a year, testing every 3 months or so, depending on how often you train. They higher you get, the longer you have to wait between testings.



The reason for this is the goal setting methodology. The belts provide tangible short term goals and keep the student interested and focused on learning new things.



Comparison:



1 year Kenpo student - still a white belt, maybe orange, knows 2 forms and 56 self defense/punching defense techniques.



1 year TKD student - green or blue belt, knows 4 or 5 forms, and 20 escapes, and 10 %26quot;one steps%26quot; (punching defense).



Another thing to keep in mind is that in karate, the brown belt is the last rank before black belt, and takes a long time to get.



In TKD, the brown belt is only about the 1/2 way point to black. So you tell a karate student that you got your brown belt in 1.5 years and they think %26quot;Oh you must go to a belt factory/McDojo!%26quot;, not understanding that you still have 5 belts to go before black.



I also think that there are fewer %26quot;McDojo's%26quot; than people think. We live in a capitalist society and competition is no longer friendly. Just look at the political campaign ads and the focus on %26quot;negative ads%26quot;. The place down the street has to try to distinguish itself and many resort to negative methods when competing. It's human nature, and it's difficult not to get sucked into that.



There are good teachers and bad teachers in all martial arts.



Many of the best schools and best teachers have aspects of %26quot;McDojo%26quot;. From Tae Kwon Do, to karate, to the %26quot;Gracie Academies%26quot;, all of these contain %26quot;symptoms%26quot; of McDojo.



My own school has some aspects that some would think are McDojo, but I know my Master is legit because of his credentials.



Some people think that if a school is interested in money, then it must be a McDojo. I argue that by saying that if this is my master's only source of income, and he works about 70 hours or more per week, then I think it's fair that he makes a decent living. I have no problem with a school making profit.



Contracts are typical for schools that are interested in money, but a contract doesnt mean that the instruction is poor. It is also a way to verify as sincere desire to train and a commitment to learning for a said time period.



I would focus on your school/instructors credentials, how long they have been in business, the flexibility of their class schedule, and their standing in the community.



For example, my school has been in business for over 20 years, my master has been on the cover of TKD Times magazine in 1996 and published a book %26quot;Competitive TKD%26quot; in 2006 that you can buy at B%26amp;N or Borders anywhere in the country. He is a former Olympic coach. We also had foreign Olympians train with us this summer in preparation for Beijing. I have video of myself sparring against a Beijing Bronze Medalist (Chika Chukumerije of Nigeria). My Master has also holds an annual tournament for charity and does other charity work. He is also a former FBI Academy instructor and has thank you's from multiple law enforcement agencies. We also have local police and prison guards that train with us.



While it doesnt take those types of credentials to make a good teacher, it shows you that your not getting taken by a fraudulent black belt.



Do I agree with everything my master does? Of course not. He has kids I think he lets grade faster than they should. We have advanced students who are not as skilled as they should be. But I must be humble in my perception of what he does. I know that when I went to him, I already had 20 years of experience, and I know now that I he has made me better, so what more can I ask for?



James











What are signs of school that is a belt factory?If they have TONS of black belts that is one clue. (but that could also go the other way and say that they are a good school) Ask how long it takes to get to black belt. If they say any less than 2 to 3 years then that is also another clue. Try to get a feel for the atmosphere of the place. Does it seem like everyone cares seriously about the art, or does it seem like they are doing everything without thinking about the technique. You might want to just watch a class. You will get a good feel of what it will be like and if the people there really care about what they are doing. I know my school is a very good quality school. It is owned and operated by a family. It is a small school (one dojo, a small waiting room, and a tiny office) but everyone one there treats each other like family. The black belts don't act like a club, but more like role models and teachers to the younger ranks. All the instructors take it upon themselves to care for the students and to really help them. We are all very serious about the art, but we take care not to make it too intimidating. My academy does service projects every month that help out in the community. We are more than just a school, we're a part of the community. I have been with this school for over 2 years and I can guarantee that this is what a quality martial arts school should be.