Is this a McDojang??

Question

Here is a school near my house. Wondering if it's a mcdojang. http://www.itaonline.com/ Anyone here of this association? Don't want to join too quickly. Instructors are nice and friendly but that's b/c they want my money. Serious answers only please.

Answer 1

It looks good but I'm one not to judge a book by it's cover.

Do they have contracts (I'm not a fan of them because if you don't like it after a few months, you still pay$$), if so ask to take it home to read it over. If they so no, go somewhere else.

Most McDojang's are the big chain sport karate schools, lots of adds in the phone book, day care, after school programs, etc. it's all about the O'mighty dollar.
These schools teach you a bunch of hollywierd fancy techniques (class room & tournament) without much vaule for self defense.

Ask if they even offer a 30 day free trail and if all else fails, try another school...Kenpo has some of the most devastating self defense tchniques. It is a street proven Art. I have been learning and teaching the Art of Kenpo Karate for just over 10 years now. I do hold a Brown belt in Tae Kwon Do & 2nd Black in Tang Soo Do.

I hope this information helps and good luck and what ever you do, don't give up.

Answer 2

100% McDojang. I wouldn't touch them with a 10' Pole. Or even a 12' Russian.

Answer 3

After looking at all those pics of younglings with blackbelts it's a pretty good bet that this is definately a McDojo. Schools like that are not selling martial arts training they are selling a fashion accesory. One that can get you your *** kicked up and down the street if you really have to use it. They often push students through every 1-3 months and dumb down their testing so pretty much anyone can pass.

Answer 4

Definitely a phony.

IMO: ITA chose a name that sounds a lot like ITF.
The International Taekwondo FEDERATION.

When you consider that General Choi created Tae Kwon Do in 1955....
1955 to 2007 is hardly "4000 years of Taekwondo tradition"!

If they are talking about going back to it's roots, that would be in the Goguryeo Kingdom (traditional founding date 37 BCE.) Even if you go all the way back to the FOUNDING OF THE KINGDOM (as opposed to the first establishment of martial arts methods), you still fall about 2000 years short!
.

Answer 5

I went to one of their websites for a satellite McDojo they have based here in Washington state. On that site, one of their instructors claims they started training in 1995, according to their bio sheet. This person got their third degree black belt in 2002. They took five years off, and are coming back this year to the school and according to the bio, will test for fourth degree black in 2007. If you go there, ask for Sensei Ronald McDonald's autograph.

Answer 6

Damn! That's a LOT of black belt, hell it look like there's more black belt than any other belts combine. The minor training is a huge joke, I'm pretty sure the instructor go to only one seminar and get certificate then claim himself as a expert in all of those minor classes.

Also they teach xtreme form, if it's like XMA, it scream "McDojo!"

So I wouldn't join the class.

Answer 7

this is the reason i like brazilian jiu jitsu, i can trace every trainers blackbelt to gracie if they their blackbelt roots never came from a gracie then they are bullshiting

for instance my trainer got his blackbelt form mazinho he got his from gurgel and gurgel got his from carlson gracie, easy.

Answer 8

they have a picture on the site of what seems to be a 4yr old boy with a black belt... enough said

Answer 9

Would you like fries with that???