if all the schools around me are mcdojo's what should i do?

Answer 1

Your question and the background to it is rather vague, but if you have researched, visited, and expored all of the schools accessible to you, and they are all "McDojo's" in your opinion, then you only have thee options:

1) Select the best one of a bad lot and try to glean some useful benefit from it while ensuring you are not taken to the cleaners too much - there are usually good people to meet at every martial arts school

2) Elect not to train at any of them and perhaps seek out an independent instructor who is willing to take you on for private or small group lessons.

3) Forget about training all togetehr until you have access to a school or instructor you believe to be credible and suitable for your needs and expectations.

We obviously have no idea where you live, what you are looking for, or what you have checked into, but I hear a lot of people use the McDojo term in relation to any school that has, for example annual agreements. I disagree with some of this as these days, anyone who has a quality school needs to be able to pay the rent, liability insurance, cleaning services, and so on to keep the place nice. This requires that they have good and prudent business practices that are equally as developed as their martial arts skills and exprience.

Take another look at the schools in your area ,visit them and talk with the instructor/s and the students in the class you'll be participating in, and observe a few of those classes. You may be surprised by what you find if you have not already done so.

Good luck, whatever your decision.

Ken C
9th Dan HapMoosaKi-Do
8th Dan TaeKwon-Do
7th Dan YongChul-Do

Answer 2

Keep looking and keep searching and perhaps you will meet or encounter someone that has experience or a background in martial arts who like you is looking for something more than what is currently available. Some people have gone underground, so to speak, and train in small groups, informally and avoid all the costs with having a studio and want only students like yourself. You may have to drive or seek training elsewhere and I have had students drive from 40 miles away to attend classes. You might also consider joining the police auxiliary if your city or town has one. Often times they receive specialized training free to you, paid for by the city who has instructors come in and teach their auxiliary officers. As a last resort I would consider joining the best of the three and you may come in contact with some people outside of them that you can then start training with.

Answer 3

where do you live?.... if nothing else you can find a boxing gym...... take a deeper look into the schools in your area... I felt the same way about 8 years ago when i was away from my school for 2 years.... looked around and said none of them are any good... so I did nothing..... now I am currently at one of the schools "i thought was no good" because of what I was told by my previous instructor (he is great, but he sold the art he taught, and led me to believe that other ways were wrong) now I wish I would have spent those 8 years learning, instead of doing nothing at all

Answer 4

If you can determine that a school is a mcdojo, then you must have good skills already.

Answer 5

I don't doubt this.

You have to keep looking. Start talking to people, sooner or later you will come across an actual martial arts teacher instead of just a belt factory.

Answer 6

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this one out. Go to a better school that's further away.

Answer 7

Move

Answer 8

what are Mcdojo's?