McDojo

By Yossi Sheriff

McDojo is a modern martial art term that describes a place of learning or a club that has other motives then teaching the resident students.

A MacDojo has several strategies that aim to maximize both student enrollment and the money gained. Although tuition fees exist in legitimate dojos, it is the overall characteristics that mark the MacDojo's practice that aims to maximize profit at the expense of knowledge and ethics.

Short list of the MacDojo attributes

  1. Use of the grading and belt system as a money maker. Excessive, costly, tests and an expensive certification system.
  2. An exclusive attitude that denigrates all other martial arts' systems as inferior.
  3. A vertical, compulsory, package of merchandise that is more expensive by a factor then the price of similar merchandise elsewhere.
  4. Exaggerated claims about
    1. The abilities and history of the instructors
    2. The promised speed and level of learning for a newcomer.
  5. Excessive use of hierarchy, grades and money as an indication of physical and mental achievements.
  6. Unquestioning obedience of the students as a prerequisite for novice practitioners.
  7. A very thin or a non-existent layer of veteran students.