The "McDojo" concept is largely the martial arts world attempt at self-sabatoge. Don't get me wrong, there is some serious crap out there, but it's not as widespread as online discussions make it seem. But the online community has taken the "McDojo" concept so far it basically is used to describe "Anything other schools do that is not the way I like it". To put in context you'd have hockey players calling football teams "McDojo's" because they only actually "play" 10 mins or so per game, and football players calling Basketball players "McDojos" because they have no contact, Then you'd get amateur teams calling all the pro teams McDojos for selling out and being all about money...
Just go try it, if it feels right go for it.
I respectfully disagree. I think there is a lot of crap out there, and it's the
majority of what is being taught. Nothing to do with the purity of 'my' art; there are a lot of arts I do not practice and would not think of putting down. To my way of thinking, the 'McDojo' has less to do with a named art and more to do with a philosophy of profit over substance.
There is a dojo near me that opened up a few years ago. It's still around, must be doing well. I read about it in the local newspaper. It's a chain, and the owners, a husband-wife team, had no martial arts experience. They paid for the franchise, which included a six-week intensive training session with the head of the franchise, whereupon they were awarded their black belts and went back home to begin teaching.
Sorry, that's not valid martial arts training. It cannot be. Not even close to possible. And I see it a lot; this is just something I saw near my house.
To the OP, welcome to MT, and I understand your concern. I believe you have to do your due diligence, which includes research into the history of the instructor(s), the length of time they've been training, the lineage of the art in question, and so on. I'd ask about things which to me would raise red flags, such as guaranteed promotions or promotions based upon fees. Mandatory competitions and seminars, requirements to purchase gear and other accouterments, while not a disqualifier in themselves, would still cause me to take a deeper look.
Franchises are not necessarily bad, but one must consider that they are established in the hopes of being a profitable business, and the focus of any for-profit business is profit. They may teach great martial arts, but they may not. Google is your friend.
