Black Belt.ie

Advice of many experienced Martial Artists coincide in the point of "go, read, look around, ask---then decide"

Though it is touched upon in other portions of this Guide, it's worth spending some time looking specifically at the dark, seamy underbelly of Martial Arts.

This is the place where people may take advantage of you.

First, let's look at the dreaded "McDojo." These are usually schools who's sole goal is to part you from your money without ever imparting any real Martial Arts knowledge.

These can sometimes be difficult to detect since part of the successful money-student separation is to convince the student that useful information is, in fact, being taught while devising ever more ways to implement the money-student separation.

This separation is often achieved by having fee after fee after fee and required expenditures on and on and on. For instance, schools that require you to buy only their branded uniforms and gear, require you to sign long contracts, have no "move refund" option in their contract, or high-pressure sales pitches.

Another common tactic is to have numerous belt test requirements and sub-ranks, all with a fee, non-refundable if the student "flunks" his test.

An example would be a school which has students ranked, "Second Stripe, Decided, Green Belt" or similar. These schools may also require weekend training trips.

Besides the red flags listed above, a few other's that may indicate a "McDojo" include: Any school that promises you a Black Belt in under 3 years or routinely produces Black Belts in 2 years.

Any school which seems to have overly young or inexperienced experts (usually "Black Belts" or "Dan ranks") - for example a school recently made the news, noteworthy because they had just promoted a three year old toddler to "Black Belt" and they had a five year old child as a 2nd Dan (second degree) "Black Belt."

Martial Arts hold a nearly unique place in society. They are, at most basic not related to any social, moral, or religious principles. They are merely "martial," or "pertaining to war or combat skills."

Yet, at the same time, many are drenched in philosophy and the "mental" benefits cited range from improved self esteem all the way through metaphysical abilities. Simply put, mysticism in Martial Arts is not only accepted, but often EXPECTED.

Coupled with the business or organizational structure of many Martial Arts, this produces a prime candidate for cult like organizations to spring up. All of the required markers or precepts are easily applied.

For instance, the required attitude to "trust without question" a leader or central authority is readily accepted behavior in many Martial Arts. Simply put, the instructor knows what he's talking about, you should listen to what he says even if you do not understand why. Most often this is a safety or training issue.

The experienced instructor knows that a certain way is safest or most likely to produce results. That alone is no more proof that a certain Martial Art is a cult than the requirement to follow orders instantly and without question is evidence that the Army is a cult.

However, it does place an instructor in a position of power to abuse emotionally vulnerable people. Though fortunately rare, cult like indicators have been seen including:

Of course, this is a short and perforce slightly vague list. If you suspect someone may be becoming involved in a cult of any sort, whether Martial Arts or otherwise, research the organization thoroughly and consult a licensed mental health care professional.