All Ireland Martial Arts Directory Info Site

Black Belt.ie

  • How To Set Up a McDojo - Cult
  • Hints and Tips
    This whole process follows a pretty straightforward pattern of indoctrination used by many cults:
    The trick is to not let your followers know that they are in a McDojo Cult
    It takes two to three years to set this up right
  • First and formost have a look at what "real clubs" are doing before you set up your McDojo - Cult
    Copy as much of how they do things as you can - with a nasty twist of course
  • Then you make a plan...
  • Appeals to Antiquity or Tradition
    Start by overawing the mark with boasts "Appeals to Antiquity or Tradition", The age of a martial arts system is often held in disproportionately high
    If these moves or practices we teach didn't work then they wouldn't have survived
    Make up a high rank for yourself and a cool looking website
    Impress them at all costs
  • Invitation to join
    Tell them how exclusive and selective you are, hammering home the point that you have to be be special just to get in the door.
    Do emphasize how deadly every aspect of you art is
    Compliment them by saying that you "think they seem to be the right type" or that you "have a good feeling" about them.
    Convince them they might be one of the lucky few to be honored enough to receive an invitation to join.
  • Sidestep the issue of over all cost... emphasize how little money means to you
    Weekly training fees should be the same as what other clubs in the area are charging, even though you are setting them up for later....
  • Once your club is set up
    Any new students
    Make them wait, the trick here is to tell them that there is a waiting list and you will let them know as soon as a place becomes free
    Your school is very exclusive and a decision must be made about whether each student is worthy before they are "allowed" to begin instruction
    Be very carefull whom you let in, people who have trained elsewhere, know the game
    People whom do not know any better are the ones you want
  • Teach them useless stuff at first
    The schools hierarchy must be respected .
    Amaze them with the mystery and power you are imparting to them
    Tell them that we want our students to develop a solid base in your art first, before the white belt test
    High levels of formality bordering on idiocy, all kinds of weird stuff
    The history of bowing and handshaking
    Traditions are often kept so that people feel they have a link to the past
    People also fear change, as it presents the prospect of the unknown. Tradition and the illusion of not changing make them feel safe
  • Encouraged them spend all their free time either at the school or in the company of other members.
    Association with people not in the group can be discouraged in a nice way via club events
    Going to the Pub after training
    Night Clubbing
    Parties
    Paint ball
    Out door centers
    and more...
    People have a need to belong to a group , keeping that in mind, after a while they will have lost touch with their friends
    You and the club will become their friends .. there only friends...
    This will make them more vulnerable and more importantly easer to get money out of them
  • The "Other Clubs"
    Unfortunately there are some frauds passing themselves off as Martial Arts. And not all Martial Arts clubs are ones that you would recommend.
    In a nice way make sure that they are not also training somewhere else, they should be only giving you their money not to someone else
    However
    Be very nice to other clubs yourself, Do attend any seminars that they are hosting given by any well known Martail Artest. In time they will in turn support the seminars that you are hosting and they will bring their students too... at 100 euro a head
  • Use double-speak and circular logic consistently
    Unable to figure out what the hell you are really saying (or not!), they will eventually give up trying and simply accept it all at face value.
  • Make sure they meet lots of high Ranks, and that before they meet them that they know how important and wonderful each of them are.
    Instill a sense of obligation to these people, so that the mark feels like they should keep coming back to give you more money.
  • Rite of Passage
    Rank Testing
    Make sure they feel it is up to them to perform for you, and not the other way around
    You want them in the group mind-set fast Make it very formal; everyone kneeling down while they do their stuff etc
    Always have students line up according to rank
    Everyone always passes every test or make it very difficult so that very few pass
    " keep training and you will have realy earned that rank "
    They are now one of the chosen few
    The more time a student spends training the more money you can get out of them
    People realy need that Black Belt, it is what they want, but soon after reaching that level most people stop training
  • Training :
    Never allow any student to put a finger on you , you train AT your students NOT with your students
    Grouping :
    Split the class up into three groups , white belts, colour belts and black belts. Never let them train outside of their own group
    This has the effect of creating hero worshiping of higher ranks with them wanting to reach the next level of training
    Time sheets :
    Every white belt, colour belt has to at the end of each class get their Time sheets signed by a black belt , so you can track how many hours between each rank eack student has put in
    Black belts love lower ranks worshiping them
  • The Great Cash Cow
    Where the real money is to be made is in that great cash cow - seminairs.
    Seminairs
    The timing of seminars is important you have to give your students time to save up enough for these saminars.
    Hosting saminars is a easy way of getting the ball rolling
    And most importantly getting a name for yourself
    By inviting well known Instructors to teach only costs a few grand, your other over heads insurance, renting the hall etc, costs under a grand
    The big money is taken at the door
    100 people at 100 euro a head is 10,000 euro less costs = 7,000 euro for a weekends work and a bit of marketing
    Always give Kickbacks per student that each club under you brings to your Seminairs
  • Running Seminairs
    This is the window that everyone will see you
    It is very important that you get this right from the word go
    It is an honnor for your students to work at these Seminairs for free
    On line booking form via your website or your clubs. Booking Forms along with booking deposit to be returned before such a date with passport size photo
    If anyone turns up at the door wanting to attend - of course you are going to take their money
    Check in desk gets the rest of the money and gives them a cool looking clicp on I.D bage for this Seminair
    Rotate the staff at the Check in desk so no one person knows how much money is taken in.
    All exits are covered by your students whom are wareing a " STAFF " t-shirt
    At the end of the Seminair everyone gets a cool looking cert for attending
    Never-Ever tell anyone how much money you take in
  • Expanding the Cult
    Every Black Belt you produce (the ones that you can control)is made to open their own club and get their own students (under you).
    In time they will in turn support the seminars that you are hosting and they will bring along their students too... at 100 euro a head
  • Problems
    If any of your students find out what your up to - Make up some nasty reason to kick them out of your Cash Cow McDojo - Cult.
    There are always more suckers where they came from ...............
  • After this, who cares? You've got them locked in. This Cash Cow is all yours