Which is more important: breathing IN, or breathing OUT? You can not do one without the other for very long!

Western thinking tends to break things down into component parts to aid in understanding, but to understand the parts is not necessarily to understand a system at work. The circulatory system is more than just the heart and arteries!

To be able to teach, one must have resources. A location. Perhaps tools or aids that enable better and faster learning. On the other hand, some tools are simply how you use fellow students (hopefully carefully).

Altruistic and misconceptions of traditional ideaologies aside, the more students you have the more resources you will likely be able to make available to them all. However, the more difficult managing it all becomes.

Thusly, this is a self-balancing system. If you can’t continue to provide the benefits as you should be, then you will lose students until they are down to a number you can manage. That number might be zero, by the way. Notice the word “manage”; it refers to the business side AND the teaching, working together for the benefit of the ART, the SCHOOL, and the STUDENTS.

Focus on running your school like a GOOD business, and stop using the word business like you should have your mouth washed out with soap! It is about running your school WISELY,and utilizing resources well without squandering or wasting them. Efficiency should be a concept embraced by all instructors. The only question should be “how much should I be allowed to profit from my students?”

I suggest that if your students are well trained that they will not look at your fees as an expense, but rather as an opportunity to reinvest in themselves. The idea should be that for every dollar they pay to you, they get that same dollar back, somehow, and maybe a little more.

If that is happening then you aren’t actually costing them anything at all!

And if it isn’t happening like that then you aren’t doing it right, and you need to spend some time thinking about how you can change that. Otherwise you WILL feel guilty for charging any amount, regardless of how little.

The school I attend feels tenuous and I was worried that it could go broke because it does not have enough students. Then the Sensei did an Internet offer that brought in some more students and it feels like it the school is on a more solid footing.

The question is not should schools be commercial, for they must be, but rather how much is enough to ensure the survival of the school and the art.

First things first, I am aware that finding a profit saturated market and seizing the opportunities are nothing new, and I have absolutely nothing against this, even in a martial arts setting. In a way it’s now the way my homeland of modern capitalist America runs, also in many other settings than a dojo. I accept this, even concerning the beautiful art form that is martial arts. If you’re teaching self-defense and martial arts effectively, you probably deserve the profits 100%. Simple as that.

Here’s a fun fact. Spiritual and mental conditioning in martial arts is put in place to make the martial art as effective as possible, allowing one to grow as they learn the art. Nowadays in what I see being referred to as “modern martial arts,” taking one or two aspects of traditional martial arts and teaching a class with these things first in mind qualifies a weight loss/self-esteem/life coaching center as a full fledged martial arts dojo, simply because it technically touches on things that have to do with martial arts. I get it. It’s marketing genius. Martial arts + self defense = an extremely good way to sell things one could learn reading a short article on the internet that almost anyone could teach at extremely high rates with contracts and fees, with some fancy coordinated movements thrown in to further authenticate (this does not have to apply to your business). What an excellent way to turn profits.

More confidence and self esteem! A less obese populace! Kids exercising! These are good things that merit teaching a class for in many individuals. But these things are not self-defense, although they are commonly sold promising it.

For the safety of these “dojos” students, their head of business should think twice about selling sugar-coated exercise programs as self defense classes. These kids and even some adults and teenagers aren’t even aware they’re not in a traditional martial arts dojo learning how to properly defend themselves, when they’re really in an exercise center/life coach clinic marketed as one. What if one of their clients got into a violent confrontation, armed with nothing but false confidence (and possibly 5 pounds lighter)? No contact sparring, “it doesn’t have to hurt” marketing ploys aimed at parents or the faint hearted, and these martial arts weight loss centers using them have already hurt enough people thinking they paid to learn a self defense system, and will continue to do so until it stops.

I beg of these strictly for-profit McDojo businesses, please sell your product for what it is before even more people get hurt.

I am 100% open to discussion and am not pointing any fingers. I’d probably be willing to dig up any articles I’ve read over the years of ineffective self-defense studios and their effect. Everyone here sure seems to be just fine in their position regarding their dojos. This is to outline McDojos at their worst. Have a good one!

1st dan Taekwondo
3rd kyu Kenpo Karate

Your student, S.S.

I have been teaching full time for eleven years, and yes, this is how I make a living. It saddens me to think that adults and children who don’t have the money to attend classes would be denied by the greed of a martial arts instructor, but it sounds like that is the case for some. I charge a fair amount, and I am well compensated, but there are many of my students who earn a lot more, and many more who earn a lot less. I clearly state in my written policy that no one will be turned away because of their finances.

I have calls from parents who are locked into contracts at competitor’s schools. Some are crying because they can’t afford the payments. I offer to let them come to my school for free until their contract runs out.

Instructors who run Mcdojos can attempt to justify their ways, but their character is so lacking that their judgement is impaired.

Just for the record, I operate the largest school in the city. I don’t give black belts to children, I have no contracts, and most of my students will study at least five to eight years before they will be considered for black belt. And what will the black belt cost them? $50.00 for a deluxe belt that they will wear around their waist.

Integrity first…at least then you can enjoy your earnings, and you won’t have to get defensive when you hear the word “McDojo”.

I think you’ve sort on the issue: maintaining the spirit of the Art while making money is a razors edge and comes fraught with issues to destroy your profit potential. Do you turn away a dedicated, talented, passionate student because they are out of work and can’t pay? Do you allow an aggressive, selfish student to continue to train and study because they pay well? My answer to both is “no!”

To carry this further, do you set people up with long term contracts that are binding, knowing that they have to pay but will stop coming to class (the health club model)? Do you issue promotions to students because they’ve paid well and attended class but don’t have skills? Do you water down the Art so that more people advance (while portraying this as quality instruction)? All of these lack integrity and IMO are characteristic of a McDojo.