Fake Martial Arts Schools in Los Angeles: How to Spot a McDojo, PART 3

This four-part article series highlights some of the obvious signs that your martial art gym - "dojo" - or class isn't actually the genuine article.

Welcome to the third installment of this four-part article series on the signs that a Los Angeles martial arts school may be a "McDojo" and may not be providing students with a genuine education. Previously, we discussed the following points:

Sign # 1: There are 10-year olds running around with black belts.

Sign # 2: They offer a "fast-track" to earning a black belt.

Black belt is the highest level of achievement in the martial art forms that offer a belt ranking system. It takes many, many years of determination, dedication and toil to achieve this belt. There is no fast track and children of only 10 are highly unlikely to have the physical strength, dexterity and stamina to compete with a genuine black belt master.

Let's take a look at a few other warning signs...

Sign # 3: Your "master" doesn't look very much like a master

This may fall under the axiom "don't judge a book by its cover," but it's worth taking into consideration, especially if have noticed other suspicious signs. What does a true martial arts instructor or master look like? Well, sure, you can hope for an ancient Japanese dude with a beard, but chances are you won't get him. A rule of thumb is this…

Martial arts expertise comes with experience and with many, many years' worth of dedication. Therefore, an older master or instructor is usually a good thing. USUALLY. They must still be able to pull off the moves themselves. Additionally, they should be exceptionally fit. A fat slob of an instructor is not a good sign; it means they don't practice their craft often enough or even at all. If they did, their vision of their toes wouldn't be obstructed by a great rolling gut.

If you walk into a Los Angeles martial arts school and find your instructor to be in his or her early 20's, you may want to find out more about their credentials and experience. Also ask about what their classes entail. If you're only there to get a great workout, to lose weight and to improve your physical appearance, this is probably no concern of yours. But if you really want to master a form of martial arts, you are going to have to be a little judgmental. If it looks like your instructor couldn't perform in real combat, they may not be able to give you the kind of education you want.

Sign # 4: The classes are pithy with very little focus on actual combat

The martial arts classes that are aimed at increasing fitness, while making their students feel like they're actually learning a martial art don't typically include much physical combat. A true martial arts class will have students learning a great variety of moves, maneuvers and combat techniques, which they practice on each other (obviously using mild force.) McDojos tend to specialize in classes with very little physical contact between students and with no grappling or fighting being practiced.

If this is the case, then what do they teach?

Stay Tuned for Part 4!

To find out what McDojos do tend to teach and some other signs your LA martial arts school may be a fraud, stay tuned for the final installment of this four-part article series.

Fake Martial Arts Schools in San Francisco - How to Spot a McDojo, PART 2

This four-part article series highlights some of the obvious signs that your martial art gym - "dojo" - or class isn't actually the genuine article.

Welcome to the second installment of this four-part article series on how to recognize a McDojo and realize that you won't get the authentic martial arts training you may be looking for. As we mentioned in Part 1 of this article series, there has been a rise in the number of San Francisco martial arts schools, classes and gyms over the past few decades, which can probably be attributed to the popularity of martial arts in the media. With martial arts film stars and action movies making us "ooh" and "aah" over the cool and probably physically impossible moves they pull off, it's no wonder we all secretly want to become martial arts experts ourselves.

What's wrong with this?

McDojo McNo-no

The problem with many of the martial arts classes offered by San Francisco schools is that they do not comply with the strict codes revered and upheld by true martial arts masters. Rather what they teach is a vastly "watered down" version of the original form and while you think you are learning the skills necessary to defend yourself, in a real life context, you're likely to get your lights punched out.

Sure, you may find yourself getting fitter and slimmer, which is always a decent benefit, but the false sense of confidence brought about by owning a high-ranking belt in a martial art could get you into serious trouble. You may be a black belt in karate… but did you really earn that black belt? Could you go up against a real black belt opponent? Probably not. Even Chuck Norris might get his butt whipped by Bruce Lee.

So, what are the signs your dojo might be a McDojo? Let's get to it!

Sign # 1: There are 10-year olds running around with black belts

It's pure logic. If you walk into a martial arts school in San Francisco and there are young children holding the same colored belts as their instructor, there's something fishy going on. Mastering a martial art takes many years of dedicated practice and several hours per day honing your skills. It requires discipline, application and dedication. True masters of martial arts - those who hold real black belts – have dedicated their lives to learning and practicing.

While it's really nice that there are martial arts schools in San Francisco that cater to little kids and, in doing so, provide them with good and fun exercise, it's not the real thing and you'll have to ask yourself if this is the kind of establishment you want to learn from. If you had to pit one of those 10-year olds with a black belt against a grown man with NO martial arts experience whatsoever, you can guess who will likely come out on top.

Sign # 2: They offer a "fast-track" to earning a black belt

If you have your eyes on the prize and want to earn the highest status in your martial art, it will take time and many years of practice, sweat and dedication. If your San Francisco martial arts school offers black belt status in two years or less, they're probably a McDojo. There is no fast track. If you apply yourself full throttle, you can earn a black belt in three to five years.

Stay Tuned for Part 3

To find out more of the signs your San Francisco martial arts school may be a McDojo, stay tuned for the third installment of this four-part article series.

Fake Martial Arts Schools in Los Angeles - How to Spot a McDojo, PART 1

This four-part article series highlights some of the obvious signs that your martial art gym - "dojo" - or class isn't actually the genuine article.

Learning a martial art in Los Angeles offers residents a whole spectrum of benefits. In addition to more obvious ones, such as rock-hard fitness and a body to match, you should be learning the ability to defend yourself against physical attack. You should also, under the guidance of your experienced and learned master, be learning how to better harness your mind through breathing exercises, meditation and the adherence to certain codes of conducts and ethics.

The martial arts are codified systems of combat tradition, philosophy and beliefs. Each particular form of martial arts - from Taekwondo, Kali and Krav Maga to Karate, Aikido and Kung Fu - has a history and a story. So, Los Angeles residents can expect to learn much more than simply how to high kick a punching bag.

Or can they?

False Martial Arts in Los Angeles: Rise of the McDojos

Los Angeles has seen an increasing number of gyms, studios and other workout venues offering what they term "martial arts classes" and what any true master of martial arts will call a "McDojo". A dojo is a martial arts training class. A McDojo is the fast food version and just like it's famous counterpart, its offerings are not going to nourish your mind and body the way true martial arts will.

The good news is that there are some very obvious signs a martial arts school in LA is a McDojo and we shall be discussing these in this four-part article series. But first, it's important that we distinguish between martial arts inspired fitness classes and McDojos, so that the local gyms offering these fitness classes don't think we're calling them frauds!

Martial Arts Inspired Fitness Classes in Los Angeles

Learning a martial art form is an exceptional way to get fit and to develop the kind of beach-ready body Californians want. This is because the very nature of the activities and exercises demanded of its students work out every muscle in the body, while also developing stamina, strength, flexibility, speed and dexterity.

Rather than just doing a number of reps one some creaky gym machine that will only really tax one set of muscles, you can sign up for a 45 minute class that, using martial arts inspired moves and maneuvers, will give you a killer whole body workout. It's also way more fun! But just because it may be advertised as "capoeira class" or "krav maga workout" or "kickboxing" doesn't mean you are actually going to master these martial art disciplines.

Sure, you might learn a couple of cool moves, but the focus of the kind of martial art classes typically offered by conventional gyms in Los Angeles is fitness. So don't think you can challenge the next beefcake who offends you at the bar.

Having said all this, there are some gyms in Los Angeles that DO offer the genuine article, so the best course of action is to speak to them as well as the person who runs the classes. If it's a 29-year old Jane Fonda look-a-like wearing leg warmers and a sweatband, you're probably not looking at the real thing, but rather a martial arts inspired workout. There's nothing wrong with that, but recognize it for what it is and don't expect to become the next Bruce Lee.

Stay Tuned for Part 2

Now that you have an idea of what a McDojo is and how true martial arts classes differ from martial arts inspired fitness classes, we can delve into how to recognize a McDojo in the second installment of this four-part article series.