How to spot a McDojo's?

Ninja This said:
Any things in particular to look out for? ]
Yes, I plan on looking into the places myself but I figure it couldn't hurt if you guys share your experiences.

I'm looking to potentially start Judo or BJJ and these two places have captured my interest

Olympic Judo training New Jersey

Central New Jersey (NJ) Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) MMA Kettlebells Monmouth County Welcome Message
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I have no direct experience with either, but both look entirely legit. I think Jason Scully of Grapplers Guide posts on the Grappling forum under jaysculls.
 
search around the Bullshido site's FAQ etc for telltale signs.

obvious stuff would be nickle&diming for promotions and everything else they can squeeze you for.
Automatic-Tuition-Deduction (from your checking acct/CC) isnt really a sign of a McDojo any more but I still hate it
excessive claims by the head teacher (formerly a SEAL, Putin's bodyguard, top student of Frank Dux & 9 years as a ninjutsu uchi-deshi in Japan.... a 10th degree BB in anything...) Google, baby.
badmouthing other arts or schools in the course of a hard-sell presentation
mandatory long term committments

Just try a class, ask a student what he thinks & trust your gut.
 
In jiu jitsu? It's simple: lineage. Ask the instructor who gave him his black belt, and when. Any real BJJ fighter is proud to say who gave him his belt and probably knows the exact date and occasion , and most can trace their lineage all the way back to Carlos Gracie easily.ask

If the guy says he got it in Brazil, doesn't say under whom, or says a really shady name that you can't find online later.... then you've got a problem. Try asking him if he has ever competed in BJJ. If no titles come up........

then maybe you should look for another gym.
 
I remember seeing a school in my area many years ago that claimed to train eight martial arts as one.I checked out the school when I was 19 and was a little freaked out by all the weird stances they were making their students do and the fact that during the demonstration the instructor kept wanting to show me how hard he could punch.The school changed their name a few times over the years and went into a tail spin after a local newspaper did a less than flattering write up on them.I dont think they are still around
 
shoddy business practices: overpriced low quality gear & stipulation that you HAVE to buy theirs, kiddie birthday parties/sleepovers, exorbitant belt fees, crazy fine print on contracts.

keep in mind tho that MCDOJO and BULLSHIDO refer to two different things. The latter describes fraud in what they teach, rather than business practices. So an academy can be one without the other, or both.
 
They ask you if you would like fries with your blue belt.
 
I think that you could have great lineage and still implement McDojo techniques into your business, so just because the lineage is great does not mean that you'll automatically be well off there

if they have any ties to "tma's" I'd be cautious to their practices, if they were previously a strictly a "tma" school who is all of a sudden doing MMA there is no way in hell that I would join that school

how do the students do in competitions? if they do well overall as a team (not necessarily any superstars) something's going right, if they have 1 or 2 superstars and everyone else sucks then they are missing something because everyone on those mats should be learning and progressing and getting even the most jiu jitsu illiterate person to a good level
 
A martial arts studio that basically spits out belts to hold the attention of its students so they can suck the money out of them.

Charging for belt exam and creation of extra belts is good sign of it.
 
I would check out the second place for sure, jason scully is legit and always competes and is a very nice guy....hes a blackbelt in the lloyd irwin association, so he is very legit.

the first link, the videos look good and the guy seems legit although the home of the olympic champions throws me off a tiny bit...but check it out either way also
 
If there is a big sign on the front window that says guaranteed black belt in 2 years with 12 easy payments that might be a sign of mcdojo.
 
Jason Scully is 100% legit. Competes all the time as well, so he's not hiding anything. Recently got his black belt after about 10? years of training. Has a wrestling background as well, which is more and more important in today's bjj game. I recommend.
 
Rilock4 said:
If there is a big sign on the front window that says guaranteed black belt in 2 years with 12 easy payments that might be a sign of mcdojo.
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However, if there is a sign that says guaranteed black belt in 2 years with 11 easy payments and 1 complicated payment that might be a sign of a legit school.
 
thesaadishsnake said:
However, if there is a sign that says guaranteed black belt in 2 years with 11 easy payments and 1 complicated payment that might be a sign of a legit school.
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Wait...is this an actual black belt...or a probationary black belt?
 
Both schools look legit. Just watch the videos of the schools, you can see the skill at both.
 
Hello,

Jason Scully here. You can come in a check out my school anytime.

I don't know Boris personally but I know people who trained under him and the Muay Thai coach at my gym trains Judo under him. I hear he is extremely legit when it comes to Judo.

Jason
 
thesaadishsnake said:
However, if there is a sign that says guaranteed black belt in 2 years with 11 easy payments and 1 complicated payment that might be a sign of a legit school.
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Yea man, that complicated payment makes it hard, just like going through your purple and brown belt time.
 
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