I started training in martial arts in 1985, and in 1986 I found the style I would follow and the teacher I have the deepest respect for to this day. A lot has changed in the martial arts world since the 80s. Unfortunately, most of the change is not for the better. Many schools now require a potential student to sign a very one-sided contract while others, also requiring a contract, have actually become franchises. This, among other reasons, is why today there are terms such as “McDojo”, “Belt Factory”, and “Belt Churners”. These derogatory terms are unfortunately very accurate for the way many schools are run. Especially the franchises. It is why the black belt has lost much of it’s prestige and honor, even to the point of being a thing of ridicule from time to time. After all, if all one has to do to “earn” a black belt these days is sign a contract and show up for class once (sometimes twice) a week then it becomes quite understandable why this is so.
While I understand that many people open a school or buy into a franchise to make a living and therefore must make a profit, I do not understand the low standards for a black belt these days. Perhaps it is because these solely-for-profit schools have to “churn out” black belts to stay in business whether a student actually has the necessary skills or not. After all, these schools are run on a “retailer-consumer” methodology instead of teacher-student basis, so they have to please the consumer in order to stay in business. Pleasing the customer means giving them black belts. I have personally seen many black belts that cannot even perform breaking techniques, spar or even correctly execute forms (poomse or kata). In many schools, there is no contact whatsoever in sparring. This is exactly the reason for the story I read just recently of a father wanting to sue a martial arts school because his son, who had received a black belt from the school, was attacked, beaten and humiliated. The father simply could not fathom why his son, who had a black belt, could have been beaten so easily. When questioned, the son stated that he had never been struck in the face in his entire life, not even in the martial arts school, so when he was actually attacked and hit in the face his mind just went blank and he panicked. He didn’t know what to do. The story did not say whether or not the father successfully sued the school or not, but it is a prime example of a false sense of security.
I have visited some schools to observe and saw that some had loud music playing the entire time, students were completely disrespectful of not just one another but also toward the instructor. Then I have met instructors who were among the rudest people I have had the displeasure of meeting and they claimed to be “masters”! All this is in stark contrast to the school and real master I had the good fortune of learning from. Respect was required. There was no loud music. There was no contract required. There were no hidden fees. Students were tested when they were ready, not before or after (in contrast to schools that test every month or so). Importantly, students either performed well and earned their belt or they failed and had to try again later. Sparring was set up on three levels… no contact, light contact and eventually full contact. There was nobody that walked out of that school with a black belt that had never been hit or kicked in the face (and multiple other places), unlike the poor guy that got beat down because he panicked from a punch in the face. However, caution was taken to ensure everyone’s safety as much as possible. The master never raised his voice except to give commands yet everyone respected him and liked him. There was no reason for him to be loud or rude. The way he taught, the way he interacted with students and the way he lived all made respect and admiration come naturally. Walking into that school was like walking into a different world, away from the chaos of the world into a very ordered and traditional place. It was like walking into the traditional dojos or dojangs you see portrayed in Okinawa and/or Korea (respectively).
Although I am a traditionalist in the sense that I follow a traditional martial art, along with all that entails such as formality, respect, meditation and so on, I have no problem whatsoever with MMA. I don’t like the undisciplined and immature behavior of some of it’s proponents, but it seems they are, fortunately, the minority and not the majority. The ones who do well in MMA, such as Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Fedor Emelianenko and Rosi Sexton, all seem to be very nice people with great personalities and extremely dedicated to their art. Some traditionalists really don’t like MMA, perhaps because it has taken the world by storm and that may make some traditionalists feel their art(s) may be overshadowed. I don’t think that is the case at all. MMA is mixed martial arts. It has become a style in and of itself, but it draws from traditional arts. There will always be a place for traditional martial arts.
So, in short, there has been such an influx of these McDojos that unfortunately these days a black belt does not carry the prestige it once did. There are some schools that are even trending by giving students black belts in less than a year and if you happen to be in a real hurry, there is now an organization that will “certify” you as an instructor for a little under 400 dollars and a master for just under 500 dollars! No testing or exams necessary! But hopefully this too will pass and enough people that still honor the black belt and the dedication and work that used to go into earning it will eventually be heard again and restore the black belt to it’s place of prestige and honor.
