Yes
When I think of Judo, I don't think "McDojo." That's not to say there are no Judo McDojos, but Judo has a long, proud history that pre-dates the McDojo business model. I think Judo's locks, chokes, and throws make it worthy of being considered a legitimate fighting art, so you should be getting a lot of quality instruction for your money.
The decision to attend or to stay with a particular school is really a personal cost/benefit analysis. Considering that we're in a horrible recession with no end in sight, I would think that you should not be paying more than $100 per month for instruction. I would not want to have to pay extra for "belt tips" or any other ceremonial nonsense every month.
I completely agree with ksnake 10.
The term 'Mcdojo' is usually applied to the more 'trendy' styles such as TKD and Juijitsu-styles which appear in the movies on a regular basis so kids want to try them out.
It is not unknown for a student to achieve the dan in 18 months or to see 14 year old third dans in such clubs and with some regular grading sessions so they can hand hand out black belts to anyone who will pay enough regardless of ability so they have something to show their friends you have a 'Mcdojo'-they teach nothing of any value so avoid like the plague.
A tell-tale sign of a 'McDojo' is where the instructor tells the class to perform a particular technique then just stands and watches without making corrections with each student individually or even worse just stands in a corner talking to other dans-or just making the class do line work throughout the lesson or allowing student to just enter or leave the training area without bowing to the senior instructor or centre of the training hall (i have publicly bawled out junior dans for such a misdemeanour).
With Judo it is different-the judoka take extreme pride in their art and if you achieve the dan in one of their schools in under five years then it is a remarkable achievement the judoka are a true example of what the fighting arts should be about.
You will never see a judo 'Mcdojo.
@Sherwin-training is supposed to fun for children-it keeps them interested-any good instructor will tell you this.
Check it out. You cannot just tell from the Website usually alone. Sometimes you can. In this case, it's hard to tell. The one thing I would be hesitant is it says that the goal of every new student should be to reach black belt. I think it's great to set goals. While I think this is good. I think that if this is your only goal, you may get burnt out and quit, or just quit once you reach that goal if not fully committed to your training. I have seen it enough to know as others on here have an can testify to this. Go and try it out! Osu!
They have a log of red flags but the only way to know for sure is to go and watch one lesson. They will give it away most times right there.
LOL if it says fun for kids on the website then it's a mcdojo.
http://southshieldsjudoclub.co.uk/ and is ￡4 for a 1 hour lesson good?
