Guys, check out this article:
http://www.bjjee.com/articles/20-warning-signs-of-a-bjj-mcdojo/
Do you agree or disagree with some points? What would you add?
Sub 
No.6... why is there anything dodgy about someone expecting people to pay their fees on time??
Don't agree with all of them, but number 5 is important. The cult of personality surrounding many BJJ instructors is scary.
matt murdock - Don't agree with all of them, but number 5 is important. The cult of personality surrounding many BJJ instructors is scary.
Very true...
I had a week-long retreat recently with my students where I warned them about this and even made them take an oath to avoid contact with all "outsiders" (those not in the Shendokan) so as to avoid getting entangled with any such undesirables.
Great list but there are about 5 wonky things in there that don't make sense.
Wanting people pay on time ? 
Yeah, the more I read these, the more I actually disagree with them...
"1. The instructor’s lineage is unclear."
Well, in my case it's very complicated and I don't usually have time to get into it.
"2. Long term binding contracts."
Oh, so "commitment" is a bad word now? I guess we should all just give up on everything.
"3. The instructor, who doesn't have any serious injuries, never spars with his students. "
If I sparred with a student, I would kill him. That's literally how I roll.
"4. The academy charges a really high walk in fee for visitors."
Yes, but they get all-day, unlimited, free access to the seating area along with the walk-in free.
"5. The instructor has a cult like following from his students. "
As mentioned this one I DO agree with. The "Shencore" (an elite cadre of my inner-sanctum students) are not allowed to read, watch television, listen to radio or be on the internet so as to avoid getting sucked into a cult. --Can never be too safe!
"6. The instructor starts freaking out if the students haven’t paid the fees in the first days of the month."
Shendokan dues are presented precisely @4pm on the 15th of the month --in cash-- handed directly to me in a red envelop along with a ceremonial sip of tea and offering of a red bean cake. ABSOLUTELY NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!!!!!
"7. Pressure is placed on students to purchase academy products and services."
I don't want students to get burned by purchasing the sub-standard material of all other instructors.
"8. The academy has “Black Belt Fast Track” course."
Guilty, I guess... of making people really good, super-fast!
"9. There are extra belt colors. "
I have discovered several new belt colors that exist between Blue and Purple, alone. --It's called "science". Excuse me for discovering things.
"10. The instructor teaches self defense without having had real life experience. "
I have several much larger sisters and a man-child cousin named Lonnie, who lived with us. Sh!t was NO picnic growing up in the Shen house. Believe me.
"11. You are not allowed to compete. "
Well, we sometimes sorta try to hold a monthly in-house tournament, every few years or so.
"14. The instructor is a black belt in Judo/aikido/karate and a blue belt in BJJ (or any other belt) but wears a BJJ gi with his TMA black belt. Run for the hills when you see this :)"
No comment.
"15. The instructor charges for stripes and belt promotions. advancement in rank is an expense instead of a honorable achievement."
Like I tell my students, "if you don't pay for your promotion, you would be STEALING your rank. Now, you don't want a stolen rank, do you?"
"16. It looks like BJJ, the techniques are BJJ, the gis are BJJ, the style is BJJ but….it’s not BJJ. It’s got a goofy name like Gorilla Jitsu, ground fighting Do or Mongolian/ American/ Russian Jiu-Jitsu…"
If this guy has something to say about "KaJuShenBo"(c), he should say it directly to my face, online!!
"17. Your instructor sound and acts like a motivational speaker."
Sorry for changing so many lives for the better... --Like frail, shy Peter, who came to me with asthma, afraid to even walk to school because he was so afraid of birds. Now he's "Dr. Peter, DVM" --an elite triathlete and undefeated World Extreme Pit Fighting Champion who pilots racing jets for fun.
"18. Nobody ever fails at belt tests."
You're right... IF the instructor is good enough, they don't.
"19. Cross training in judo or wrestling is discouraged."
When you have a an absolutely pure mountain spring, you don't need to start piping in a contaminated, brownish water from the city.
"20. Your instructor has a habit of dating students."
Well, mistakes have been made and lawsuits answered. But, Mrs. Shen still has to come from somewhere.
I don't know many schools in my areas now that don't have green belts. Florida is a hot bed for bjj so. Idk about that. I always just tell them one more and you'll get a real belt in bjj.
And there are plenty of woman who start bjj single looking for a guy. And tend to seek out the alphas in the room. Lol
I disagree with almost all of this.
The only determination IMO of a McDojo is a gym that doesn't continually update and stay current with its curriculum, or even have a curriculum for that matter.
The term McDojo is used a lot and often implies a cash grab for rank. However what I've found is most true "fake dojos" are not the bigger gyms or chains doing standard business procedures but the joke of a blue belt who can't make ends meet so he opens a club as a hobby, never takes or invests any of the $ in his own training and flies below the radar never buying things like liability insurance, hosting seminars or additional beneficial traIning for himself or students and charges $60/ month no contract acting like a good guy when really he is just running a shitty business he isn't qualified to run and to make matters worse he has no intention of upgrading his own knowledge and would rather sit back and cash in on his hobby.
Lol. I left a gym that was rapidly becoming this and from what I hear that progression has not stopped. They fill more than a few of these.
Marion Cobretti - I don't know many schools in my areas now that don't have green belts. Florida is a hot bed for bjj so. Idk about that. I always just tell them one more and you'll get a real belt in bjj.
And there are plenty of woman who start bjj single looking for a guy. And tend to seek out the alphas in the room. Lol
I think that most of the McDojo red flags are pretty accurate but also I agree w you. I train at ATT and they use green belts. It makes sense, IMO. Once they displayed some basic competency they're awarded a green belt and move into the more advanced class w all of the higher belts. It just makes no sense for a white belt that is absolutely brand new to be competing against black belt, IMO.
You can't give stripes on white belts?
Say a 3 stripe white belt is now allowed to roll in the advanced class.
Why throw in another color. It doesn't make any sense at all. A new color belt isn't giving an adult more motivation.
Does ATT charge for the new belt?
dojo stormer - You can't give stripes on white belts?Att doesn't charge for belts.
Say a 3 stripe white belt is now allowed to roll in the advanced class.
Why throw in another color. It doesn't make any sense at all. A new color belt isn't giving an adult more motivation.
Does ATT charge for the new belt?
The article reads like it was written by a militant white belt
Grand Master Shen shut this article down with the swiftness.
I've seen legit schools have $50 drop in fees.
6 is very stupid. The rent is usually due on the 1st.
future_jabroni -Does green come after white and before blue?Marion Cobretti - I don't know many schools in my areas now that don't have green belts. Florida is a hot bed for bjj so. Idk about that. I always just tell them one more and you'll get a real belt in bjj.
And there are plenty of woman who start bjj single looking for a guy. And tend to seek out the alphas in the room. Lol
I think that most of the McDojo red flags are pretty accurate but also I agree w you. I train at ATT and they use green belts. It makes sense, IMO. Once they displayed some basic competency they're awarded a green belt and move into the more advanced class w all of the higher belts. It just makes no sense for a white belt that is absolutely brand new to be competing against black belt, IMO.
11 "No snacks."
charging for promotions is a bummer.