One of the great things about being "connected" in an
                  on-line world is the vast amount of material that's
                      available for review and commentary. These pages not
                      only give me a chance to speak, but provide a forum for
                      others' to share their experiences.

                     The following article is not unique. It describes what we
                      all laugh at, the Belt Factory. Don't be fooled by the title
                      into thinking it's some light piece of fluff designed for a
                      few laughs. I have some comments after the article, but
                      for now, I invite you to read:

                      I AM THE PRODUCT OF A McDOJO by M.J.
                      Harday

                     I went into a training program in good faith. I didn't
                      know much about karate, or even that there were
                      different types of martial arts, but I did know that I
                      wanted to learn how to defend myself.

                      To someone like me, whose only exposure was through
                      TV and movies, when a school opens and you go to see
                      the instructor, and he looks like what he does is a lot
                      like the things you see on TV, you tend to believe that
                      they really do know what they are doing. When the
                      price seems reasonable and he says "you look like
                      you're in pretty good shape, good enough I can promise
                      you'll be a black belt in 2 years" you get excited, and
                      you sign on the dotted line. When he offers you a 10%
                      discount for paying cash up front, you jump at it. And
                      then you start your classes, knowing that in just 2 years
                      you'll be a black belt and you'll be able to defend
                      yourself.

                     He was right. In 2 years I did get my black belt. I went
                      through the test with a dozen other people, and we all
                      paid $500 to test, and amazingly enough we all passed.
                      We were downright proud of ourselves and each other
                      for getting through 2 years of sweat with each other,
                      helping each other to learn along the way.

                      Our classes just seemed like what a karate class should
                      be. We bowed in, we called each other 'sir" and
                      "ma'am"; we exercised and pushed ourselves hard to get
                      into shape; we learned countless katas and spent hours
                      working on special kicks.

                     We learned a lot.

                      What we didn't learn though, and didn't even realize we
                      weren't learning, was how to use the techniques that
                      were in the katas. We never learned to combine
                      techniques. We never realized just because we could do
                      these katas well, and just because we had nice looking,
                      fast and powerful kicks, that we didn't know how and
                      when to use them. We never sparred. None of us had
                      ever taken any real contact.

                     Most of us, so damned pleased with ourselves for
                      sticking with it for two whole years, stayed and went for
                      our 2nd degree black belts. And then third. The only
                      thing that changed in the class patterns was the katas we
                      learned. But we were doing so well!

                      I could have stayed on that happy little path for the rest
                      of my life if not for what happened to someone else. I
                      wasn't even there, but it opened my eyes. It scared me
                      so badly that I had to start reading notes posted on the
                      Internet, and comparing what other people were saying
                      about their schools to what was going on in mine. I even
                      started checking out the things other schools in the area
                      were doing.

                     One of the men I started class with, one of the guys who
                      blazed his way through to black belt in 2 years and
                      stuck with it along with me was beaten up in a way I
                      didn't think anyone could survive. He was a mass of
                      ripped flesh and broken bones and blood, and that was
                      after a few days of healing. He lost the hearing in one
                      ear and for a while they weren't sure he was going to
                      walk again. All because he was attacked, and he
                      thought he knew how to defend himself.

                      He says now that he was confident until he was hit with
                      the first punch. All that kata practice hadn't taught him
                      how to block effectively. We were never taught that a
                      kata is a fight from one side and that the things we were
                      doing represented someone else fighting us. It was just
                      patterns we had to learn. Block-punch-kick... well how
                      in the hell was that supposed to teach us anything when
                      we never really knew what it was in the first place, what
                      the movements represented, and how to counter attack?

                     We're not black belts. We're a bunch of well
                      conditioned dancers.

                      This guy could have died. As it is he will have lasting
                      effects of being beaten for the rest of his life. It was an
                      eye opener for all of us, when we realized none of us
                      had ever even taken a serious punch. Things just kind of
                      fell into place then. We didn't spar. We weren't allowed
                      to compete. The reason given that sport held no place in
                      his teaching, but the truth is that he couldn't afford for us
                      to be exposed to people in the martial arts who knew
                      what they were doing.

                     A few months later, we know. We were conned. This
                      joker left his own instructor as a blue belt with only 2
                      years instruction because he thought he was good
                      enough. It wasn't good enough. His ego could have
                      gotten any of us killed.

                      If you own a belt factory, please think twice about what
                      you are doing. Your students trust you, and the rely on
                      you to teach them well. I spent a lot of years of my life
                      thinking I was being taught by a high ranking black belt
                      when he was just a smooth talking jerk who couldn't
                      stick with his own training. I thought I was about to test
                      for my 3rd degree black belt. Now I know, after talking
                      to people and then going to see other schools, that I am
                      probably no better skilled than the average 1-2 year
                      student with a orange or green belt. I might be faster and
                      have more endurance, but they know more than I do.

                     I have started training now with a Chung Do Kwan
                      teacher who is 100% different. Nothing is a given with
                      him. He didn't promise me anything and hearing my
                      version of How-I-Got-My-Black-Belt insisted I begin
                      as a white belt, and he would give me ample opportunity
                      to progress if I learned things quickly.

                      You know, that first black belt just isn't as attractive
                      anymore.

                     I just want to be able to defend myself.

                      If you own a McDojo, think twice. It's not your life that
                      might end in a bloody heap on the side of the road. Can
                      you live with that? I hope not.
 
 

                     Integrity. Do you think this man's first Instructor had
                      any? Do you think the ideals of discipline and loyalty
                      and respect and tradition were in his mind when he took
                      Mr. Harday's money? NO.

                      But, does it surprise you? Look around:

                     When Bill Clinton stepped off a plane in Los Alamos,
                      NM he was greeted with signs that read: "if Hillary
                      doesn't mind, we don't either".

                      Diane Zamora wrote in her diary how proud she was
                      that she had killed her boyfriend's one time love interest.

                     A new television program called Dawson's Creek touts
                      itself as "family programming". The main character, a 15
                      year old boy, is having a covert and illicit relationship
                      with his 35 year old teacher (who is married).

                      This then, is our society. WE have turned away from
                      God, and turned toward a morality that says "anything
                      goes". WE have allowed it to pervade our homes, our
                      workplace, and our children's lives. And WE have
                      allowed it to pervade the Martial Arts, by not paying
                      attention, by not asking questions, and by blindly
                      dropping our kids off without even thinking about the
                      possibility that anything could be "wrong" with the
                      institution of Martial Arts.

                     Mr. Harday was lucky. His friend was not.

                      Better look around people. Just because a Taekwondo
                      studio promotes respect and loyalty and talks about
                      good grades and has nice white uniforms and the Master
                      has numerous certificates and plaques on the wall does
                      not equate to VIRTUE.

                     What should you do? What is then, the answer?

                      The secret to morality and virtue is in my words above.
                      You just have to know where to look.