How Martial Arts Instructors Can Give More

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Dealing with Less-than-Ideal Ukes

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3 Different Takes on the Sensei-Student Relationship

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Enter the Dojo: An Introduction to Ameri-Do-Te

I recently happened upon a commercial video for a dojo down in New Mexico, teaching the style of Ameri-Do-Te. Here is that video:

If you haven't guessed already, this is spoof. Actually, it's a trailer for a spoof video series, a mockumentary if you will, about Master Ken and what he teaches in his "perfect" martial art, Ameri-Do-Te, a made-up style that takes self-defense/combat concepts to ridiculous extremes. Watch episodes 1 and 2 below to see what I mean:

I quite enjoyed the humour of these videos being an instructor of a self-defense oriented martial arts style. I've even had a few requests for "groin grab sparring" from students in jest. That being said, I noticed in the YouTube comments that a number of people thought this was a real martial arts school, criticizing its operations. What a sad state of affairs that there are enough McDojos out there that people could think that this spoof is for real! Ah, well. It is what it is. You just have to find the humour in these things. I hope you find these videos as entertaining as I did! If you want to watch another full-feature martial arts mockumentary, check out The Foot Fist Way.

New Self-Defense Fitness Classes

At our Vancouver area martial arts school, we pride ourselves in offering a full schedule of adult Can-ryu Jiu-jitsu classes, which offer students a wide range of self-defense skills, including striking, throwing/takedowns, breakfalls, joint locks, sparring, ground techniques and more. Our standard classes start by introducing the most practical, easy-to-learn defensive skills with strong emphasis on gross motor skills while also providing foundations for higher level learning that is developed as a student progresses.

Having taught these types of classes for 5 years now, and we do our best to make these classes accessible to anyone and have people of all ages (even a 65-year-old!), fitness, levels and physical abilities. That being said, some people have different comfort levels in terms of what we do, or are not necessarily looking to learn a comprehensive martial art, but still want a place where they can develop and maintain their defensive skills as well as their fitness levels. It is for this reason that we developed our new Self-Defense Fitness classes.

Using the simplest, most effective self-defense techniques in Can-ryu Jiu-jitsu, we've created a program that improves students' cardio, strength, coordination, balance, flexibility, etc, AND teaches students how to apply them for personal protection should the need arise. Unlike our regular Jiu-jitsu classes, these one-hour classes leave out higher impact activities such as breakfalls, throws, joint locks and sparring making it accessible to everyone. It's designed to be a solution for people looking for a lower-impact martial arts fitness option. It also can appeal to people who don't like the idea of being thrown or having their joints locked up, whether they're getting over an injury or just a little intimidated at the prospect.

I never really liked the idea of cardio kickboxing or boxercise classes, finding that these types of classes were more about getting fit with only a minor association with the martial arts, and little to no application as to how to use the martial techniques taught. That's why I wanted to make this class different. Around 1/2-2/3 of the class would be spent on fitness and circuit training with practical striking drills with the remaining time spent on the practical applications of the techniques. This class will not require uniforms and will have no belt system. The only equipment required would be a groin protector.

I am hoping that this class will help broaden our reach by offering a more simplified training option that addresses different people's needs. It would also serve as an ongoing training option for women who do our 2-hour women's self defense class. Additionally, I hope it will also serve to attract curiosity in our regular Jiu-jitsu classes from people who develop a desire to progress further. At the same time, it would also serve our regular Jiu-jitsu students should they want a different format class to help improve fitness levels or give them a training option while recovering from injury.

What do you think?

Odour Management for Martial Artists

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Encouraging Personal Development in the Dojo

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The Disadvantages of Having a Friendly Dojo

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4 Tips for Preventing Illness at the Dojo

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Celebrating My Dojo's 5-Year Anniversary

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5 Easy, Inexpensive Ways to Market a Martial Arts School

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Why We Use the Coloured Belt (Kyu) System

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Leadership Training Courses Now at Our Dojo

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5 Space Options for Running a Dojo

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How to Create Your Own Basement Dojo

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A Note on Accident & Liability Insurance for Dojo Instructors

I have recently been doing a lot of research about accident and liability insurance and how it applies to me and my dojo. This is something of vital importance to every martial arts instructor and is not something that should be taken for granted, even if you are part of a larger organization that is supposed to have you covered insurance-wise.

Having spoken to the insurance broker responsible for our coverage, he told me of a number of horror stories in which sport participants were not covered by insurance because of technicalities that the sport association people in charge were not aware of.

I want to warn all martial arts school instructors everywhere that whether you have your own private accident/liability insurance coverage or you are obtaining it through a sporting organization, be sure to read your insurance policies in detail. If you're a member of a sports organization, make sure you also read its constitution and bylaws to so you can ensure that you are not operating in a way that would preclude the possibility of insurance coverage.

There can be a number of loopholes that could limit your insurance coverage and it is your responsibility to yourself and your dojo's students to be fully informed so as to ensure safe training for all.

(P.S. I haven't forgotten about my promise to do up a video showing some ground defense in application. I promise to get to it next. Sorry for the delays...)

New Class Times for the Dojo

We've recently decided to expand our evening classes to encourage the growth of our dojo.Since our location is in an industrial business area, we're going to start offering an after work time slot, 5:30 - 7:00pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

While we are expanding my class times, rest assured that we won't "sell out" in the process though. We have no intention of ever becoming a McDojo.

11 Signs That a School Might Be a McDojo

I've discussed the topic of McDojos in the past, their disadvantages and their benefits, but how can one tell if a place is in fact a McDojo? To help identify them, I've compiled a list.

It Might Be a McDojo if...

1. It's located in a shopping mall.
2. The words "black belt" are part of the dojo's name.
3. Their logo involves some sort of cartoon animal.
4. They teach every martial art you can think of.
5. They advertise children's birthday parties on the home page of their website.
6. They absolutely refuse to give their prices over the phone.
7. You have to test for "stripes" between standard belt tests, both of which you have to pay for.
8. Everyone always passes their belt tests, no matter how much curriculum they forget during the test or how incompetent they are at what they perform.
9. They make the statements like "Your real goal should be to attain the rank of black belt."
10. As an adult, you have to train with 6-year-olds.
11. They do demos that involve light shows and smoke effects.

This is by no means a complete list. If you have any other items you think should be on this list, by all means, share them in your comments.

Be sure to check out "The Foot Fist Way", a classic mockumentary of a McDojo. Or, read "Enter the McDojo" for a more serious post on the topic.

Classes Continue While I'm Away

Me and my dojo's other official instructor Chris are going to be away for a week and a half for Jiu-jitsu related trips to South Carolina and Ottawa. When we first planned the trip, I was expecting to have to close down my dojo while I was away.

I'm very happy to report that classes will continue while we're away thanks to the voluntary efforts of my martial arts contacts here in Vancouver. We'll be away for 6 classes and we have 3 guest instructors each taking over 2 of our classes. The instructors are Alex Fairweather Sensei, 2nd degree black belt in Shorinji Kan Jiu-jitsu, Les Andrew, 2nd degree black belt in Shito-ryu Karate (and orange belt in Can-ryu Jiu-jitsu), as well as Jenny, my faithful doctor student who holds a purple belt in Can-ryu.

I'm very grateful that everyone is so willing to contribute to help keep the dojo running while I'm away. My only regret is that I won't be able to be there for what I expect to be some very interesting and educational classes.

How to Tell If Your Martial Arts Instructor is Legit

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