Jimmy, 6 years old, is going to test for his black belt and you better dang well expect him to pass…or else (angry parents)! He has never failed one promotion test ever, even that one time he completely forgot his form, and that one time he never broke a board and the instructor had to pretend he broke it by snapping it for him…he is after all PAYING money and DESERVES to test for his black belt! After all we are all about encouraging kids and giving them tons of self esteem and want to reassure them that they are CHAMPIONS even if they still cannot do a proper back stance or kick past their waist.
Much like the current government welfare state, mcdojang’s worldwide have created an entitlement culture within martial arts. A gimme, gimme culture of belt ranks and affirmations for people who believe they absolutely deserve to be the next belt rank up, even to black belt, or just assume they deserve to be a black belt. After all they paid money for it and the instructors want that money so they encourage everyone to test, even those who are clearly not ready to test. And everyone passes! No one fails. The greed of so many instructors and martial arts organizations, especially those masquerading as Taekwondo but actually are a completely made up system marketed solely for profit and not a martial art, has been disguised as “self esteem building” or “confidence” instilling programs. This is nothing more than spoiling the already spoiled brats who sign up at your average mcdojang because of their rich parents who have no problem paying an extreme amount of money to get their kid a black belt (within 1 year of course! Not that extremely long 3 years crap you hear at that other gym where they waste your time training hard).
This current Taekwondo climate has made it very difficult for true instructors of the Taekwondo martial art to keep students. Both because people assume Taekwondo sucks and your gym is a belt factory and daycare center, and also the students who actually still want to take Taekwondo refuse to stick with you because they are not automatically given belt ranks unless they have the skill to match.
Being a Taekwondo instructor in this day and age and wanting to be legitimate and given the proper respect any other serious combat gym is given is very tough. This entitlement culture has many school aged kids as well as young adults competing with each other about who and who is not a black belt. Kids go to school and talk to other kids who go to other various dojangs or dojos and kids who go to the mcdojangs will say “I am a black belt!” and boast about it to other kids who might only be a green belt at a legitimate martial arts gym which passes students based on skill. Kids often are belittled by the spoiled mcdojang brats or influenced to quit a legitimate school to go to another school where their friends are for a fast pass to black belt. Other times kids who previously went to those mcdojangs realize it is too expensive then come to your gym to try it out. They are very turned off once they realize they cannot wear their brown belt in your gym and are going to have to start over since your style is completely different with different forms, self defense techniques, and overall standards especially in the technique and skill department. Of course some of these kids have enough experience to learn your curriculum fast and promote faster than a student who is completely new to martial arts training, but they become impatient even at that thought, and quit your program and go back to their mcdojang or find another one who will let them keep their rank, or even test into a higher rank right away.
There is some hope though, some parents do see the marketing gimmick and money making schemes mcdojangs use to trap parents into coughing up cash every month. If you market your martial arts teaching to the enlightened parents, even though there seem to be few, you have a high probability of keeping your students. If you also look for a particular quality of student and parents where you know they want their kid to learn a real martial arts style and learn skills, you will do better than just allowing anyone to enter your gym and train. Once you do keep students make sure you emphasize fighting ability over belt colors. If right away you encourage kids about learning to fight over belt colors, you have instilled in them martial arts values that will last a long time, and none of the mcdojang madness outside of your gym that tries to entice them will influence them.
Steps to take:
1. Advertise realistic fighting, be able to prove it and have full confidence that your abilities are decent and worthy. You better make sure your students get good too.
2. Look for the enlightened parents who want their kids to actually be good at something and know self defense.
3. Only allow high quality students to join your gym with good parents. Make them audition to join your gym by interviews and testing their behavior in a couple of free classes.
4. Instill in students their first day of class that learning to fight is the purpose and valuable self defense techniques are why they are joining. Not to wear pretty colored belts until they get a cool black one.
*One way to do this is take off your black belt, tie it onto one of the students and talk about how awesome the kid is as a black belt to the other students. Ask them if they think he can kick your butt in a fight. When they say, “NO WAY!” Then say, “But dude he is a black belt! And try to make them question their logic. Then say, “Ok let’s see! Fight me! beat me up hit me!” But do it playfully in a fun way. Not a serious or scary way. The kid should laugh and attack you with whatever he can make up, then you should grab him and do a sweep or some fun silly move or throw fake strikes that show you would obviously destroy him. The other kids will get the point. Then talk about how a belt color has absolutely nothing to do with skill. Anyone can buy one, tie one on, or go to another gym and be given one. It does not mean they can fight. A piece of cloth is not magical power. Then go on to talk about how belt ranks are given only to those deserving and are not paid for with cash. They are also not a status symbol to show off, but simply given by an instructor to know who is more advanced then other students. If the kids enjoy it, tie the belt on a couple more kids and fake fight them. This drill will show that belts do not matter but skill matters. From that point on instead of belt chasing they will be skill chasing and will practice hard to learn how to fight and master the martial arts.
It is sad that Taekwondo and many martial arts are full of an entitlement culture, and the vast majority of people only want to show off and have things over another person and status than actually sweating hard, getting in shape and obtaining fighting skill. But don’t give in! And have encouragement. Market yourself for skills, not superficial things backed by a silly pyramid scheme “taekwondo” organization. Get legitimate certification in the true martial art and base it on your skill and proper qualifications.