Massie's Mudokwan Martial Arts Academy, Hutto, Texas

Massie's Karate Newsletter

Announcements:

Summer Schedule

Summer Break Schedule: There will be no classes from Saturday, June 28th until Monday July 7th.

 

Striping and Belt Exams

Next striping in class: June 25th and 26th.

Next Belt Promotion Day: July 9th and 10th.

 

Editorial: "Why I quit charging belt testing fees in my martial arts school"

After much deliberation, last year I decided I would no longer charge testing fees at my school.

Why? I’ve seen way too much abuse of this practice in other schools, and decided to implement a “no testing fee” policy as just one more thing that sets our school apart from other schools.

However, our students will still be responsible for paying the retail cost of their belt at the time they are promoted (about $7).

Now, I know that martial arts belt testing fees are a considerable source of income for many martial arts schools. But you have to ask yourself what kind of message it sends to students when their instructor is basing a good deal of his budget on income that comes from bumping them in rank.

I think it’s pretty obvious… there’s a subtle message there that says, “If you pay me, you’ll get your belt.”

Now, I know that many instructors out there are very attached to those “promotion and testing” fees…

Maybe they started it because they needed the extra money, maybe everyone else in their organization does it so they feel obligated to toe the line… or maybe they just run a belt factory where they attract students by charging half of what the other schools do, then hit their students up for sky-high belt fees every couple of months or so to make up the difference.

(Here’s a thought… why not just charge enough to cover school expenses and instructor salaries in the first place?)

Whatever the case may be, I think they are doing their school and their students a major disservice by continuing to charge outrageous promotion fees.

Other instructors may disagree with me, but personally I like how it feels to test a student when we both know that the only thing influencing my decision is their performance on their exam.

- Mr. Massie

Questions From the Community: "Do you offer a BJJ only program?"

Q: "Mr. Massie, do you offer a BJJ (Brazilian jiu jitsu) class only? I have no experience, but am interested in this for the workout. Bjj to me seems so technical and a real challenge! I'm wanting to attend real soon."

A: Nope, no BJJ class by itself until I at least earn some rank in the art under my instructor, which is probably going to be a while. BJJ is a technical style, and you can't just attend a few weekend seminars and then be ready to teach it in all its intricacies - it takes time to internalize the movements, and to develop the timing and experience necessary to perform them properly.

So, right now my students and I are just working out informally on gi grappling for fun and as an adjunct to our other classes. So, if you just want to train grappling for fun, you're welcome to join the school and start taking the adult classes right away, and join us for our advanced workouts after the adult beginners class.

However, if you really want to learn just BJJ, I'd suggest you train with William Vandry in North Austin or Phil Cardella in South Austin. Both are experienced black belts and can teach you the finer points of the style. Also, in a few months Rodney Solis is going to open his new training center at Mopac and 183 teaching the Miletich system, and I hear he's bringing in an experienced BJJ instructor to teach for him. Any of those three choices will be a good place to seriously train BJJ.

By the way, just a word of caution... I've been doing grappling in various arts and under various banners for roughly 10 years via seminars, private lessons, and by training with the occassional blue or purple belt who would pass through my school from time-to-time. However, I am no where near as technical in gi grappling as a purple belt (the rank when you are generally considered ready to teach under the supervision of a black belt) who has trained just jiu jitsu for four or five years straight under a competent instructor.

So, stay away from any school that suddenly starts advertising that they offer a BJJ program. Like I said before, it takes a lot more than a few weekend seminars to pay your dues and be able to teach jiu jitsu competently. However, a lot of schools are doing just that right now, and they will be more than happy to take your money and teach you "Mc-Jitsu". (Also, training with someone who doesn't know what they're doing is a good way to get injured...)

Whatever you decide, let me know if you need help finding the place you'd like to train.

Sincerely,

Mr. Massie

That's all the news for now... thanks for checking in with us!