Is this for real?

First off I'd like to give hardy hello to everyone. I havent posted on this forum for nearly 3 years due to college and work...

Thanks to IBM layoffs I'm getting a better job. So I'll have more time on my hands. I've been looking around the Essex Vermont area for a school and I came across this one Welcome to MOO GONG DO ™ a Korean martial Art . They say its a Korean Style but frankly I've never heard of it...? Is this a Mcdojo? Or something else. Thanks for the info!

-Matt

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The only thing neccesary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

Edmund Burke,

No idea, although I tend to look twice at any school that has "Moo" in its name.

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"Pain can be a great teacher of compassion and humility."~ Unkotare-san

"Whatever the case, it proves that countless disasters can be prevented by simply assuming everyone you're working with is a moron." ~ Adam Brown, 5 Tiny Mistakes...

Hmmm...they have a "CyberDojo"? My advice, go check it out and see what it's all about. The site says the first class is free, so you have nothing to lose (unless the class is in the CYBER Dojo- then run). I personally have never heard of the style, but that means nothing since I'm sure there are many styles I'm not aware of.

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Si hoc non legere potes tu asinus es

“	Originally Posted By: Sammygirl No idea, although I tend to look twice at any school that has "Moo" in its name.	”

Eat Moor Chikn!

ChikfilAmooDo.

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Si hoc non legere potes tu asinus es

Looking at their site and how they define themselves and their training and seeing as they have their name Trademarked and the name has never been heard of till now, I say McDojo

I have to agree, though it does seem to do alot in the community but they also offer Birthday parties?! That just kinda screams money maker to me. Though Im not against a school having the option for throwing kids b-day parties as something extra for the kids just $100 to $150 seems alot of money for instruction, DO Jang (not familiar with the term) and a party room at the cheap side. And Pizza and Cake for the expensive. I have thrown parties that cost $50 bucks for pizza and cake. If you do it at your dojo/Kwoon its nothing extra for the school just unlock the doors. Party decor can be bought for 10 bucks. So yeah if all I saw was that add Id say mcdojo.

Run a school somday you'll see how quikly you start lookin for ways to increase income. And the fact that peopine even in this economy will pay it without batting an eye will tell you something as well.

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One hit, see blood.

It's not enough to just not get hit

I have to concide I dont have a school or am quillified to teach.

I did some searches on it, looks like it's a new art started 20 years ago. No discussion as to what it is they actually teach. Without any further info, I'd say a definate McDojo.

“	Originally Posted By: KungFu Krissy Eat Moor Chikn! ChikfilAmooDo.	”

hahahahahahahahahaha !!

“	Originally Posted By: Green_Horn DO Jang (not familiar with the term)	”

That's the Korean term for martial arts school. Dojang is to dojo.

That being said, I think it's TKD schools trying to change their image. The fact that it's 20 years old makes me wonder, too, since TKD itself is roughly only about 50. There's a huge school here, Chung's Tae Kwon Do, that has been here for probably 15-20 years. I just got back home from college, and the sign now says "Chung's Mu Do." Probably the same thing with a different romanization of the phrase.

I wonder if Korean Tae Ch'uan is still taught? Isn't that their ancient martial art? That might do better than Mu Do.

Nick

EDIT: It also occurred to me that it could be a political thing. Chung's was WTF, maybe this one was, too. Like the way ATA broke off of ITF. I was trying to find anything that might show how related it is to TKD, but there's nothing on the site that really says anything about classes and the style, other than the principles of Moo Do, which look like many other martial arts rules.

You should inform them that Chung's Mu Do is similar to Chung Moo Do, a notorious cult and serious BS McDojo

Wow. Just looked that up. I have never seen this. The claims former students made show a very horrible school. In my school, these are the first schools we made challenges to. Reminds me of a story my sigung told me:

He and his sifu worked in some blue collar job. One of the guys that worked with them trained at some karate school, and came to work with a broken arm. When they asked him what happened, he just said it was a training accident at the dojo with his instructor. The two looked at each other; if an instructor doesn't have the self control to be teaching the students, or if they're using their status to bully the students, they don't deserve to be teachers. My sigung looked at his sifu, and said "do you think we should go pay him a visit?" Karl said not just yet, that could have been an honest mistake.

Six weeks later, the cast came off, and the guy went back to school to train. The next day, he came to work again, arm in a cast (I'm not sure if it was the same arm or not). Sigung once again looked at Karl, and he said "yeah, NOW we go pay him a visit."

The two of them went to the school, and one of them, I think it was my sigung, if I remember correctly, wiped the floor with this guy. They pretty much told him if he wants to pick on someone, how about pick on one of us.

I've asked Karl about the story, and he had a half embarrassed, half nostalgic smile on his face and said, "yeah, I remember that. That's when we were younger and always looking for a reason to fight. We were stupid."

Still made for a great story.

Nick

“	Originally Posted By: Mei Hua a notorious cult and serious BS McDojo	”

LOL....you have such a way with words Mei. But I agree, this school is probably a McDojo.

But don't get me wrong, IMO there is nothing wrong with a school trying to make some money (prophet) as long as it doesn't effect the quality of instruction and what is being taught.

I just looked at that web site a little bit more closely and have determined that it is definitely a McDojo. The birthday party scam really is what got me to come to this decision but the whole web site screams McDojo after futher inspection.

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Mark R.

Keep in mind -- the "birthday party" is not a scam. A "scam" is something pretending to be something else. The birthday party is just a birthday party (and a straightforward business decision). This school may not be a "scam" but it is likely that it is not a "good" school -- in comparison to other schools -- as far as quality of teaching, etc.

I don't like lumping the term "McDojo" with "scam" (unless a McDojo is running a scam). "McDojo" was coined to describe multi-school, cookie-cutter organizations that teach mediocre to poor martial arts across the board -- like a McDonald's cheeseburger. A McDonald's cheeseburger isn't a scam, it's really a cheeseburger -- it's just a crappy cheeseburger. Same thing with the term "McDojo."

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"Pain can be a great teacher of compassion and humility."~ Unkotare-san

"Whatever the case, it proves that countless disasters can be prevented by simply assuming everyone you're working with is a moron." ~ Adam Brown, 5 Tiny Mistakes...