When are you allowed to open up a dojo?

[Nina]

Which rank do you need in your MA to open up your own school? Just out of curiosity...

[tgace334]

Unfortunately, all you really "Need" is the money to rent a space and start operation. I know your question is really directed at a styles regulations, Im just being a pessimist. ;)

[swchiro]

In my opinion and public opinion, Back belt and up......you'll just know when the time is right!.....I promise.....go for it, share the art with your passion for MA, that is the answer....But only if it is in your heart.....Good luck

[rgoad]

Which rank do you need in your MA to open up your own school? Just out of curiosity...


The one where you suffered brain damage during the test.

[Musubi Dojo]

The one where you suffered brain damage during the test.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[WhiteBeltJones]

That's a hard question to answer, and a lot of it depends on the style practiced, since different arts have a different view of what belt colors mean.

For example, a lot of folks would consider Purple belt and above qualified to teach Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in the U.S. However, I'd be a little wary of anybody lower than a Nidan in Judo starting a dojo.

Too many variables to give a pat answer there.

[nirgle]

When your lifelong teacher tells you to go to city x and open up a dojo to teach his art, and does not take no for an answer :)

[Nina]

The one where you suffered brain damage during the test.
Untill now my brain had only suffered afterwards...:toast:
So there are often no restrictions from the organization?

[torbjork]

Untill now my brain had only suffered afterwards...:toast:
So there are often no restrictions from the organization?

Not in my organization (WTF), however there are some issues concerning promotion tests. Only 4th dan and above can award geup (colour belt) grades, and dan promotion tests must be carried out by a panel of minimum one 6th dan or higher plus one 4th dan or higher.

Thus, I have my own school despite only being 1st dan, however I can't conduct my own promotion tests without the presence of higher grades. Pretty much anyone could start a school out of interest, and without any formal training - they would just have to find an instructor and someone with the authority to conduct promotion tests.

[Nina]

Not in my organization (WTF), however there are some issues concerning promotion tests. Only 4th dan and above can award geup (colour belt) grades, and dan promotion tests must be carried out by a panel of minimum one 6th dan or higher plus one 4th dan or higher.

Thus, I have my own school despite only being 1st dan, however I can't conduct my own promotion tests without the presence of higher grades. Pretty much anyone could start a school out of interest, and without any formal training - they would just have to find an instructor and someone with the authority to conduct promotion tests.
OK, thanks.

[ben]

In kendo it is sometimes the case that people start their own clubs or study groups when only 1st or 2nd dan, but this is usually only when the club is isolated by geography. Usually the regional or state federation would make sure a more senior grade was sent periodically to oversee training. In extreme cases it might be a federation such as the European Kendo Federation or the International Kendo Federation that takes responsibility for supervision.

Generally speaking it would be unusual to see a dojo where the head instructor was less than 5th dan.

With gradings in my country it is the state federation and not the local dojo that runs all gradings. This is because even low kyu gradings require a panel of between three and five 4th dan+. Dan gradings require 5 x 5th dan+ for 1st, 2nd and 3rd dan, and 5 x 7th dan for 4th, 5th and 6th dan.

b

[Tonersensei]

In most places there is no government regulation of the martial arts, so anyone can open a Dojo if they choose. I think Australia is the exception. You should open your own school when you believe you are capable of teaching what you have learned, but anyone below Black Belt lacks credibility, IMO.

[Jeff C.]

... but anyone below Black Belt lacks credibility, IMO.

David, absolutely not true when speaking of BJJ.

Jeff Cook

[doubleouch]

We've had some gyms in our organization (Straightblastgym) open with no real instrutors. They opened as a learning community. They set some common goals and agreed upon training methods and worked from there. Our Iceland and Denmark gyms did this as well as a few others. The skill level of these guys is as good as any gym with a black belt. My own gym in Portland is largely that way. Despite having the head of the organization there at the gym and a couple of black belts it's largely a learning community. We've got probably 15 or more guys teaching classes. Many with no real rank of any kind. Everyone is really coach and student. Peer coaching going on everywhere. It's not uncommon to go into a class and see 3 or 4 coaches taking a class from a guy with less experience. We don't need a guru to tell us what to learn and how to do it. We test everything ourselves through active training against resistance. So, what I'm saying is that if you do it right you don't need huge experience to have a very successful learning environment. In fact, I've found that gyms in our organization that don't have a black belt instructor have students that are far better and active learners because they had to be.

[Badjer]

In the gung fu sytem that I study in you would need to have your first degree black belt. In my style your black belt is not your first degree, that comes after your black belt. As stated earlier in this thread, though, you would need other qualifications besides your rank of belt such as heart and the ability to convey your knowledge. What I mean by this is some black belts I have met are very, very skillful in their art but have not yet mastered the art of communication (usually verbal) so that they can communicate their knowledge in such a way that prospective students understand how to do the particular movement correctly and, more importantly, why you do or do not do, a particular movement a certain way.

[Jonathan Randall]

Which rank do you need in your MA to open up your own school? Just out of curiosity...

Depends whether you mean school or club? A satellite Judo club I once belonged to was run by a brown belt (1st Kyu with 7 years experience) under the supervision of a senior dan. The school he taught out of was run by a six dan. If you are to be the headmaster (or mistress) of a school, third dan is a good starting grade for most (but not all) arts. Also, by way of example, I'd rather join a BJJ school run by a verifiably promoted blue or purple belt in BJJ than one run by a 5th dan from an unaffiliated "eclectic" art that added "groundfighting" after the UFC gained popularity for the grappling arts.

It all depends. I would be sceptical of a school headed by someone with less than 5-6 years of serious training; but I wouldn't hesitate to join a club where the workouts were officiated over by a dedicated colored belt with 2-3 years of experience.

Finally, it depends upon whether they are teaching the art or "real world self-defence". For self-defence, no degree, IMO, would equal real world experience. To say otherwise would be false.

[Scott Bolinger]

Unfortunately, all you really "Need" is the money to rent a space and start operation. I know your question is really directed at a styles regulations, Im just being a pessimist. ;)



thats pretty much all you need to do. But i'd suggest that you do a little college in fitness and nutrition. A good year or two in martial arts or boxing would be helpfull or get some other coaches that have trained in arts so you can run the business and learn as you go. Odds are, you could easily pick up some volunteer coaches.