r/karate • u/lostsoul14808 • 2d ago
Switching karate schools
Hello all, I did traditional Japanese karate as a kid when I was a teenager for 3 years. I stopped training when I was in high school because life got busy. I’m in my 20s now and I wanted to go back to that same dojo but when I called and asked to see if I could come back the business person/ assistant to the sensei (not the owner of the dojo) said people who leave are not welcome back. I was also told by others who later tried to join the same dojo say that those who study other forms of martial arts aren’t allowed to study at this dojo. Is this common?
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u/philsiu02 2d ago
To me any dojo that does this, unless it’s super elite level, just doesn’t respect their students. Rather than show you why it’s the best place to train, and build a place you don’t want to leave, they scare you into having to stay and punish any curiosity.
It’s ridiculous behaviour and honestly I wouldn’t consider training at a dojo that acts like that.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Phase70 2d ago
GIANT red flag.
The only reason to do this is to avoid being outed as a fake school.
Find another school, you'll be WAY better off.
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u/Boyscout0071 Isshinryu 2d ago
What Dojo is it and what style? I'm genuinely curious.
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u/lostsoul14808 2d ago
Washin Ryu karate in Vestal NY
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u/Boyscout0071 Isshinryu 2d ago
It's crazy, in my experience only people who are extremely insecure in their teaching act like this, I do Karate (Isshinryu as it says above), but I also do BJJ and I regularly visit my Aikido friends dojo's, did Aikido for over a decade so keep the contact in, also randomly visit dojos/gyms of all styles when I travel, guess how many times my Sensei has tried to stop me or criticised me for cross training? Yep that's ZERO.
Pay no further mind to these people, you did well to warn others so they can go in with their eyes open if they ever choose to train there.
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u/ChrisInSpaceVA Shidokan Shorin Ryu 2d ago
For a small/medium sized town, it looks like there are a lot of martial arts options. Be glad they did you the favor of showing their true colors. Go find a new place. If you discover a good one, let the other former students from your old school know so you can have a big reunion!
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u/Fancy_Sun_1585 2d ago
It’s a HUGE red flag for a mcdojo.
They’re afraid you may have been exposed to something better, more effective and thus could be problematic during class, asking too many questions or saying things like “well in X we would do it this way” etc.
Any school of any style that restricts/forbids cross training in any way is a massive red flag.
Can you think of any other sort of business that would do such a thing?
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u/Karateka_90 2d ago
Not common at all! We've had people leave and come back to our dojo and Sensei has never turned them away.
This place you're talking about sounds suspicious af. I'd find another dojo if I were you.
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u/sidblues101 2d ago
For goodness sake it's not like you'd left the mafia or something. This Sensei sounds like he has a massively overinflated opinion of his own dojo. I'd happily have nothing to do with a dojo like that.
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u/ActuaryReasonable690 2d ago
It is semi common for schools not to honor belts earned in other school, but (if I am reading this right) to ban you for leaving, or for any training with another school, seems over the top.
Time to try another school (even if you have to start as a white belt)
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u/Past_Ad_4059 1d ago
No, this is very sus. I run a karate school and every school I've ever encountered is honored to have folks with prior experience join. You typically have to start over at white belt (and should for humility reasons anyway), but the path to advancement is often a little quicker initially for folks with prior experience bc muscle memory makes it easier to learn or relearn things.
And if you've trained at that place before, unless you did something egregiously bad when you were there, they should be delighted you want to come back. I know I'm always pleased when someone comes back years later.
That place sounds a little culty. I would avoid it at all costs and try a new place.
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u/North-Football-7053 2d ago
The dojo that I go to is will happily take you back if you had stoped coming in. So I honestly don’t know
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u/aburena2 Kobayashi Shorin Ryu 2d ago
Not common at all and not good. They have to understand that life changes. My instructor always left the door open for students to return. I do the same thing. Just last year I had a student that had to quit due to family issues. I advised that door is always open for his return.
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u/karainflex Shotokan 2d ago
This is very useful information they gave you. Don't go back there because it is really nuts. People come and go all the time, life happens. It's nice when people come back. I just cannot fathom what kind of mindset that is. It's also nice when people learn something else. They can incorporate it and make their karate better. Take this hint and run run run run run.
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u/Intresting_charizard 15h ago
This is probably a mcdojo or just a red flag dojo. Do not train here. If a dojo truly wants you to learn their ways they are open to those who want to learn the martial arts way. Dojos often do this because they know it’s fake and if you’re training at another school you may be behind or they may know you’re learning from a non real dojo. Avoid them at all costs and train somewhere trusted and open to cross training
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u/purplechick182 Goju-Ryu. Shodan 2d ago
The dojo I attend loves when students return. They understand that life happens and welcome people in with open arms.
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u/Budokan_B Wado-ryu 2d ago
No true Karate sensei should do this. Many, Funakoshi and Oyama included, thought of Karate as one, without thinking of styles and rivalries. Karate itself borrowed from other arts. Wado took from jujutsu. It's always a good thing to keep an open mind.
Don't waste your money on them, seek a better dojo
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u/rob_allshouse Uechi Ryu 2d ago
I mean, the style has similar “I lied about mysterious, centuries old temple training” founding that attracted 1960s Americans as Kenpo had. Doesn’t make it bad, or ineffective, but even its origins scream “BS cult”. I’d worry less about returning there, and more about finding somewhere you enjoy training, that respects you.
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u/kitkat-ninja78 TSD & Shotokan 4th Dan | 3rd Kyu Shorin-Ryu | Iaido | Jiujitsu 2d ago
I have heard of schools like this, but they are in the minority rather than being common.
Personally I wouldn't waste any more time with this school. Find yourself another school to train at and with.
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u/Royal-Shock-352 2d ago edited 2d ago
I would not trust anything they taught you. It sounds like they are doing their best to keep their students ignorant so they can't recognize that what they are teaching is essentially fake or low quality.
What you described is extremely odd as a business practice and is not normal karate culture. It is normal for schools to welcome back old students unless there was some bad history. It is normal to accept students who have studied other martial arts or other styles before.
Trying to play devil's advocate, I can come up with ideas that don't hit the mark.
As far as not welcoming back old students... If you split on bad terms, if you left without explanation when they thought they needed you, maybe. But as a general policy that if you have to go somewhere, budget more tightly, or fulfill other commitments, you won't be welcome when you're ready to come back... I don't see any good explanation for that.
As for not accepting students with backgrounds from other martial arts...
If they view their students as representatives of their school, and they view other schools as competitors, they might insist on some commitment. It makes sense to say you should train with whoever you're going to represent at tournaments. But this generally wouldn't apply to martial arts that don't compete with one another, like judo and karate. And they wouldn't turn students away because they used to practice another style, they would just tell them that if you want to train with them you would have to commit fully to training there.
They might not want someone picking up habits that interfere with the habits they're trying to instill, but once again, that would only rule out enrolling in multiple schools at the same time, they wouldn't just say that since you aren't a blank slate they can't work with you.
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u/eerror Nidan 1d ago
That sounds really bad. The owner or head instructor is likely insecure. About what? Who knows? But you should look for another school. A lot of good instructors cross train and certainly do not discourage or prohibit their students from experiencing other martial arts. That's part of growth. There is no one correct way to be and train.
Sounds like you saved yourself some trouble down the road by doing this research Good for you. Best of luck. Find yourself a new dojo. 🤜🤛
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u/guidedbylight27 2d ago
My dojo has welcomed me back with open arms every single time I’ve been able to go back. Our Shihan’s philosophy back in the 90’s wasn’t to prevent his students from learning other martial arts. He would encourage them to master their style first, before learning another.
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u/Knope_Lemon0327 2d ago
It’s odd that they would not welcome back a student that left because life got in the way. If you left to go study another martial art, or with a competitor, I could see them not welcoming you back, but stopping as a teenager and not being welcomed back as an adult is weird.
We often have people go off to college, and come back to open arms, or leave due to work or family, and we are always excited to see them back on the mats.
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u/cpt_fwiffo 1d ago edited 1d ago
If you left to go study another martial art, or with a competitor, I could see them not welcoming you back
That just reeks of narcissism and insecurity. Having somebody go to a competitor and then coming back again should be seen as a good thing, every single time it happens.
We often have people go off to college, and come back to open arms, or leave due to work or family, and we are always excited to see them back on the mats.
And how do you treat people who simply want to try something else for a while? Aren't they as welcome back? If not, you're in a cult.
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u/Knope_Lemon0327 1d ago
Some people are purists, but I have been part of an organization that fractured due to unethical behaviors, and or to gain rank…they are not welcome back without serious thought and consideration. Otherwise, yes, I agree with you. People can try new things
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u/Unique_Ice9934 2d ago
Yeah I never liked anybody who didn't like money. So this dumbass doesn't want you to come back to his dojo because you want to spend money there now lol.
Doesn't sound like the type of person I'd want to work with.
Learn something new that's fun. I did Karate for a long time and after we moved there's no good karate near me so I jumped into taekwondo with my kids. We also do some BJJ and Judo.
There's really no wrong answer, other than going back to a douchebag with a big ego. Or he doesn't know s*** and he's worried that you know more because you started under the old guy either way.
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u/jackc2202 Ryukyu Kempo 2d ago
As someone who has left the same dojo twice, huge red flag. I left for financial and personal reasons and I was welcomed back at the rank I had when I left, including black belt. This is a failing business model
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u/Arokthis Shorin Ryu Matsumura Seito 2d ago
I can understand telling someone not to come back if they left on bad terms, but this is bullshit.
If you liked the place before you left, show up unannounced and talk to the owner. I have to wonder if they know that the person you talked to is turning students away.
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u/Wooden-Scholar6833 20h ago
I'd speak to the Sensei in person, you've spoken to an assistant who could just be an arse
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u/Pizzashitblowback 2d ago
Thats not a good business model.