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i did about 2 months of songham tkd and it was pretty much a mcdojo and i just wanted to know is all tkd like this or are diffrent styles more realistic and aimed at all ages

From what i have seen of TKD most of the schools are sport oriented. one of the reasons you see a LOT of "kiddie" schools is the whole survival of the fittest mentality. A club has to bring in so much money to exist that they turn to the "baby sitting" side of things fast.

Old style TKD was just like the hard Karate clubs you hear about. They did contact sparring with intent on kicking someones head off. The important thing to remember is you instructor must survive financially and in todays market that means kids and dumbed down classes. Take the class and learn the moves then make it your own and train harder.

The longer I have been in TMA the more I think that the instructor gives you a bit of knowledge and you must move with it. Learn the moves, forms and different aspects of training then move into a self training mode. pick a training partner or two that thinks like you and go for it.

You will also find that quite a few TKD schools will call themselves "Karate" schools just to bring people in because "Karate" is more known that TKD.

Many people put up schools for $$$$ first and then they sort out the rest later. We have a TKD school here in my area that is not sport style and is full contact, it's quite a sight.

The neat part about the martial arts is that if you look around any one can find a club that they are happy training at. you dont need to go to a McDojo, or a full contact school, grapple, strike only. You can find what ever you want...some better than others, but some people want that family McDojo feel and others want that dirty floor, blood on the wall full contact feel!

I took TKD for about 6 years and I have found through personal experience that you get out of it what you put into it. Yes some of the classes do have that Mcdojo appeal as you put it, however the advanced classes in most clubs is where you will really learn things.
However you have to remember that you have to learn the fundamentals of TKD before you start learning the more advanced hard hitting side of it.

I am a black belt in Taekwondo. Really, it is more of a "beginning" martial arts. You learn basic blocks, Few "punches", and a lot of kicks. Most of it wont really help you in MMA except for the fact that its getting you SOME MA experience and increasing flexibility by a bit. Obviously if you get really into it, and go to a great gym, it can be brutal, like the Olympics and whatnot, but chances are your experience with it will be similar to mine.

A McDojo is a school set up to get money coming in and the skills taught are not the highest. Most of the McDojos are not taught by members that are really high level instructors but advertise that they are. Some are Money for belts but most are just jokes that some wannabe set up to get money and walk around in a Gi with a fancy black belt...or worse a red belt.

The story you told me is basically what a McDojo would be! I have read far worse stories than this however.

Basically what you need to do for kids is drill them in basics and get them physically fit and "hard wired" with the basic moves. Anyone can actually do this, but belt rank seems to be important for others. Some of the TKD McDojos...and to be fair Kung fu, Karate and other styles tend to be baby sitting joints. You meet the instructor, he looks good in his clean white Gi and fancy belt, normally Ego well displayed with pictures and the like....some photoshoped with Chuck norris or some other popular person and they dont do a single "Kratty" type move infront of you. You sigh your kid up and he basically baby sits and takes your money while your kid learns from some Purple belt that has a few weeks more experience or they do a class were they put on more foam gear than they should and wack the hell out of each other for a hour.

Trust me everyone, bring your kids to the clubs were the instructor is grizzled, the Dojo is not fancy and maybe a rank certificate or two is displayed. The floors are beat to hell and the place stinks of sweat and work outs! Your kid will get better and learn something other than why "segong Pete likes to take smoke breaks with the secretary in the back".

I would teach my daughter in the back yard if not for her disability, I would take her to my instructor in a heart beat. Neither of us are into McDojo stuff. My one hour work out classes kill people, they are tired and sore after and I would place money on the weakest of them in a street fight! We dont put on pads and I have 14 broken noses, a shattered Cheek bone, broke my jaw 3 times and more concusions and cuts than I can count....and that is just my head!

Mc Dojos are Okay for kids that just need baby sitting, a slight bit more fun than sitting at home doing nothing...But some of them are alot more dangerous. "little kids"Kratty should still be on the up and up!

in a word yes, they are just learning man. It is like if you put him in a Muay Thai class, at six weeks to four months he is still going to be a bit weak. hell in BJJ it takes a full year to drop the white belt! And I have seen so many blue belts get ass cramped by a purple belt! In Karate most purple belts are Horrible when you look at a black belt compaired to them!

yes, in time and with work they will get better. Dont forget their bodies are changing weekly almost. Dont get shocked if they get better then fall off a bit...growth spirts are a bitch!