Kids Movies Environment

Are there any “renegade” martial arts schools?

No, I am NOT looking to join such an establishment, should one exist. The Cobra Kai dojo from the Karate Kid movies, which taught vicious, unethical principles comes to mind—I’m curious as to whether there’s a real-life counterpart. Also, I used to study martial arts many years ago, and I checked out a particular school (I’m not naming any names) and while talking to some of the instructors/students, I somehow got a very negative feeling about many of them and the environment in general. My instincts told me not to bother so I declined. Eventually, I joined another school, and ironically one of my instructors was briefly talking about the previous establishment. He said that he didn’t want to make any hasty judgments, but he heard that the school was somehow “gang related.” From that time, I’ve occasionally wondered if there were/are any martial arts schools/establishments that represent the “dark side” so to speak. Any insight would be appreciated.

That’s a delicate subject. Let’s say that some schools are more ethical than others. And some are perceived as less ethical.

Two examples: There’s a well-known school (no names, of course) that has turned out some very good competitors. Several have made it to the UFC. The school does very well in tournaments. And many of its competitors are really good people–not at all the dirty fighters from the Karate Kid movies. But the head of the school has a less-than-perfect reputation. And students who leave his school for others sometimes become “non-persons.” So some people kind of steer clear from that school.

Second example: My son started studying grappling at a karate school under a really good instructor, but one with no “pedigree” or lineage. It was exclusively no-gi. I’m not sure where he picked up his grappling skills. Still, my son learned a lot. What he didn’t learn were some of the nuances and subtle but unstated behaviors that schools with instructors with the right pedigrees teach. (No knock against such schools; my son now attends one with an amazing lineage.) But we ran into a situation a while back where my son’s background and the school he initially trained at seemed to be compared to The Cobra Dojo. (I know I’m being awfully careful about how I put that.)

So, while I haven’t run into any schools like the ones you’re asking about, there are some with some unsavory aspects…and some that are perfectly fine but may be erroneously perceived to be like the school in the movie.

Hope that helps.