Robert Talks About McDojoLife
Before McDojoLife, there was the McDojo.
In the 1970’s martial arts exploded into the United States and subsequently fueled the industry of McDojos, or belt factories. They stemmed from the use of the art providing lower ranked artists colored belts to establish their rank and to also show progress, via the correlating belt color. Unfortunately, the McDojos of the land also followed this change and established their own hierarchy, often progressing their students faster and far beyond their level of discipline.
If you’re a martial artist, I challenge you to think really hard about all the dojos you’ve trained in and all the instructors you’ve trained under. Have you ever been told to refer to your instructor as Grandmaster? Have you noticed the cost of your training is through the roof? Or, have you wondered why there are so many unnecessary patches on the member’s uniforms? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, you’ve likely been McDojoed.
Please meet a gentleman who has made it his primary focus to use both his humor and personal knowledge as a martial artist to fight against low quality, fraudulent martial arts schools.
This is McDojoLife
To start, can you take a few moments to introduce yourself to the readers, providing your name and background information (hometown, profession, etc.)?
My name is Rob. I’m a full-time martial artist from Jacksonville, Florida
As the administrator of an Instagram page (McDojoLife), it’s obvious that you have background in multiple martial arts. Could you elaborate on which types you are skilled in/practice, and the reason behind your immersion into the martial arts world (both from a practical standpoint and a comedic one)?
I started the martial arts when I was 12 years old and have been training for over 21 years currently. As a child, I was picked on and bullied quite a bit due to my cleft lip. One day in middle school I was jumped by a group of boys who beat me for over 5 minutes, two teachers watched and did nothing about it. A friend of mine who showed up after the fight was over handed me a card for karate classes and told me “You need this” so my mom gave me lessons to that studio as a birthday present and I have been training ever since.
3rd degree Blackbelt in Karate
3rd Degree Blackbelt in Lissajous-do
Purple Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
6-0 Amateur Boxing Record
4-2 Amateur Kickboxing Record
Was on Team Full Circle sport karate team for 2 years
How did you come up with the idea of McDojoLife?
The term “McDojo” has been around for years but one day a friend of mine heard the term used and didn’t know what it was. So I explained it to him and he was curious why no one stopped those schools. I thought it was a good idea to stop these people so I decided to start working on the project.
How long has it taken you to grow to such a large following? Also, what practices have you used to continue growing your fan base, and keeping them interested enough to subscribe/come back?
When I first started the page it was a slow grind. Mostly because all I did was complain and no one really wants to hear people complain all the time. Once I changed gears to making the page a bit more funny and satirical things picked up quite a bit. The page grew the most once we set up a sparring match between a guy internet troll and a female fighter. That was a huge deal. Since then some shout-outs from Joe Rogan and very loyal fan base has helped us grow steadily.
There is a noticeable amount of comedy on your page. Is there any reason for this, or have you found this to simply be your page’s voice over time?
By mixing comedy with reality it makes the page become satirical which has been a good fit for addressing frauds. Keeping it funny yet serious makes it easier for more people to show interest. The more eyes on these people the better.
Is there one specific type of martial arts that you focus on over others? If so, which one, and why?
Currently, I have been putting a lot of my focus on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu because I am still working on getting my Blackbelt in that style but I do love most martial arts and hope to achieve 10 black belts before I die.
What is your overall view on other martial arts?
It’s not for everyone but it is an amazing tool for people who are willing to work and dedicate themselves to it.
Women in martial arts can sometimes be a “hot topic,” finding artists on both sides of this conversation topic. Have you encountered bias, either for, or against, women practicing any martial art? Additionally, what advice would you have for women interested in beginning a martial art? Is it best to sell it on the overall health benefits of activity, peace of mind, or potential for knowledge of self-defense techniques?
Bias exists everywhere except the mats. No one cares about your skin color, age or sex while you are on the mats. The only thing that is called out on the mats is the truth. If you have or have not trained it will be shown on the mats. Are you hard working or lazy? it will come out on the mats.
Do you have anyone scheduled to be on your Instagram that your subscribers may be extremely interested in seeing?
We have a lot of interviews coming up but more importantly, we try to go live on Instagram at least once a week and chit chat with the followers live. We always try to take the time to speak with anyone who sends us a message or tries to hop onto our live feeds. We appreciate our followers and try to show them that by simply talking with them. Which unfortunately a lot of pages and people don’t do.
If anyone reading this would like to get in touch with you, what is the best way for them to do this?
MDL: You can follow us at:
But if you really enjoy our content and would like to support our cause of exposing/shutting down McDojos you can help us out on www.Patreon.com/McDojoLife
Final Thoughts
Each time I research to find my next interviewees, I often look for those with a unique background or knowledge in multiple arts and levels of discipline. Living in such a digital age, it’s easy to find interesting subjects from all over the globe thanks to social media and social platforms. If it were not for the outlets available to us today, I would not have been able to interview Robert from McDojoLife. The interview with him was an absolutely, amazing experience and really helped to showcase how you can use social media for good purposes, even if it takes a little satirical humor to do so.
Let me know me your thoughts – have you ever been “McDojoed”? Leave a comment below to let me know. In the meantime, check out Ron Amram’s article where he also discusses the McDojo, Why Martial Arts IS a Business… and Why You Should Pay For it!
Editor’s note: This article has been updated from the previous version at the request of the interviewee.
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