Martial Arts Schools in the Region that Know What They Are Teaching: How Not to Get Scammed by Fake Schools

Between Clarion, Crawford, and Venango County, there are several martial arts schools offering various styles of self-defense. Many of these schools consist of instructors who have competed in legitimate tournaments and even put their bodies on the line in cage matches. Hollywood has not called about filming Kung Fu Panda Visits PA, but that doesn't mean there aren't good schools here. You just need to know what makes a school reputable and what to consider.

The Venango Republic sticks to the policy of only talking about businesses for the purpose of promoting them. Although this article was inspired by a dojo with a fake martial art, we are not going to call out that business by name because we don't want to break that trust with the community. Instead, we are going to recommend the best schools, lay out some basic criteria for a good academy, and hope to God you people are smart enough to avoid that fake dojo.

Note: There are several martial arts schools that may go unmentioned in this article. This does not mean they are bad options. It just means we can't cover every possible one. On the same token, we are so sick of people saying "how about that martial art school in..." and referencing that one that keepstelling people "it's a rare martial art." We're sick of parents getting scammed and so we're going to lay this out clearly.

Here are things to consider when choosing a martial arts school.

1. Have the instructors competed before?

Every martial arts school promises expertise on how to fight. In the ’90s, the UFC quickly weeded out every bad martial art by showing legitimate fighters wiping the floors with the fakers. The difference? The real fighters had been in knockout matches before, where they risked bodily injury to put someone else to sleep.

When you go to a martial arts school, ask yourself if the instructor has ever been in a cage match, boxing tournament, or taken a fist to the face. One notable school that encourages their students to participate in these competitions is Clarion MMA. Each instructor for Clarion MMA has competed in several competitions, between Jujitsu tournaments, cage matches, and point-based tournaments. They also have intense training at certain times of the week that involve rolling (real-time jujitsu) with other students.

Their walls are filled with medals, we assume weren't bought at the dollar store, demonstrating how much their instructors have pushed themselves to learn legitimate fighting skills. Finally, they also have a fish pond if you like to look at fish.

2. Has the martial art appeared in the UFC or other major fighting competitions?

As mentioned before, every martial art claims to teach self-defense. The problem is that they only teach theories and practice in slow-motion fighting simulations. There's a reason Shaolin, Aikido, Tai Chi, and other martial arts aren't used in the UFC. They were either tried early on and failed when the users were knocked out cold, or people already knew that they don't work. Take that Steven Seagal!

Another school that fits this criteria is Sonic Jujitsu. The guy who runs this school is a legit martial artist who specializes in Jujitsu (hence the name) and Muay Thai.

Like the school mentioned before, these students are encouraged to compete in real-time competitions. We know this because their name comes up in other martial arts schools that have had to compete against them as rivals. When our lead journalist took classes at a rival location, people complained about Sonic showing up to Jujitsu tournaments with jacked competitors. We're not sure why the students were complaining... Just start lifting weights you weaklings!

3. What is their lineage? What affiliations promote them?

Titusville has a school associated with the Gracie family and Gracie University, an international chain of schools famous for Jujitsu. In fact, the person running it is the pupil of Helio Gracie’s son, a legend whose family defines modern Jujitsu.

For anyone familiar with UFC legends, the name Gracie stands out because of Royce Gracie's dominance in the ’90s. Relson Gracie, the other son of Helio, has several academies associated with his name, one of which is based in Titusville. Relson Gracie Jujitsu in Titusville falls under that umbrella and needs no more justification from us. I mean, it's in the name! Justifying them is like trying to explain why fire is great for burning down a building.

4. What does their social media show?

Obviously, new students are likely to have poor punching technique, and a few Facebook videos are not going to determine if the school is legit or not. However, if a school that claims to teach kickboxing has 100 videos on their Facebook page with students showing the same poor punching and kicking techniques, that should raise immediate red flags, especially if not one video shows a student with good technique. What’s worse is if the “master” of the art also looks untrained when he punches. At that point, you might as well learn from a piece of bologna.

5. How intense is the school?

Pressure testing is the process of using your martial art in real time. Attackers don't come at their targets in slow motion. If you think otherwise, walk through central park at night.

At some point, a student needs to learn to manage a fight in real time. Things to consider are how intense the classes get and how fit longtime students look compared to newcomers. If every student has that grandma flab beneath thier arm, it's fair to assume the cardio isn't being worked.

Good Karma Jujitsu in Meadville falls under the lineage of Gracie Jujitsu. We'll be honest and say that we have never been to this school. However, although videos of bad students don't fully determine if a school is bad, videos of good students say a lot about a school.

The videos on Good Karma's Facebook page show their students in real-time practice simulations. The students show good technique, physically fit bodies, which suggests good workout training, and real-time pressure testing. The association with Gracie Jujitsu also says a lot about their legitimacy. We boy before your lineage Good Karma.

6. Are they open to other martial arts?

A big red flag is when a school claims that their martial art is “the martial art” for self-defense. There's a reason why mixed martial arts is a popular choice for people. Fighting is diverse with several possible approaches. You'll notice that the most common fighting style mentioned so far is Jujitsu; however, those schools often implement other styles as well.

When a school claims it's too good for other styles, fails to pressure test in real time, then says it's too good to pressure test because they "don't believe in starting fights," you can assume they are making excuses to avoid admitting they're too scared to get smacked in the head. Pressure testing does not mean you will go out looking for fights. It just means you are preparing for when someone tries to hit you with a crow bar.

7. Do they make excuses for when their style fails?

The dojo that inspired this article is popular in its community because it's been around for the last few decades. Unfortunately, being around a long time doesn't make the martial art any good. Try explaining that to everyone who knows the owner of the dojo.

A few years ago, I took a self-defense class from an officer who proudly cited his 11 years of training at this dojo. He then went on to explain how confused he was when his techniques failed to work in his profession. The dojo led him to believe that the style failed because "all martial arts are that way" and that a martial art can "only work against itself." Why the hell would you take martial arts then?

This argument is just an excuse not to admit that the style doesn't work. Think about it: your fighting style is inferior to a guy who doesn't take martial arts? Then why train in that style if inexperience beats experience? Saying your style only works against itself is a really bad argument. Plus, when you think about it, you're pretty much admitting it doesn’t work period. Just stay clueless so you're equally matched with the bad guy.

8. How common is the style?

Don't get us wrong. There are several common styles that do not work and are only popular due to tradition. That's why you need to consider every factor, especially whether they pressure test.

When an instructor openly admits his style is a “rare martial art,” you need to be skeptical. Why is it rare? Were the secrets hidden beneath a rock until last week? "Oh master, how fortunate we are to come under the tutelage of a style uncommon in the world of self defense." It's probably because your style doesn't work master wrong.

9. Do they claim they can fend off multiple attackers?

Imagine the master asks three of his students to stand on each side of him. He tells each one to attack him one at a time and to do it in a specific way, at a certain speed. Graciously, he deters their "attacks" with his flabby arms one at a time, sending them to the floor in an unrealistic manor.

Later you go to a bar and piss off a group of drunks. Before they attack, you try to lay out these same guidelines but are rudely interrupted by them rushing you at once. Hopefully one of them will cover your visit to UPMC. MORON!

Conclusion

We would like to say that bad martial arts stick out like a sore thumb. Unfortunately, a terrible school exists just a half mile from us with students leaving reviews about how "great the dojo is." A master can think he is good when he sucks, students can think highly of a lowsy practicioner, and a whole community can think so highly of a dojo that they don't want to acknowlege when they are being scammed.

It pains us not being able to break our policy to call out this dojo by name. But as mentioned before, we don't defame businesses. You just have to use your own judgement. Martial arts have been practiced for hundreds of years of human history, but the modern age of technology has brought our world together so that the good fighters can beat the crap out of the lousy ones. This is how we know who sucks and who doesn't.