Editing Martial arts (section)

=== Martial arts fraud ===
{{anchor|martial arts fraud}}
[[Asian martial arts]] experienced a surge of popularity in the West during the 1970s, and the rising demand resulted in numerous low quality or fraudulent schools. Fueled by fictional depictions in martial arts movies, this led to the [[ninja craze]] of the 1980s in the United States.<ref>see “[https://books.google.com/books?id=Rs8DAAAAMBAJ The Real Deal, The Buzzwords and the Latest Trend]” [[Black Belt Magazine]], June 1999, p. 78.</ref> There were also numerous fraudulent ads for martial arts training programs, inserted into comic books circa the 1960s and 1970s, which were read primarily by adolescent boys.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cartoonician.com/the-deadliest-ads-alive/|title=The Deadliest Ads Alive! &#124; Hogan's Alley|author=Tom Heintjes|date=20 June 2017|publisher=Cartoonician.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150825040223/http://cartoonician.com/the-deadliest-ads-alive/|archive-date=25 August 2015|url-status=dead|access-date=13 August 2015}}</ref>

In the seventies, lower ranks ([[kyu]]) began to be given colorful belts to show progress. This proved to be commercially viable and colored-belt systems were adopted into many martial arts schools and systems, this also led to exploitation within many martial arts [[degree mill]]s (also known as ''McDojos'' and ''belt factories'') as a means to generate additional cash.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.blackbeltmag.com/the-mcdojo-excuse|title=The McDojo Excuse|first=Justin Lee|last=Ford|date=7 October 2022|website=Black Belt Magazine}}</ref> This was covered in the ''[[Penn & Teller: Bullshit!]]'' [[List of Penn & Teller: Bullshit! episodes#Season 8: 2010|episode "Martial Arts"]] (June 2010).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Van Brunt |first=Brian |title=Ending Campus Violence: New Approaches to Prevention |date=2012 |publisher=Taylor and Francis |isbn=978-0-415-80743-2 |location=Hoboken |pages=97}}</ref>

Unfortunately, martial arts frauds and "McDojo's" are still common across the world. Martial arts fraudsters will often run their classes with a [[Cult of personality|cult-like mentality]]. Another red flag around this is that they discourage cross-training in other martial arts styles or make it deliberately difficult to leave. They often teach techniques which are ineffective and dangerous that are likely to give practitioners a false sense of security and even claim that they can perform "no-touch K.O's". Instructors of "McDojo's" often make outlandish claims about their own success or in many cases self-promote themselves to the rank of 10th Dan Black Belt or even claim to have invented their own style of martial art which claims to be more effective or deadlier than "''other styles''".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Warning: 93 Signs Your Dojo is a McDojo |url=https://www.karatebyjesse.com/93-signs-of-a-mcdojo/ |access-date=2025-05-09 |website=www.karatebyjesse.com}}</ref>