In answer to Kane 26's request:-
http://www.snip-biz.co.uk/newsearchaction.asp?partner_id=%28C%29+

This link should take you straight there - if not just go to snip-biz.co.uk and follow the Find directors boxes.

In response to Black Mask:-
The truth stated that black belts had to pay £100 direct debit every month to be a member of the delane academy - but also that they had to pay some form of fee to train students? (£25 if my memory serves correctly)

So a student pays £15 to a black belt member of the delane academy who receives £5. The other £10 then goes to the chief instructor/owner of the dojo franchise. And, if I understand Black Mask correctly, he has to £30 to Mr Delane? Is this per student per month?

HI,

the £30 is a set franchise fee that is paid weekly to master chusan, just to be able to teach. any junior black belt/sempai can't generally have a franchise straight away so for teaching students for the senior franchise holder they get £5 per student they teach, mean while the senior sen gets to have that time off or chillout in the back ground.

what upsets me about the BAMA is for the sake of growth the newer black belts are'nt that good a standard as they used to be.

I have unanswered questions about the school any intelligent person would have, I'm raedy to leave the school and have been for a while but i feel if i just hold on i may get that little extra info i've been waiting for, but now i think it will never come.

i think the school has a limitation on how much philosophy it actually has.
i can only put it style of said philosophy to physcology training of some sort.

Middleway, i have got someone looking into the magic and hypnosis trail and i will be contacting john alexander shortly all being well. can you help findout about the white tiger image on a flag from the last samurai.
it has something to apparantly do with the school. also the earrings the oracle wear's in the matrix revolutions is our battle mon. i think if we can trace both items we may get a definate answer to any possible history.

Black-Mask

So Black Mask

You are telling me that it would cost £120 a month to teach and then another £100 a month to continue training at delane academy ?

£220 a month just to be a black belt and a instructor ?

Thanks

hello sempai, aka brainybloke

yes that is the cost, but you could pay £200 a month rather than £100 if you want to train at master chusans home and go to any delane academy session over the uk.
but thats for special black belt students.

Black-Mask

Black Mask

Please contrast your martial arts experience against my experience. It might help you solve the dilemna you are currently in.

I studied Japanese language and culture for 3 years at university. I lived for two years in Japan after graduation. I trained in kendo everyday - sometimes twice a day - with teachers with 30, 40, 50 years experience. I have 3rd dan in kendo now.

- I have never paid a penny for a lesson.
- I have never been told by any teacher that 'I have an unpayable debt'.
- There are no 'secret teachings' in Japanese martial arts which are just one step away.
- I have never heard of a teacher in Japan giving private lessons, much less charging for one.
- The only secret of martial arts is training, training, training everyday. Everyday.
- If you train extremely hard in Japan you can get your shodan - black belt - after one year (prehaps).
- There are no instructors beneath the grade of 4th dan (a minimum of 7 years experience).
- There are many organisations in the UK that reflect the above ethos.

Black Mask
First of all - thanks you for your insight into this organisation.
Secondly, could I ask some simple questions to clarify the nature of the training fees arrangement?
If I was a Delane Academy black belt I could earn £5 an hour (from £15 handed over by a student). The Franchise holder receiving the other £10. Do the black belts have to pay any money to be able to teach?
If I was a senior instructor I pay £30 a week to be able to train junior students, but can then keep all the £15. Do senior instructors have to pay any form of commission / rent to the dojo owner?

blackmask,

The Last samurai was a film based on the satsuma rebellion. The Aizu Han were the main contributors to this rebellion.

The main arts of the Aizu were - Ono Ha itto Ryu Kenjustu, Oshikiuchi as well as some ju jutsu & Sword methods and some family methods.. They were collected together after the rebellion by the famous Aizu Samurai Sokaku Takeda. I practice the methods of the Aizu - now known as Daito ryu Aiki Budo. Bushido is in no way related to Daito Ryu Aiki Budo.

The white tiger i believe relates to the Boy's Corps of Nihonmatsu and the famous collective suicide of the "White Tiger Regiment"(Byakko-tai), formed by boys not older than 17. This happened around the time the film was based.

Unless your school is based on a boys corp that wanted to honour the emporer but had little fighting skill??

I think once again it is a case of Jumping on the bandwagon!

You know - master says - must be true! the main problem is that it isnt true.
http://www.samurai-archives.com/crest1.html

Here is a resource with virtually all the family crests. Please take a look - if you let me know which one is your crest i will look into its history.

Regards

Something else to note:

When I first started with the BAMA which was in March 2004, I was told that there was no pressure to do gradings. This quickly turned out not to be true, as I was doing my yellow belt grading in June and I was being pushed to do my Orange in August and then my Green in November. I also saw the brown belts doing their Kata's for grading to black and to be honest, thinking back I did think that they weren't doing them as well as I thought a black belt should be able to. Some people looked like they had problems kicking over waist height.

Having just read Keane's last post, I felt compelled to contribute.

I’m a new student with BAMA that started training in Martial Arts for the first time around 6 months ago. I’ve been following the posts with great interest, especially those posted by Black Mask and Middleway.

OK, not having 20 years experience of MA and knowing very little on the different styles, my view on BAMA could be very naïve. I’ve had, however, a very different experience of the School to keane26 and thought it important to share it.

First the £15 issue. I’m a professional, well-educated adult that considers £15 investment in BAMA a week well worth it! It’s not huge amount of money in 2004. A large pizza and bottle of pop can cost just as much. A round of drinks down my local would come to more. I have colleagues that spend much more a week on personal trainers. Also, since starting, my lessons typically last 2 hours, sometimes even longer. So, I see it as more like £7.50 an hour. What happens to the money after its paid is up to BAMA.

Secondly, the instructor at my dojo (Birmingham) is quite an outstanding guy. He teaches 5 nights a week (maybe more) from 7pm to 11pm (I’ve heard even longer). Although black belts HELP with classes, he doesn’t relax in the background, he is constantly correcting posture, demonstrating technique and motivating the student to do better. He encourages telephone communication between classes to offer additional support when training at home between classes (which I do regularly)

Thirdly, who or what Pete Delane is doesn’t really bother me. I train with the Birmingham group because of my positive experiences with the Instructor. It works for me, and I know it works for many other people, so whats wrong with that. Maybe in a few years if I train with Pete Delane, I will ask about hypnosis and whatever, but thats tomorrow, not today. Today, I train with a very good, positive instructor, who has great people management skills, and I pay (what I consider) a reasonable amount of money for his time.

Many of my fellow students have done other forms of martial arts. All have commented on the excellent teaching of BAMA. They have switched and remained with BAMA because of the positive experience.

Finally, I’ve just gone through a grading and all the brown belts could easily kick head height. Even at my beginner level, I’m constantly encouraged to kick higher. So I can’t relate to your experiences at all Keane26

I know this doesn’t further your quest for information Black Mask. I just felt I needed to contribute something positive for BAMA. I’m enjoying my introduction to martial arts. Well done Birmingham dojo, keep up the good work.

Guess I must be brainwashed!

Sorry to hear that, but brainwashing is indeed a very common thing in MA schools.

Thus by definition a student doesnt know that he is being conned.


Mark

PS: I have just printed up some new dan grade certificates, If you want to order one they are only £30 each. No Martial arts experience necessary.