What does bullshido mean?

"Bullshido" is the more general term used by some martial arts aficionados to describe what they see as outright fraud, deception, or ineptitude in the teaching of martial arts by modern instructors. The word is a portmanteau of "bushido", the samurai code of honor, and "bullshit". Bullshido is posited as the antithesis of bushido, and is applied to situations or schools where martial art instructors publish unverifiable assertions as to their lineage or training methods or emphasis what is described as blatant commercialism at the expense of substance in their training, conduct, or business dealings.

Coined by Neal "Phrost" Fletcher, the founder and site director for the Bullshido.com website, the bilingual play on words reflects an assertion by some of the martial arts community that there are those who train to learn how to fight, those who train to pretend they know how to fight, and those who claim that they can learn how to fight on the street without ever having fought in the dojo.

Formerly in East Asia, the tradition was that when an unknown (the traditional martial arts community had a system of references), fraudulent or ineffective school would open in a community, it would eventually be shut down by other schools in the neighbourhood through direct challenges before they could harm or defraud many potential students. If the established schools were impressed by the martial ability of the newcomer during the encounter, then they would, by tradition, be allowed to stay open. If the new school couldn't defend themselves effectively, they would be disgraced by being publicly defeated. This traditional political encounter between different schools became a favourite motif of martial arts movie makers. In modern, Westernized society, such practices are considered illegal, and therefore this kind of self-policing of the Martial Arts community is generally prevented. Consequently, almost anyone can learn a few moves and invent their own style, or claim to be the secret heir of a heretofore unknown ancient tradition going on to teach as many gullible souls as possible under the protection of local law enforcement.

Bullshido is also said, by proponents of the concept, to consist of impractical training methods if they are used out of the contexts for which they were originally intended. Noted martial artists such as Jon Bluming, Bruce Lee, along with many (though not all) members of the Bullshido.com forums have asserted that board breaking and kata (forms) are of limited benefit towards actual fighting proficiency and often used by alleged McDojos as "filler" to occupy class time. This view is very common in modern mixed martial arts or "combat sport" circles as well. These critics maintain that such ancillary activities often become the focus of one's martial arts training at the expense of learning how to implement the techniques in a realistic situation. They suggest that the best means to prepare to use one's skills in a realistic situation is through the use of full or hard contact, non-stop sparring with which their current skill levels can be realistically evaluated.

Have a great day,

Martial Arts Tutor

P.S Check out Mcdojo FAQ (a quick google search) to find the full article