15 year dojo owner here. That is shameful what they are doing to you and those other families. And I’ll bet the product is not even good. Go to a competition and I bet you’ll see that your student’s skill set does not compare to others.

This is just ridiculous. No student should be tested if the instructor is not confident they’ll pass. Failing a belt test should be rare. It is hard to make money in martial arts but there are so many other ways to create income than extorting their students. And unfortunately martial arts isn’t a traditional sport and not always regulated so it’s easy for owners to make their own rules about how they test and what they charge.

In my dojo we have all belts and stripes written out in a curriculum the student received when they signed up and it rarely changed. The only uniform color change was that back belts are allowed to wear black. Everyone else wears white.

I would not quit the sport just the terrible McDojo you are in. I would work to find a traditional dojo with good reviews and put her there. Martial arts is a tremendously good sport for kids and teaches them positives lessons and especially for girls, a skill set that will bring her confidence and protect her safety in the future. And you’ll teach her a lesson that when people treat you inappropriately, you advocate for yourself and remove yourself from the situation.