Interior designe of your school

[tshadowchaser]

Just had to do this one.

So what dose the interior of your school look like? How would you change it if you could and why ? If you like it why?
How about the waiting /viewing/visitor area, same questions.
Is this a large commercial business or a small workout area for only a few people

 

[Tony Dismukes]

My gym is a converted warehouse, so it's huge. We have a boxing ring, 2 MMA cages, a large judo mat (supported by a layer of tires under plywood for extra spring), a large puzzle mat area, a long row of heavy bags, and a weight area. There's a lobby with a pro shop before you get into the actual training area.

Things I like - the size and the variety of facilities.

Things I dislike - the square footage coupled with the high ceilings make air conditioning impractical, so it gets hot in the summer. (Also sometimes pretty cold in the winter.) We only have one dressing room, so the guys use that and the women change up in the ladies room. It works okay, since we have a relatively small number of female students, but I wonder if having their own changing room would be a positive factor in encouraging more women to join and stay.

 

[WaterGal]

We've got two matted training rooms, a waiting area, an office, bathrooms, and a men's and women's changing rooms. My dream renovation would be to have showers in the changing rooms and to have the training rooms be more even in size (one is much bigger than the other), though I don't think either of these are really doable without knocking out some walls and rebuilding the interior of the unit. More practically, I'd like to replace the old carpet and laminate tile that came with the unit. Put down some Pergo instead, make it look more "traditional".

 

[Dirty Dog]

We're a YMCA-based program, and frankly our facilities are sub-optimal. It's basically a big room with a tile floor. Folding chairs at the back for visitors. A couple wavemasters, some big kicking bags, hand held targets... we have enough grappling puzzle mats (same as regular puzzle mats, but 2" thick) to cover a 16'x16' area.

What I'd like to have: More room. A decent floor. A couple hanging bags (the YMCA won't let us mount equipment).
What I like: Since it's the YMCA, there's access to the pools, gyms, sauna, showers... and it allows us to remain non-commercial, which means it's cheap (and there are scholarships for those who can't afford $40 a month). That lets us provide MA training to people who would never be able to afford a commercial school.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Community center, big room, tile floor, ceiling fans, AC, lots of windows and just about everything is some shade of white.....that is about it.

 

[Danny T]

6000 sq feet.
Large matted training area
Two rows of 8 heavy bags giving us 16 in this area
2 Speed bags
2 double end bag
16 ' of wall in the corner is padded each side of the corner
7 foot x 30 foot area wood floor and 4 wooden dummys.
4 Wall bags
Lobby w/front desk area and proshop
10 X 18 massage area
20 X 20 weight and strength training area

2nd training room with
6 heavy bags
Speed bag
double end bag
30x30 sq foot matted

Outside
20 X 40 foot Roofed area with 6 heavy bags
6 large tractor tires
over 4000 sq feet of grassed area for outside training.

Would like to have larger change area and showers.

 

[Juanpa Ookami]

we are finishing or new Dojo, we will inagurate it on July 17, you can see some pictures here Asociaci n Cultural Karate Tradicional Dojo Shubukan Uechi Ryu it is in spanish i have to work in the transaltion but first I have to finish all the content in spanish. For me is one of the most impresive dojo that I have had the oportunity to see, for me is like a temple for the japanes martial arts.

 

[Zero]

Goju ryu club (essentially a community scout hall, relatively large square foot, but used more for martial arts than scouting these days, minimal rent to the scouts so subs low):
Inside:
Sitting area/benches through the entrance door for those waiting/visiting/parents/collecting etc to sit and watch the action.
Large wooden floor. Great for karate and stand up but we need to put down the mats each time for grappling and judo. No devoted matted area but hey, that wouldn't work for the scouts...
One hanging heavy bag (strung up when scouts in)

Largish and long side room off training hall for strength training:
- bench, squat rack, weights section
- lots of traditional goju ryu conditioning apparatus

Changing rooms and facilities at back of hall, unisex (sinks but no showers)

Relatively large outside space, with a tree to boot, out back of hall for outdoors training:
- tachi makiwara in the ground by back fence

Desired changes:
- It would be great to have a devoted mma/mat area.
- Showers (so can head out after training, rather than going home stinking : ) or dripping from a sub-par wash in the sink...) and optimally separated for the sexes. As Tony said, maybe that would be better received by some, who knows...
- More hanging bags and of different types.

Dream changes:
- Re-done as a dimly lit, dark wood dojo; traditional samurai suit of armour in the corner with spear and unfurled flag above; live katana and sickles displayed on the walls; ancestral prayer alcove in the back of hall in memory of classmates honourably killed in combat (...dispatched by ipon in tappy-tap/sports karate(it's for real warriors!)); old wizened geezer off in one corner quietly and mournfully playing on the koto; small dragon water feature out back; blood soaked tatami; geisha waiting in onsen after training (wait, where did that come form?); it goes on from here...

 

[Zero]

we are finishing or new Dojo, we will inagurate it on July 17, you can see some pictures here Asociaci n Cultural Karate Tradicional Dojo Shubukan Uechi Ryu it is in spanish i have to work in the transaltion but first I have to finish all the content in spanish. For me is one of the most impresive dojo that I have had the oportunity to see, for me is like a temple for the japanes martial arts.

Wow. It looks like a beautiful and aesthetic place to train in!! Awesome job!

I wasn't sure, as can't read Spanish, is this the dojo you train in or is this what you have built as part of your dojo-building business?

Are the Okinawan conditioning tools and the weapons displayed what your club use or is this what is being sold on the website?

 

[Zero]

What I would really love to do, and unbelievably, I actually have permission from the missus for this, is to build my own dojo out back of my place for training when not in the actual club. Currently I have the heavy bag up in the garage but as I have a relatively large back plot behind the house, would love to build a well-crafted training area/small scale dojo. Appreciate I may have to tear the thing down if went to sell the house as most people might see it as pretty wacked out.

Have any of you guys or gals done this?

My old sensei had a place up on the hill with a large property/several fields and had converted half of his stable into a dojo/training hall. It was super cool training there when not at the club.

 

[lklawson]

So what dose the interior of your school look like?

Garage Sheik (Residential sub-style)

 

[WaterGal]

What I would really love to do, and unbelievably, I actually have permission from the missus for this, is to build my own dojo out back of my place for training when not in the actual club. Currently I have the heavy bag up in the garage but as I have a relatively large back plot behind the house, would love to build a well-crafted training area/small scale dojo. Appreciate I may have to tear the thing down if went to sell the house as most people might see it as pretty wacked out.

Have any of you guys or gals done this?

My old sensei had a place up on the hill with a large property/several fields and had converted half of his stable into a dojo/training hall. It was super cool training there when not at the club.

I think having an outbuilding could be a feature when selling your house - just sell it as a workshop, or if you put plumbing and electrical in, it could be a guesthouse!

 

[Juanpa Ookami]

Wow. It looks like a beautiful and aesthetic place to train in!! Awesome job!

I wasn't sure, as can't read Spanish, is this the dojo you train in or is this what you have built as part of your dojo-building business?

Are the Okinawan conditioning tools and the weapons displayed what your club use or is this what is being sold on the website?

This is the Dojo where we actually train, may sensei had this dream since he was young, and yesterday it was officially inagurates with the President of the Spanish Karate Federation, and some Japanes Master located in spain. I will upload soon photos of the inaguration in the web.
All the tools that appear under the section Dojo are tools that we have and use in our hojo undo training. But we also sell all them.

 

[Zero]

This is the Dojo where we actually train, may sensei had this dream since he was young, and yesterday it was officially inagurates with the President of the Spanish Karate Federation, and some Japanes Master located in spain. I will upload soon photos of the inaguration in the web.
All the tools that appear under the section Dojo are tools that we have and use in our hojo undo training. But we also sell all them.

Awesome, thanks so much for sharing with us.

 

[tshadowchaser]

So we have ideas on what some people have and what they want. Now how about the outside of the school, is it on a street with no open area on all sides or do you have a yard or open training space outside.
Would you want an outside area and what would it look like?

 

[Xue Sheng]

I tend towards old school CMA thinking, that likely would not help anyone make money teaching, but I like to be somewhat hard to find and most would not even realize it is there. Current places I deal with as a student or teaching

Train in a community Center that no one has any idea has any Taiji there at all.
Where I currently teach is outside, but not exactly in plain site of everyone.

I drive around places near where I live and occasionally see a place that I think would make a good school....they all tend to be on some back street and out of the way

 

[Juanpa Ookami]

Finally last weekend we did the oficial inaguration, here you can sese some of the pictures that I did INAGURACI N OFICIAL DOJO SHUBUKAN Flickr - Photo Sharing we have the participation of the president of the Spanish Karate Federation and Madrid Karate Federation, together with some of the Japanes masters that are leaving in spain. We have the honor of have:
- Ishimi Yasunari 10º DAN Shito-Ryu.
- Onaga Rioichi 9º Dan Goyu-Ryu.
- Kuno Yasushi 8º Dan Uechi-Ryu.
Regards!

 

[tshadowchaser]

Juanpa Ookami, Congratulations on the grand opening.

 

[yak sao]

What I would really love to do, and unbelievably, I actually have permission from the missus for this, is to build my own dojo out back of my place for training when not in the actual club. Currently I have the heavy bag up in the garage but as I have a relatively large back plot behind the house, would love to build a well-crafted training area/small scale dojo. Appreciate I may have to tear the thing down if went to sell the house as most people might see it as pretty wacked out.

Have any of you guys or gals done this?

My old sensei had a place up on the hill with a large property/several fields and had converted half of his stable into a dojo/training hall. It was super cool training there when not at the club.

I built a small place on my property to train. It's kind of rustic and old school looking but I like it. I'm heading out to work now, but tomorrow I'll post some pics.

 

[yak sao]

OK here are the pics I promised.....it won't let me put them all on one post so there are more posts following this one.