Outfitting your training hall

[Flatlander]

Hello all, this is part of a larger study that I am conducting.

To the school owners:

What type of training equipment do you consider absolutely critical to opening a school? What do you suggest might be the start up equipment cost that a prospective school owner should be prepared to finance?

Beyond that, what are some of the training supplies that you don't currently have, but would like to have, that you feel would perhaps help you attract and retain new students?

Thank you for your contribution!

 

[bignick]

This is going to be somewhat style-specific, my judo and jujutsu classes only need a soft floor, sometimes not even that...

Taekwondo schools usually have some heavy bags, sparring equipment, kick shields, kick paddles, etc.

 

[terryl965]

TKD matts are a different and kicking bags and shield along with training books on Poomse.
Terry

 

[TheBattousai]

Nothing but a place to train at first, but the equitment comes later as needed; mats, pads, curriculum charts, signs, etc. Just whatever seemingly needed for your training to enhance the experiance and make it safe and fun.

 

[KenpoTess]

Mats are nice but not mandatory..

Mirrors are great.. there's some that think it's a vanity thing.. but to see yourself working a tec.. and being able to critique and correct your moves is a good thing. Plus it's helpful in large classes for the instructor and the students to see each other.

Kicking shields, bags, focus mitts, balls of all sizes for drills, and for kids to kick around.

We always had safety glasses, training knives & guns, extra gear on hand for sale.
Posters, Technique posters, Kenpo Creed , American Flag,
Escrima sticks, tonfa, any other weapons you may train with on a rack.

You don't *NEED* any of the above.. but it does make for a nice place to train

 

[IcemanSK]

I've never trained in a TKD school that had mats on the main train floor. So it wouldn't be mandatory for me. One heavy bag, focus pads, sparring gear, & kicking sheilds would be about it.

 

[Grenadier]

Mirrors on the front side of the dojo, so that your students can have an "imaginary" target to punch, kick, etc. Also, they can see their own positions.

The floor type really doesn't matter, unless you are doing throws and takedowns. A universal (but expensive) solution is to cover the floor with the "jigsaw puzzle mats, since the surface will be firm enough for regular techinques, but at the same time, a good bit more forgiving for throws and ground work. One bit of warning: the jigsaw mats can be a bit slick at first. Just let your students do the work, and wear away the initial layer of silicone protectant, and after a month, you'll have a great surface.

Alternatively, you can train on a hard surface normally (be it hardwood, concrete, carpeted concrete, etc), and then break out a couple of long sets of folding gym mats when it's time to do ground work / grappling / throws. This way is significantly cheaper than the jigsaw mat method, although not quite as convenient. Still, with several students, you can have them lay them down and pick them up in a very short time.

Other equipment you could really use:

Kicking and punching bags.

First aid kits

Refrigerator (you can store and sell bottles of Gatorade from there at a nice profit, and there's nothing like that big blast of icy cold drink after a hard workout)

Food and drink items: Gatorade and bottled water sell quite easily. Work your students hard, so they sweat, and they'll buy from you. Also, having access to some quick snacks can save you a lot of $$$ during the day. It's cheaper to gorge on 75 cents worth of potato chips, than it is to get a 5 dollar Chinese takeout meal (although not as satisfying), when you're calorie starved. Believe me, it will happen...

Filing cabinets: All of the paperwork you want to maintain on your students has to go somewhere. Also, tax-related documents need to go somewhere safe.

A lockbox: Yes, martial artists are generally a good wholesome lot of folks, but once in a while, there may be a bad apple that might think of trying to steal the smaller, more valuable items.

A camping cot: Don't laugh. There will be times that you will be at the dojo, perhaps during a slow day, and you need that quick nap. Also good for cases where you might be stuck at the dojo.

Extra toothbrush, and various toiletries, along with a change of clothes. Just in case you're stuck for a night.

 

[Hollywood1340]

IMO a padded floor is esential, less liability should someone slip and fall. My school is fully Swain matted, and more then once have we reaped the benifits of that floor in case of injury prevention. High kicking contests have proven this. A good variety of training equipement can keep classes varied. Hand mits, banana pads, blastmasters, small powerline squares are a good place to start. Insofar as big bags, the Wavemaster XXL's are nice and who can forget the Focus Master? We also tried those octopus lookign things with eight for so paddles all over 'em but found them not worth th hassel.

 

[IcemanSK]

Mirrors on the front side of the dojo, so that your students can have an "imaginary" target to punch, kick, etc. Also, they can see their own positions.

I forgot to add mirrors.


Other equipment you could really use:

Kicking and punching bags.

First aid kits True

Refrigerator (you can store and sell bottles of Gatorade from there at a nice profit, and there's nothing like that big blast of icy cold drink after a hard workout) Good point

Food and drink items: Gatorade and bottled water sell quite easily. Work your students hard, so they sweat, and they'll buy from you. Also, having access to some quick snacks can save you a lot of $$$ during the day. It's cheaper to gorge on 75 cents worth of potato chips, than it is to get a 5 dollar Chinese takeout meal (although not as satisfying), when you're calorie starved. Believe me, it will happen... YES!

Filing cabinets: All of the paperwork you want to maintain on your students has to go somewhere. Also, tax-related documents need to go somewhere safe. Yeah, ya gotts keep it all straight.

A lockbox: Yes, martial artists are generally a good wholesome lot of folks, but once in a while, there may be a bad apple that might think of trying to steal the smaller, more valuable items. Good point

A camping cot: Don't laugh. There will be times that you will be at the dojo, perhaps during a slow day, and you need that quick nap. Also good for cases where you might be stuck at the dojo. I guess we can't train all day, every day.

Extra toothbrush, and various toiletries, along with a change of clothes. Just in case you're stuck for a night. Toothbrush, a must.

You sir, are my teacher:asian: