Okay, everyone imagine that you are given a 50 foot by 50 foot building in your backyard that you can turn into a martial arts training room.

How would you decorate, furnish, and equip it? What types of training equipment would you have? Would everything match (color scheme and company), would it look nice and clean, or would it have the industrial "used and sweaty" look? Would you have pictures, paintings, or mirrors on the walls? Would you have mats or a boxing ring in the middle?

AoG

My ideal home dojo would be very sparse, there would be panels that moved to hide the training gear behind walls, there would be 1 large mirror ( I am not into looking at myself.) and a canvas padded floor. I have broken toes on the fold up and snap together matts. It would have an oriental feel to it , but not too artsy fartsy

To be honest all I need is a good tree and a private backyard (which I do not have now) and I am being serious about both here.

A 50' X 50' building although not necessary would just make it warmer to train in the winter so I guess a hard wood floor a heavy bag a VERY solid wooden pole (much like a tree) and a chin-up bar. And if it is ok I am not calling it a dojo, it is for CMA.

To be honest all I need is a good tree and a private backyard (which I do not have now) and I am being serious about both here..

I would have bet money that you would have said A LOT OF TREES...

Crown Gym Mats on the floors in one part. Overhead rails for a variety of heavy bags. High enough ceiling for long weapons. Adjustable lighting. Racks for equipment. Another (concrete floored) part with wind and rain machines for sensory overload training. If I were going whole hog, an Indian style sand pit for wrestling.

honestly?

matt flooring that can stand up to shoes and bare feet training, mirrors in one corner for shadow boxing and self assesment of form. One wall with a six foot, four foot and two foot thai bag, and a speed bag. I'd need bright lights on a dimmer, good ventilation, and white walls. Somewhere I'd need some "holders" or equipment that could hold objects to practice cutting with, and ceilings high enough to work with long weapons. Weapons rack and shelving on one wall.

yup - that's about it

50'x50', huh? That's great! I'd have a small boxing ring (12'x12') in one corner & a few different heavy bags along the wall. I'd have mats on the rest of the floor for forms & other things. I'd have mirrors on at least one wall (if not part of a second wall.) I'd have a small humidified room to keep the leather boxing gear (it lasts longer that way) & another to keep various paddle, pads, kicking shields etc.

Not that I've thought about it much. What are the lottery numbers tonight?:ultracool

That's one of the nice thing about Crown Gym Mats' martial arts mats. They can stand up to being walked on with shoes.

That's one of the nice thing about Crown Gym Mats' martial arts mats. They can stand up to being walked on with shoes.

Yep..They have them at OPOTA ( Ohio Police Officers Training Academy) and they have been walked on with police boots and they STILL look great...

That's one of the nice thing about Crown Gym Mats' martial arts mats. They can stand up to being walked on with shoes.

Do you have a link to these mats?

Thanks!

Do you have a link to these mats?

Thanks!

http://www.crowngymmats.com/

A bar and stools, a phone booth ( whoops they don't exsist anymore everyone has cell phones except me) bleacher seats on different levels, a kitchen table and chairs, a office desk and chair, a short hallway, the front seat/end of a car
these are for situational training

i would have the school style wrestling matts for the whole floor.i would have ma theam pictures hanging on the walls, a few mirrors, focus mits and sheilds. weapons would also be on the walls.. asside from the decorations i would like an oriantial them for main part of the walls and the cealing.

i would have centurys tidle wave heavy bag, a speed bag, and double end stiking ball in one corner.

Mmm, let's see. My fantasy is a touch on the simple side, I'm embarassed to say.

Traditional Japanese architecture.
Nice high ceilings with no beams low enough to catch a sword.
Floating wooden floor.
Good, non-flourescent, lighting.
Air conditioning.
Appropriate storage (Sword rack, Table, Cupboard).

Oh and an attached laundry with skilled staff who can iron hakama :D.

I would make it look as "traditional" as humanly possible, but add a few modern niceties (heavy bags, appropriate flooring, etc.).

Spring-board floor, a weapons rack, code of bushido on the wall(in Kanji), makiwara, a good set of tatami, I will have to think about what else I would want.

Trees, green grass, nice breeze, some sunshine and training partners. I can train just about anywhere, including my concrete patio, just need one or two training partners to throw around or throw me around. ;)

Some mats for wrestling.

Mirrors to watch my technique.

Rails to hang a variety of bags.

A platform to mount a speedball.

A area with a pec-dec, bars for chin-ups, a roman chair, a fly machine.

It would have good heating for the winter, good air-conditioning for the summer.

A decent stereo system (I like to listen to music when I train)

Good lighting.

since its a fantasy, and assuming I'm actually teaching :)

I'd have a 20x10 area with bookshelves, tables and comphy chairs. Bookshelves stocked with MA books and stuff students in school might need to study when not training. Also have chairs for people who want to observe or parents if need be. I'd like having a space that students could come by during the day and study if they want. Perhaps even contract a tutor or two :)

in that 20x10 area I'd also have a TV. I'd have a close circut system monitoring the entire area. Couple of uses. First, can show students where they might be messing up. If some non-sense crap happens (accussations or fights) then you have video proof.

Weapons racks nicely stocked.

high ceilings for long weapons.

lots of natural light.

I don't care for a "traditional" type look, or pictures of a bunch of dead guys...

I'd have a few punching bags, but overall a mostly empty floor space, well padded. I'd consider a ring/cage, but that would mostly be self-indulgent :)

If this is a REAL fantasy, I'd have a case stacked with $100 bills so I could pay the place off! hehehe

do I need all of this stuff? probably not. I'm just as happy with the response of Bigshadow, but, since you framed the question that way.. :)