Size of school

[terryl965]

Just wonder does the aspect of a school depend on there size in your mind.

1) Is it important to have a big room to train in

2) does the room need to be matted for you or at least carpet

3) Do you need all the latest equipment to be productive with your traing

4) In your mind is it a factor when choosen your school

 

[HelloKitty]

1) Is it important to have a big room to train in
Hm... it depends on the size of the class. I only thing the students need enough place to train comfortably but not necessarily the biggest room.

2) does the room need to be matted for you or at least carpet
My first academy was a little dojang with wood floor, nothing matted or special, and we were doing very good anyways Not indispensable for me at least.

3) Do you need all the latest equipment to be productive with your traing
I'd be demanding of those things if the monthly payment is high. But I think it's not indispensable to have a good class.

4) In your mind is it a factor when chosen your school
Yes, but I'm not that demanding in this aspect

 

[Jai]

Terry you've had some excellent questions coming. I love them!

1) Is it important to have a big room to train in

I do not think so. I think there needs to be "just enough" room to store equipment so it is out of sight yet can still be accessed easily and have a decent sized work out area so everyone is not cramped together

2) does the room need to be matted for you or at least carpet

I've trained on everything from soft mats to cement floors. Each has their own ups and down. On cement you learn the "proper" way to fall REAL fast. I'd say the best in my opinion is a medium thickness carpet. It provides some protection, but not enough to pick up lazy habits with foot work and falling.

3) Do you need all the latest equipment to be productive with your training

Not so much the latest and greatest but what is best for the general student population. If that means spending a few extra dollars then so be it.

4) In your mind is it a factor when chosen your school

Not so much. You learn to make due with what you have. There are some however where these things are more important.

 

[newGuy12]

1) Is it important to have a big room to train in

It is very NICE to have a big dojang. That is very luxurious, but such training facilities are very expensive, and not all Master Instructors can afford that. It is certainly not NECESSARY for good practice, but is preferred of course.


2) does the room need to be matted for you or at least carpet
For me? Ha! No. I need no such things! I will practice on any floor, I do not care. I will even take a throw on a hard floor, because I know how to fall okay. Carpet is the best, I think, because the mat can be difficult to do turning kicks on unless you jump. Yes, carpet is my favorite.


3) Do you need all the latest equipment to be productive with your traing
No. Absolutely not. Of course, it is best to have the heavy bag, and the kicking shield. Also a hand held pad for kicking and the pad which goes on the hand for punching.

We have at times used cardboard for targets to be held. Cardboard works fine until it gets tore up, then you simply replace it, no problems.


4) In your mind is it a factor when choosen your school

I am not so new to the TKD, and have known the men who run this school for many years, so I know there are much more important things than the building and facilities. It will be interesting to see how others are swayed by these things, though. To me it makes little difference. But, I may be an "oddball" in that respect.

 

[newGuy12]

Not so much. You learn to make due with what you have. There are some however where these things are more important.

Ha! Isn't this the truth? With the good Master Instructor, and the willing students, you can practice anywhere, practice will be effective!

 

[tellner]

1) Is it important to have a big room to train in
It's important that it be big enough for whatever we're doing. Sera is a close-in system. There doesn't have to be too much space per person. But it's nice if you're sparring, training with weapons, or doing up-and-back drills.

2) does the room need to be matted for you or at least carpet
For ground grappling and taking a lot of falls I don't need mats, but something like sand is welcome. Irregular ground, slopes and different materials are good. Taking dozens of falls or rolling for hours on concrete, rock or hard-packed ground gets old fast.

3) Do you need all the latest equipment to be productive with your traing
Nope. There is some equipment which is very nice. I lust after Phil Messina's school with its leg-breaking dummies, wind, rain, sound generators, and simulated environments. But I don't need anything like that. Some focus mitts or Thai pads, maybe a heavy bag, tape, a decent surface, practice weapons, shelter in bad weather, a CD player with a selection of appropriate music or a couple hand drums, and a heater for my wife to stand in front of in the Winter, and it's all good. Mouth guards, MMA gloves, cups (for the wimpy ) and a well-stocked first aid kit with plenty of Balur Silat are nice, but everyone should have his own supplies of these.

What else do you need?

4) In your mind is it a factor when choosen your school
All else being equal nice facilities are nice. But I haven't actually trained in a dedicated single-purpose school in quite a few years. It's just not necessary.

 

[CatNap]

It doesn't need to be a big school at all but I'd want it air conditioned during the hot months. I get physically sick wearing the uniform and a shirt underneath - sorry, but it's really heavy and incrediably uncomfortable as a woman to train under layers in the heat. I have different needs than most because of my hearing aids - I'd prefer something small and padded as the noise level in class can get painful. With all the yelling bouncing off the walls, I find I have to keep my hearing aids off to get through a class and it's impossible for me to hear. Other than this, no I don't need anything for training equipment or things like that - just a comfortable setting.

 

[terryl965]

Well for me the size does matter, we do alot of cardio and running so a minium of 5,000 sq. feet is in my ballpark. Hopefully one day I can have 10,000 sq,ft. to make the workout even better.

 

[Jai]

pfft I've worked out in a one car garage with sand for a floor. That was rough.

 

[tellner]

Well for me the size does matter, we do alot of cardio and running so a minium of 5,000 sq. feet is in my ballpark. Hopefully one day I can have 10,000 sq,ft. to make the workout even better.

Team Quest had maybe 2000 square feet and was training athletes for MMA competition. Somehow they managed to do all sorts of cardio in that space.

 

[terryl965]

Team Quest had maybe 2000 square feet and was training athletes for MMA competition. Somehow they managed to do all sorts of cardio in that space.

Yes they did but almost all of there cardio work was running outside and not in the gym area. I like to make sure my fighters do all they can do and not skip here and there. Sorry I like big place, maybe that is why I'm fat.

 

[fireman00]

1) Is it important to have a big room to train in
YES! Our dojang has three rooms, one small and two large, and there is a huge difference when doing forms as a group - nice to have lots of room.

2) does the room need to be matted for you or at least carpet
YES! Getting old is for the birds and the mats helps protect back and knees from the shock of jumping around. Also helps when doing some hapkidos and rolling around.

3) Do you need all the latest equipment to be productive with your training.
No... doesn't matter how many layers of duct tape there is on the paddles.

 

[DArnold]

Just wonder does the aspect of a school depend on there size in your mind.

1) Is it important to have a big room to train in

2) does the room need to be matted for you or at least carpet

3) Do you need all the latest equipment to be productive with your traing

4) In your mind is it a factor when choosen your school

None of this matters!

 

[HelloKitty]

3) Do you need all the latest equipment to be productive with your training.
No... doesn't matter how many layers of duct tape there is on the paddles.

LOL! that's SO true!

 

[tkdboy81]

1) Is it important to have a big room to train in?

No, just enough to pratice your forms without running into walls

2) does the room need to be matted for you or at least carpet?

I perfer carpet because some other surfaces can become slippery when you start to sweet.
3) Do you need all the latest equipment to be productive with your training?

No

4) In your mind is it a factor when chosen your school?
No, as long as the instructor is good at teaching and runs a good class.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

What matters to me is the feeling of the practitioners. I have trained in large spaces and it has been great I have also trained in very small tight spaces with tons of people ie. The Hombu Dojo of Massaki Hatsumi or in a garage with a few people and Remy Presas. The real important thing though is the feeling and collective presence of the practitioners. If that is good then usually the training is great!

 

[Miles]

1) Is it important to have a big room to train in

It should be big enough that we can have a class without folks hitting each other (except of course when the class material CALLS for us to be hitting each other). I believe more space is always better than too little space. It does not have to be a room-we occasionally train outside and still sometimes there is not enough space.

2) does the room need to be matted for you or at least carpet

If we are in a room, I personally prefer mats because of my advanced age and my knees prefer the mats. However, grass works just fine and carpet is better (slightly) than bare concrete.

3) Do you need all the latest equipment to be productive with your traing

No, the equipment needs are relatively few-we use paddles but can just as easily do the same drills holding hogu. Now, I believe a heavy bag is a must, but it does not have to have too many bells and whistles.

4) In your mind is it a factor when choosen your school

We try to make the school clean and have a good atmosphere for training and for families. The instruction is more important than all the other fringes (mirrors, music, extensive pro shop, wireless internet in waiting area).

Miles

 

[tkdboy81]

What matters to me is the feeling of the practitioners. I have trained in large spaces and it has been great I have also trained in very small tight spaces with tons of people ie. The Hombu Dojo of Massaki Hatsumi or in a garage with a few people and Remy Presas. The real important thing though is the feeling and collective presence of the practitioners. If that is good then usually the training is great!

I agree with you 100% Brian.

 

[IcemanSK]

Just wonder does the aspect of a school depend on there size in your mind.

1) Is it important to have a big room to train in
I now have a room that is too big for the number of students. Unfortunately, I'll often be in a much smaller room more often. To big is easier to deal with than too small.

2) does the room need to be matted for you or at least carpet
The room I have has tile over concrete. It's an ideal Church "Fellowship Hall" (which it is) but makes it hard on the feet. Mats would help.

3) Do you need all the latest equipment to be productive with your traing
I have only kicking shields & focus paddles. For now, it's enough.
4) In your mind is it a factor when choosen your school

The best gym I ever trained in was a boxing gym that had little & a few "homemade" pieces of equipment. I used to think that having the right "stuff" was important: but less so now.