Indoor or Outdoor?

[sensei8]

>>An indoor dojo should have the following:

• Good wooden floor

• Enough space

• Enough privacy

• Safety

• Accessibility through private and public transport; parking

• Air circulation

• Bathroom

• Mats are nice if possible (usually not)

• Affordable rent

• Other:

>>An outdoor dojo should have the following:

• Grass nice enough for bare feet

• Privacy sufficient for loud voices

• Safety

• Accessibility through private/public transport; parking

• Bathroom availability if possible

• Other:

On the outdoors/indoors issue, opinions vary. On the one hand, comes the advice that a clean inside dojo is more effective in attracting students. Outside dojo's seem to invite a less professional image. On the other, it's important to some to practice outdoors as much as possible. Weather and the elements add to the experience. Outdoor practice can be a difference between one style of the martial arts to another. When you investigate outdoor dojos, make sure to visit them at the time you actually intend to hold your class. A field that is empty on Sunday morning may easily host several different soccer and softball classes on a weeknight. Some spaces can be reserved with your local Parks and Recreation department.

Just some food for thought!

[Tiger1962]

Excellent list!

[isshinryu5toforever]

Nice list. One could dream and want to own property that could facilitate both...

[bushido_man96]

I haven't seen any steady outdoor dojos. It is a nice thought, though, and the times I have worked out outside have been fun. It changes the training element a bit.

[JusticeZero]

nworkable.)

So I don't really look into it much. I would rather have clean pavement over grass though; you won't damage the grass and it's a much safer surface to work on.

[isshinryu5toforever]

Clean pavement can be really hard to come by. A grass field, that's not as difficult, as long as you comb over it first to get rid of rocks and twigs.

Most of the outdoor dojo I've seen are actually hard packed dirt. It's been leveled off, and packed down, so it's almost like pavement, but it's been done for the very purpose of having martial arts classes. There are very few of these around anywhere, but it is a very interesting surface to train on.

[JusticeZero]

Well, you can always do what i've done in the past and get your hands on a good broom..

[isshinryu5toforever]

I was more thinking that level pavement in general can be difficult to come by. Most parking lots I've seen are a bit gravelly unless they're in front of a Wal-Mart or other big box store. Then there's the highway...

[JusticeZero]

Right, that's what a broom is for. You don't need it to be perfectly clear of gravel in any case; always useful to leave a couple of pieces of rock in there just to keep people awake. You take the big push broom and sweep the space clear and it's not gravelly anymore.

[isshinryu5toforever]

Oh, by gravely I meant, not really asphault. It's like a mix of stone and concrete. That's a lot of what I see in these parts, and in a lot of places in the US. I should have chosen my words more carefully haha. But yeah, if you can find an asphault surface, just lightly sweep it off as long as there is no broken glass, and you've got yourself a space.