I have spent years thinking about what a perfect dojo would be for me to create for when I teach on a regular basis. There are many choices and, really, every design should and will be a reflection of a person's personality and life. I think we all have our own vision of what it means to train in martial arts and what our training hall should look like. Of course, there is always what is wished for compared to what is practical.
A martial artists training encompasses many things, and what I hope to explain here is what my vision for my dojo is like. What it will be, well that is another situation that I have not quite arrived at yet, but I am closer since I do own my own house and most likely it will be something that is attached to my own living space, just to simplify matters and not have to pay rent to another building. I would rather just use my own space and keep it simple.
1. First, there is philosophy. If you do not have the right philosophy, then the dojo won't go anywhere no matter what you do.The philosophies of martial arts are varied and range far and wide. We all have our own take on what it should look like. My vision is one that is, in part, derived from my home school and my training from over the years. It is also a combination of other things that I have uncovered and learned through history courses and personal reading and study. Kenpo is an American system, but I have read a lot about other people, styles, and disciplines. In addition to all of that, I have the training that I personally adhere to.
While this entry is not aiming to be a personal philosophy of what my martial arts looks like at the moment, I did want to give enough information of how I approached the equation that someone could understand what I am aiming for. Kenpo is my base art, but I also believe in the way of the warrior, and part of that is training yourself to be a complete person mentally and physically, that means become more than just a martial artist, but an athlete that can perform day-in and day-out to perfect the various aspects of martial training. . I now have a personal trainer certification that I combine with my martial arts training. My goal is to be a complete athlete and that is what I want to present to my students every day that they train with me.
I also want to present an atmosphere that is conducive to mental training and spiritual training. All three aspects are key in developing into the best warrior, and person, that someone can be. It is this philosophy that I have gathered over my varied career that I want to share with my students.
2. Environment is the second element of a dojo that needs to be established. This can be tricky. Unless you have the perfect set-up, or unlimited money, you may have to be creative to get what you want. For example, I know my space is going to be my garage. What I do with that space is up to me. I know part of the vision is keeping the cost low each month, so that means not having to worry about meeting a minimum student number every time, although if you do what you do and do it well, people will come. I will need to remodel my garage to make it look like I need it to for a dojo space. I believe plants, Asian themes, peaceful settings, natural colors, and other elements like those all contribute to a steady mind and body. Steady calm is what I want my environment to make someone feel. I know there are those who really want the industrial, Rocky III kind of feel. While there are uses for that, that is not what I want. Ultimately, the environment should reflect the instructor and the type of student that wants to train at the dojo.
As I go though this, I will need to draw a rough design so there can be a vision of what I want it to look like and feel like. Every school and plan should have been carefully thought out, not thrown together in a chaotic way that makes little to no sense. Vision is what is needed, it simply takes some time.
3. Tools for training are the third element for a dojo. This can have great variety. It will also reflect the instructor's philosophy. Some people may just keep it very simple. I have seen schools where they are just mats and walls surround a space. I have seen other places like a UFC Gym that has countless gadgets and equipment that can give a martial artist or fighter endless toys for training. For me, and what I have in mind, I want to reflect a certain element of simplicity, but at the same time have enough equipment that can allow anyone to have very diversified training. Also, I want it to reflect that the training is more 1:1 or 2:1 than large groups. That should be obvious, given the size of the space that I have. However, there is a balance that has to be struck. I have bands, extensions and tools for bands, bars for weights, a limited amount of weights, a heavy bad stand with a heavy bag, pads, etc. I feel I have nearly achieved the amount of tools to diversify training for the most part, but still retain and element of simplicity. Tools are important, but not at the expense of good instruction.
4. Perhaps the most challenging aspect of establishing a dojo is to have an academic setting where it can engage the mind after the body has been trained. This will be the challenging balance that I have to set-up. Everything needs balance, but how can you achieve it? That is a matter of how to set up the space, but also the tools for study. You could also set this up so a person may have mental space for spiritual preparation as well. Books, papers, technology, and more can all help drive academic study of martial arts. I feel I have a lot of the books and some of the technology to satisfy this, but the key is to set up up in a way that it is comfortably accessible to students, or myself, so I can study well and think clearly.
I believe a space does not have to be big to achieve all of this, it just has to be well designed. The design is key, as well as having a clear vision. it will take patience and clarity to achieve this, but it can be done as long as an instructor is clear for what his or her vision is for a dojo.
As of right now, this is my plan, I just need to define the details better. Once I have done that, I will share here.
