Garage Conversion

[Neo]

Quesiton for all the wing chun zealots out there:

Have you converted your garage into a training gym?

If so:

What did you use for flooring?

What equipment did you put in?

Did you have any particular problems?

Was it a single or double garage? How many people have you accomodated in it for training?

What did you do with the gaps around the doors? (fed up with leaves blowing in!)

What sort of heating did you put in?

Any other tips would be greatly appreciated...

[Dave Farmer]

Hi Alisdair.

I found it pretty simple to kit mine out.

My garage is only about 8 years old, single size with up and over door. Standard new house fare.

The concrete floor has been sealed with plasticised floor sealer (from B&Q) to stop dust accumulation.

The rear air bricks have fitted with hit & miss draught excluder vents (which I leave open when not in use)

The door seal is easy. Just pop rivet some strips of fairly stiff rubber around 3 inches wide, to the inside edge, and bottom of the door, so that when it's closed, the draughts and leaves stay out.

Heating is a simple fan heater. (tho i try to up the tempo and sweat a little... call me old fashioned ;-) )

equipment wise, the obligatory jong (tho not a very good one i'm afraid), a heavy bag, and floor to ceiling ball. (not much room for anything else.)

Luckily the walls are brick rather than breeze/thermalite so they support the coach bolts for the jong and bag very well.

another good thing is to paint the wall white. It makes it look fresher and improves lighting no end.

Hopefully when we finally move, I'm getting a nice double garage to kit out in style, with radiator and laminate flooring.


Regards

Dave F.

[yenhoi]

I put like 3 inch polystyrene padding on my floor. Gunno where to get it, I got mine from a TKD school that was moving to a larger studio. ITs covered with some neat gripping blue stuff that tickles your feet. I have a kerosene heater to use if it ever gets too cold, but it hasent yet, I also disconnected one of the heater vents from the main house and diverted it into the basement/garage, so when the main house gets its heat, the dojo gets a good shot too, its always a little chilly down there, but with some sweat, its just like home.

:eek:

[Stevo]

My setup...big square of old carpet with a line about 8 feet long drawn on it (I use masking tape) for practising footwork. Line also drawn on concrete outside with white permanent marker for same purpose, to use in kind weather. Wall mirror. Radio. Small bookcase with a few mags, books, notebooks, pens and pencils for recording workouts. Stopwatch. Wall clock. Weights set and other general fitness stuff: fitness ball, exercise bike, ab mat, weight bench, skipping rope, electric fan (don't need heater when it's 40C), water cooler and cup, assorted footwear, couple of towels, chair. Dummy's on back porch because it's too big and also get a breeze there sometimes.

Stevo

[reneritchie]

When I first began training with my sifu it was in my garage with no special preparations of any kind other than backing the car out first! Over time, I cleaned it up, installed my dummy, put up mirror along one wall, and put down tarp to protect the floor from the salt and sand cars track in during the winter months. To that, I added various and assorted sundry other pieces of training equipment.

WCK is really lucky, though, in that, like the old articles say, you can practice it pretty much in a closet, while standing or sitting.

RR

[desertwingchun2]

I have not converted my garage but a friend of mine (not a WC guy) did convert his into a training space.



What did you use for flooring?
>> He used mats from his school that was relocating. It was pretty cool 'cuz he made pattern like the Brazilian flag. He's a kickboxing guy from Brasil.

What equipment did you put in?
>> There were three heavy bags, a speed bag and one of those bags that is anchored at the top and bottom. I think it helps train different timing issues. And if I remember right he might of had some weights.

Did you have any particular problems?
>> None for all the time we hung out there.

Was it a single or double garage? How many people have you accomodated in it for training?
>> It was a double and it started getting "crowded" with maybe eight or so.

What did you do with the gaps around the doors? (fed up with leaves blowing in!)
>> I dunno if he did anything or not.
What sort of heating did you put in?
>> None. After working out we opened the door to cool off. This was in Los Angeles so it never got too cold.

Any other tips would be greatly appreciated...
>> Invite your friends and have some fun.

-David