The martial arts school, provided it’s not a Fantasy School, has a great advantage over health clubs in that we have very few and relatively inexpensive needs for equipment. W
hat equipment you need depends on your type of school. If you are a family-oriented kids’ school, a heavy bag will use up valuable space that could be used for students in class.
On the other hand, if you are a kickboxing school, heavy bags are an important element of the school. In fact, one bag is usually not enough. There are companies you can hire to build multi-bag systems on frames that can be raised to the ceiling when not in use.
Here are some basic equipment needs for various schools:
Kids/Family: body shields Hand-held kicking/punching pads Obstacle course elements (triangles, pads, tunnels, etc.) Blocker pads (handle with padded shaft for striking), cones and obstacle pads for obstacle courses and races and tape on the floor to show students how and where to line up.
Kickboxing: body shields, hand-held kicking/punching pads, heavy bags, upper-cut bags, jump ropes, double-end bag, speed bag, body pads for partner to wear for striking.
Self defense: body shields, hand-held kicking/punching pads, fake guns and knives, human-shaped freestanding bags, padded mats for take-downs and throws
