Remodeling for Karate

I never would have guessed that, in an attempt to prepare myself for the journey ahead, that I might end up doing even more work around the house. I had long since sworn off my scattered array of tools and any more novice efforts at home repairs. However, with self-training being a major key to success, I was forced to find a way to create a space for kata training. Living in a 60-year-old Cape Cod with an unfinished basement, this was no small task. With 1/4 of the basement being used for storage, what's left is largely taken up by a pool table that I inherited after my brother's passing. But something had to be done--and fast.

I started searching for martial arts mats all over the internet and local exercise companies. A few runs through Jion on the bare concrete floor and this quickly became a necessity. The only problem was their cost. Spending over $300 on high quality martial arts mats would once have been just an acceptable cost for being able to train at home. That was long before I became a husband and a father. Now, it's ever more apparent that my bourgeois tastes must compromise to meet my pauper's budget. And here again, it was one of my senior instructors who saved the day. Sensei Kim Weber had mentioned after training last Tuesday that Sam's Club might have an acceptable substitute. A few phone calls later, and sure enough, in stock were some .5" multi-color reversible mats that just might do well enough to serve my needs. For about 1/3 of the cost of the quality mats I really desire, I was able to purchase enough mats to provide a little insulation and cushion while working the various kata.

Of course--as with every other project at the Mohr Family Remodeling Nightmare--installing the mats couldn't go smoothly. I first laid the 32 4sq.ft. tiles out 4 wide by 8 deep with all the grey sides up beginning at the basement stairwell. All was well and fine until I realized I was covering over the basement drain and the hose running from the furnace. Seeking a new home for them, I looked at the last remaining somewhat vacant corner of the basement. A few quick measurements proved it likely to be a tight fit. But if I moved the old couch that now serves as my dog's bed up against the basement stairwell where the mats now laid along with the recliner, the table, and the area rug--I just might be able to squeeze the mats in and have an acceptable space for kata training.

I set to breaking the puzzle mats down, moving furniture, and sweeping and mopping the floor, whereupon the next problem would rear it's ugly head. The corner I now hoped to use for kata training was, in fact, once a coal storage bin. Years ago, I had broken down the walls and cleaned the area up, but there were still 3 large bolts sticking out of the floor a 1/2" or so that could do some rather unkind damage to both the mats and my feet. Thankfully, a good friend whom I've know literally since the day I was born stopped by on a bitter cold day with the disc cutter I needed to remedy the problem.

The floor now cleaned, prepped, and ready for the mats, I set out to move them over, keeping the rainbow array of colors face down and only showing the gray. But of course that wouldn't do, either. Pat, who was all too kind in bringing his disc cutter over, was quick to point out just how much my son, Aidan, would love the colored mats. Reluctantly, his idea eventually won out and my kata practice floor is now a mosaic of yellow, blue, green, and red tiles with offset color borders on all the pieces. Even worse, the red tiles are really pink (we just call them red in one last meager attempt to soothe my ego). Truth be told, Pat's right. Aidan will likley love the chance to play on those mats, so I'll just have to suck it up and deal.

A few walkthroughs of Jion and Heian Shodan proved that I'm still not quite wide enough with the mats to practice without stepping off them, even with stutter stepping. One more trip to Sam's will remedy that, however, and I will be good to go there. Once finished with the floor, I'll add a few more items to the surrounding walls and, hopefully, acheive at least some of the look of my humble home dojo that I desire. A photo of Gichin Funakoshi, the Dojo Kun, the Niju Kun, and my Shodan certificate--all items long ignored and buried in storage--will soon adorn the walls once again. Storage not being kind to my dan certificate, what will hopefully be minor surgery using wood glue can repair the joints of the custom frame built by my good friend, Tood Bean, in Athens, Ohio. Just like my reflections on past years of training, it's one of those items I honestly treasure, and seeing it in such a poor state seems a fitting comment on my lack of training in recent years.

All things considered, though, I went to work on all the furniture moving, cleaning, and rearranging with a crooked smile on my face throughout. Things just feel better, and I feel like I'm moving forward...

Days to Dan PreTest#1: 54