My solution was to clear out the garage and turn it into a home dojo. The great thing about this is it also doubles as a space to train my son at home (this has proven to be both a trying and a rewarding experience - those of you who teach your own kids know what I mean by that).

Currently the garage is mostly empty, and I have it completely matted-out with 2" Flexi-roll mats from Dollamur, along with some random training dummies, a six-foot Thai heavy bag, a free-standing bag, a chin-up bar, and some suspension training gear.

But on the way to getting my home dojo where it is now, I went through several different flooring solutions, including a few DiY methods that involved cobbling together mats, stacking different types of foam, and so on.

Not all were ideal, and a few were rubbish, which is why I eventually sprung for the Flexi-roll mats.

And that brings me to the topic of our video selections for this week's Random Video Friday email. Many of you are in the process of starting schools, or you teach out of part-time locations. And when you don't have your own place to teach, it limits your opportunities for taking on private clients and training with your top people.

So, I thought I'd dedicate today's email to building out a garage dojo. Here goes...

The first video is sort of a "dream garage dojo" setup, courtesy of the fightTIPS YouTube channel and Zebra mats. This dude was able to kit out his garage like an MMA gym, and man is it nice:

But, that's definitely not for someone on a budget. If you don't have Zebra Mats sponsoring your YouTube show, then you probably need to look at other options.

These guys spent two weeks converting a garage into a home dojo, and what's interesting is that they used puzzle mats for the training surface. Now, if you've ever rolled on 1 inch puzzle mats, you know they suck for ground work and such.

Their solution? Three layers of 3/8 inch carpet padding underneath their mats. Check it out:

I actually did the same thing once in one of my schools, and it resulted in a decent surface for grappling. However, there's a better solution if you want to spend a little more, and if you're so inclined.

If you want a seamless floor that you can still pull back up, one that you can build for a reasonable price, the method that Rener Gracie shows in this video just can't be beat:

Granted, that's for a full-time studio, but you could easily do the same thing in a garage or home studio. In fact, these folks did it using waterproof storage tarps, the same kind you can find at any home improvement center. Check it out:

https://youtu.be/l47XvA1FVhQ

It might be a little ghetto, but I kind of dig it because one of my early karate and judo instructors did something similar in his garage on a floating floor. Speaking of which...

Now, if you really want to go crazy with your training surface, you can install a sprung sub-floor under your mats. I've seen several methods for doing this, including using old car tires and actual springs.

However, this method is probably the easiest and most resilient, and it results in a more uniform floor surface:

If you practice a lot of throws, that's probably the way to go. Sure, it costs more, but if you can afford to build a permanent surface, your body will be happy that you went for the full monty.

The school owner in the video says the project only cost around $600, which isn't bad when you consider the benefits. If you want to see this process carried out in a larger school, check out this video of a jiu-jitsu school building their sub-floor:

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The cool thing about building out a garage dojo is that you can experiment with the type of setup you might want in a full-time location. So, you can see if a certain flooring solution will work before you drop a ton of cash on it.

Also, it will give you a place to teach private students, to supplement your income while you're setting money aside to get your own place. Not to mention that it's nice to be able to walk fifteen feet to train whenever you feel like it. :)

Enjoy your weekend!