What else has your Dojang been?

[iron_ox]

Hello all,

OK, this is a bit dumb for a thread, but, after almost 5 months (well, 4 full months and some weeks here and there), my new dojang in Chicago is now up and running.

Here is the weird thing - I was watching some movie channel and Steven Seagal's Above the Law came on. It was shot in Chicago. (most of you know this if you've seen the film) Well, as I watched, the neigborhood looked very familiar - there is a bar scene at the start of the film where Seagal goes to get information about a niece(right?) - then runs upstairs over the bar to find her with an older man - well, when he leaves the bar, I was shocked - I'm now in that space! Asking the building owner, I find out that the film crew rented the bar because it had gone out of business, but the bar itself was still intact - after the movie was shot, the space was converted to a dollar store, then with me to a dojang. I'm going to get a still of the cast leaving the bar for the window, although the long time locals, many of whom were extras in the film were really tickled to see a martial arts school open in the same location as the movie opening.

So, anyone else have a strange tale of what the space that is their dojang now is?

[American HKD]

Hello all,

OK, this is a bit dumb for a thread, but, after almost 5 months (well, 4 full months and some weeks here and there), my new dojang in Chicago is now up and running.

Here is the weird thing - I was watching some movie channel and Steven Seagal's Above the Law came on. It was shot in Chicago. (most of you know this if you've seen the film) Well, as I watched, the neigborhood looked very familiar - there is a bar scene at the start of the film where Seagal goes to get information about a niece(right?) - then runs upstairs over the bar to find her with an older man - well, when he leaves the bar, I was shocked - I'm now in that space! Asking the building owner, I find out that the film crew rented the bar because it had gone out of business, but the bar itself was still intact - after the movie was shot, the space was converted to a dollar store, then with me to a dojang. I'm going to get a still of the cast leaving the bar for the window, although the long time locals, many of whom were extras in the film were really tickled to see a martial arts school open in the same location as the movie opening.

So, anyone else have a strange tale of what the space that is their dojang now is?

Greetings

Good Luck!

Lots of success in building up Real Hapkido.

[Michael Tomlinson]

Kevin,
That is an awesome story. Maybe that is a good sign from the Martial Arts Gods for the success of your dojang.

Also..Above the Law is by far Seagal's best movie. It is like after his first movie he already started his slow decline into B moviedom..
Michael Tomlinson

[Michael Tomlinson]

ok you got me thinking... second dojang I went to in 1970 was Y.J. Chungs Moo Do Kwan, Judo, and Hapkido Dojang on North Main Street in Dayton Ohio. It was in a basement and only accesible from one outside doorway. One little sign above the door was yellow and only said "Karate". Cool thing is that it used to be an old ten lane bowling alley. You walked down this small stairway and turned a corner and this space opened up into an awesome dojang. The hardwood bowling lanes were what we worked out on with the Moo Do Kwan and you could see where the gutters had been filled in with new red oak. He also had an area right next to the oak floor that was matted and covered with this beautiful white canvas. That is where we did the judo, hapkido, and self defense. The place was done up oriental style with buddha's and scrolls hanging everwhere, and pictures of Master Chung competing in Judo and Karate all over the world. It was the most beautiful dojang I have ever been in in my life and when you walked up stairs and out onto the street you were in one of the worst areas of Dayton with industrial filth, thugs, and uh...those kind of ladies if you know what I mean. But it was an awesome space. Sometimes when I dream while I'm asleep I end up going back there. Strange huh.

Stephen Hayes dojo in Dayton Ohio around 1984 was also a weird one I worked out in. It was located in the old Hills and Dales shopping center in South Dayton. It is the dojo that you see in all his old books with the mulberry colored walls and shinto shrine on the wall with paneling behind it. This dojo was also in the basement of this big shopping center which was older and somewhat run down. Over the top of the dojo and to the south a little bit was this huge gay club called 1740 or something like that. Anywho it was mega gay and had drag queens and female impersonaters performing. We would be walking through the parking lot in our "ninja" stuff and all these dudes going into the club would whistle at us and yell...we used to laugh about it and joke that if all the pseudo ninja wannabees actually saw where we worked out their bubble would surely burst. Sometimes you could hear the loud music seeping down to the dojo while we meditated and such..pretty funny stuff.
Michael Tomlinson

[American HKD]

Greeting

Mt 1st Dojnag was in North Philly a inner city area with all the stuff that goes on there.

We took over an old basement bowling alley it was hugh.

We trainned with coleman lanterns when there was no money for electric, propane heaters for heat. (we shut them off after we all warmed up).

Neighborhood thugs were alway comming in to challenge us, they always backed off when the master said sign this waiver and step on the mat!

It was a real ruff area in the late 70's and early 80s. however I got my BB thier in 81 and it was great memories.