A training space is more than four walls and a floor. The things you look at between drills shape how the room feels, and a few good pieces of wall art can make a garage, spare room or club hall feel like somewhere you want to train. I run a full-time training centre with a 130 sq m training area, a wooden dummy and wall bags, so I have thought about what works on a wall and what does not. This is some practical advice, and some poster ideas from our Etsy shop, TrackAndTrainStudio.
Decide what the wall is for
Different walls do different jobs. Some are for reminders: a principle or a word you want in front of you. Some are for atmosphere. Some are just there to cover a bare patch behind the bags. Work out which job you are doing before you choose, because the answer changes the size and the style.
Keep art out of the impact zone
This is the part people forget. Anything near a bag, a pad station or a wooden dummy will get knocked sooner or later. Hang prints above head height in those areas, or keep them to a wall that nobody works against. If you use glass-fronted frames, put them well away from anywhere that gets heavy work. A poster that falls off the wall while someone is training is a nuisance at best.
Size and framing
The posters in the shop are printed to order and posted by our print partner. They come in sizes from A5 up to A1, plus common inch sizes, and you can message the shop if you need a custom size for an awkward space. You can choose print only, which suits your own frames or a gallery wall, or framed, which arrives ready to hang. The listings mention frames in natural wood, black, white, walnut and oak, so you can match the room.
As a rough guide, one large print on a main wall usually looks better than a scatter of small ones. If you want several, a set made to hang together saves you worrying about whether they match.
Posters that suit a martial arts room
For a Wing Chun space. The Wing Chun Centreline Kung Fu Poster is an ink-brush stance with the calligraphy 中線平衡, “Centreline Balance”, and a red seal. The centreline is the idea Wing Chun is built around, so it suits the room.
For mythology fans. The Qilin poster is in teal and gold. In Chinese tradition the Qilin stands for nobility and wisdom. The Chinese Mythical Beasts Trio adds the Bai Ze and the Xiezhi, in the same colours, as a set of three. If you prefer dragons, take a look at the Storm Dragon Poster and the Misty Mountain Dragon Poster.
For a calmer look. The shop has minimal ink-wash designs such as the Kung Fu Ink Poster, and the Tao Inner Peace Poster, which shows a Taoist sage with the moon and mountains. Quieter colours sit well in a home gym where you do not want the room to feel busy.
For flowing movement. The Yielding Force Trio is a set of Tai Chi circle prints in teal and gold, and fits a space where you want something about softness and control.
Hanging them
- Check the wall first. Plasterboard, brick and rented walls all need different fixings.
- Measure the space and cut a paper template to the poster size. Tape it up and live with it for a day.
- Hang at eye level for standing viewing, a little higher if people will be moving about underneath.
- Use proper fixings for framed prints. Do not rely on a single nail.
Do you need art at all?
No. Plenty of good training rooms are bare. But a space you enjoy walking into is a space you are more likely to use, and that matters if you train at home. If you do want something on the wall, our Posters and Gifts page shows the whole range in one place.
If you would rather train in a purpose-built space with a teacher, you are welcome to book your free trial class, and see our Wing Chun classes in Halesowen.
Sifu Alan Bagley, Wing Chun Halesowen
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