Opening my own gym in Sendai this year, found the place for it... just looking for the dimentions/building instructions/advice on building an Octagon. The rental space is too small for the UFC sized octagon... but I am interested in the Cage Force sized Octagon. Any feedback will be appreciated.
My gym owns a cage and we rent it for local events. We got it from a friend of one of the instructors (he didn't know what to do with it anymore). As far as I heard, it wasn't that expensive (material+work), bigger issue was finding someone willing to design/construct/build one. Thing is, You being in Japan makes a whole world of difference when it comes to expenses etc. Anyway, the thing You should definately make sure is that the assembly/disassembly is not complicated and can be done (relatively) easily 'cause You never know when You'll have to move it. For instance ours takes a couple of hours to assemble and does not have a gazillion parts.
Also, our cage can double as a stage The base is elevated and square so it can be modified to carry a ring as well. I guess You won't be needing any significant elevation but still... Make sure that the base is sturdy/rigid/compact as hell; our cage doesn't bulge a millimeter without being bolted while just recently I've seen cages at local events that were swinging left and right due to poor basing and crappy mounting of posts/fence. I'll try to get hold of the blueprints and see whether there is anything one should pay special attention when building a cage. As I haven't been involved in the building process I don't know the obstacles that were encountered or problem presented. A I have already stated the key issue is to keep it simple installation-wise; even if you plan never to move the cage build it as if it is going to be on the move every week. Avoid thousands of bolts, screws, small parts etc. Interconnecting parts (I somehow doubt your cage will be a single-piece construction) should be of a size that is convenient to transport and manouver with (if any part needs more than two adults to lift/carry it it's to large/heavy) but not to small (you don't want your cage looking like a puzzle while disassembled).If the guy who is building it is any good, he'll make sure that the bolts/screws etc are in the right places in the right amount. We can fit all the bolts etc. needed for our cage in a plastic bag (albeit a large and durable plastic bag but still a bag. It is really hard to give any advice regarding feasibility of building a cage as opposed to buying one as you're in Japan and I have no idea how the prices of labour (craftsmen) and material compare.
I will probably hire a local construction company to build one. I wouldn't ship an octagon from the USA. Anyone have blueprints???
I'll see if we have them. I know I saw some schematics but it wasn't exactly something that an engineer or an architect would be proud of
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