11 posts / 0 new
Last post
JD
JD's picture
Mats!

Hi all,

Quick question, I'm looking at decking out the full dojo floor we have with interlocking mats.

Apparently karate folk use a thickness of 20mm mats coloured red and blue, however, you can get the same mats in different colours but that are 40mm thick, the advice from the mat supplier is 40mm tends to be more for jiu jitsu, judo and not so much impact arts like taekwondo and karate.

Unfortunately, like most things, these mats aren't cheap and I'm only going to order the 115 m2 I need once. There's a price difference between the 20mm and 40mm but I don't mind spending more if the 40mm mats are more appropriate and better for karate. 

I don't tend to do major throws/takedowns with my pupils but rather more impact, this is why I'm questioning which will be best suited.

Has anyone else ordered and got these interlocking tatami mats and if so what thickness did you settle for and is it adequate for what you do?

Any thought's are appreciated in advance...

All the best, JD

DW
DW's picture

As you say it depends on what type of training you're going to do. If you're doing a lot of throws and high take-downs, then your students would have you chose the 4 mm mats. They are easier on the body of the uke being thrown.

However 2 mm are just fine if you're concentrating on just adding in the occasionel throw or take-down.

Besides as a instructor once told me at a seminar: "You learn how to do break fall faster when training on hardwood floors." :)

Personally I have a love/hate relationship with those mats. They're great for training, but somehow I always manage to find that one spot where they are slighty ascew with my pinky toe. Kind regards

Daniel

JD
JD's picture

Hi DW,

I know what you mean regards catching your toes, have done that a few times myself!

Yeah we don't tend to do many major hip or shoulder throws, it's usually more sweeps and trip style takedowns we do. 

Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated!

Best regards, Josh

DW
DW's picture

Then I would say you should be covered with "just" the 2cm mats.

The place where I teach jiu jitsu, we are both blessed and cursed with the luxury of wrestling mats that are 5-6 cm thick and a bit softer than judo mats. The blesseing is that you land softer, but the curse is that you sink down a bit. Just enough to make throwing somewhat harder to do correctly.

A final notice is that you might want to look into some kind of barrier or frame for keeping your mats from sliding all over the place. This is mostly if you have the luxury of letting them lay permantly. Just a thought  

Neil Babbage
Neil Babbage's picture

We use 40mm interlocking (jigsaw) mats and they are nice for karate: feel solid underfoot, okay to be thrown onto but not so soft that you'd like to be thrown!. I'd be reluctant to do any serious throwing or takedowns on anything thinner. However, more important than the thickness is the density, hardness and construction materials and how they effect surface "feel" and safety.  Surface pattern is also a consideration with some having a rough surface designed to look like thatch and others being smooth. Personally I hate the thatched ones I have at home as they irritate my feet but they'd work well if you train in shoes. Density is measured in kg/m3  or sometimes Shore C values and you'll find mats from 90 kg/m3 (or less) to over 230kg/m3 Most reviews I looked at recommnd 125 kg/m3 (approx) for karate. I'd  also be looking for ones that meet the relevant standards (EN71 (2005) + A6 Part 1 Physical & Mechanical, BS EN71 (2006) +A1 Part 2 Flammability, BS EN71 (1995) +A1 +AC1 Part 3 Toxicity are quoted by a number of manufacturers). Maybe buy the thinner ones and a couple of thicker roll out or crash mats (e.g., like this http://www.blitzsport.com/Blitz-Roll-Mat?gclid=Cj0KCQjwn-bWBRDGARIsAPS1s...) when you want to do more serious throwing? One final consideration is storage space - if you have to remove the mats after each session you will need twice the storage space for 40mm mats. We have 117 mats, which makes a stack 4.7 metres high compared to a mere 2.35 metres for 20mm mats! 

Westfield
Westfield's picture

HI JD

I brought a set of mats that sound very much like the ones you describe for my home dojo. We do a lot of controlled take downs, as opposed to full on throws, and they are fine. They have also lasted really well. I also suggest that whilst the thicker ones are good for throws, they are often a bit too squidgey for basics, kata practice, and stand up drills.

Hope that whatever you get turns out to be the right thing.

Marc
Marc's picture

How about, you order 1 mat of each type and try them out?

Also consider the floor type in your dojo. Is it a nice wooden floor or a hard concrete floor?

In our dojo we have 20mm mats (WKF certified) on a regular sports hall floor and are happy with them. We practice takedowns and breakfalls but rarely do we do high shoulder throws. For any throws with more impact we have access to those fat (30cm?) gymnastics mats.

Take care,

Marc  

Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture

JD wrote:
There's a price difference between the 20mm and 40mm but I don't mind spending more if the 40mm mats are more appropriate and better for karate.

The company we got ours from offered a 20mm mat, a 40mm “strikers’ mat” and a 40mm “grapplers’ matt”. The primary difference between the last two was density with the strikers’ mat being a little firmer in order to better permit fast movement and pivots (particularly for kicks). We went for the 40mm strikers’ matt which is perfect for us. It cushions the floor just fine for throws and ground work, but you can still do kata on them without the foot sinking in and the related risk of knee injuries.

Personally, I’d not go for a 20mm mat as it’s not really suitable for over the hip and higher style throws. It’s significant that the British Judo Association give a 40mm minimum:

“It is recommended that the mats should be 40mm or more thick”

https://www.britishjudo.org.uk/the-british-judo-association/governance/policies-and-guidelines/bja-mat-specifications/

Wise to listen to the experts if we are going similar throws. 20mm will be fine for sweeps and more gentle takedowns, but it we are going to be throwing in earnest, then I’d agree with the BJA and say 40mm.

All the best,

Iain

Tau
Tau's picture

I use 40mm "tatami" from Canons UK, as found here:

https://www.cannonsuk.com/collections/20mm-interlocking-jigsaw-mats/40mm

The difference between the "tatami" and the others is that the tatami are more smooth. I've found the others to be as good to receiving falls but with a rough surface that's quite unpleasent to land on from some throws.

Iain Abernethy wrote:

The company we got ours from offered a 20mm mat, a 40mm “strikers’ mat” and a 40mm “grapplers’ matt”. The primary difference between the last two was density with the strikers’ mat being a little firmer in order to better permit fast movement and pivots (particularly for kicks). We went for the 40mm strikers’ matt which is perfect for us. It cushions the floor just fine for throws and ground work, but you can still do kata on them without the foot sinking in and the related risk of knee injuries.

Interesting. That's the first time I've seen that distinction but it makes sense. I recall on my TKD black belt grading another student who wasn't used to mats performing the jump in Toi Gye (Pinan Godan's jump) and inverting his ankle because it sunk into the mat. There's probably a moral to that story too. Something like being used to training on different surfaces.

JD
JD's picture

Hi All,

Great advice and thanks to all for taking the time to respond. These higher quality interlocking mats aren't the cheapest and it's for this reason I want to double check what people's experience's and thought's are.

I didn't know there was such a thing as 40mm grappling mats and 40mm striking mats, I'll ask the company I'm on with at the moment and see what their feedback is.

I have the luxury of leaving these mats down once they've been fitted and that's why I want to make sure they're the right choice.

The comments and feedback above gives me something to go on, thanks for the help it's much appreciated!

Best regards,

JD

JD
JD's picture

Hi All,

Just to update everyone who took the time to give us guidance, I've settled for a 30mm mats from Blitz suppliers, they used to be expensive but have recently realised they've been pricing themselves out the market and are doing some good deals on interlocking mats.

Price was best compared to all other UK suppliers and I feel we've got a happy medium by going inbetween 20mm and 40mm.

Many thanks for the advice again, I was going to go for 20mm but after the feeback on here I've gone with something more substantial that i'm sure will be better.

All the best

JD