Embarking on the journey of creating or upgrading your gym is an exciting endeavour, and one crucial aspect that demands careful consideration is the selection of the perfect martial arts mats. These foundational elements not only contribute to the aesthetics of your space but play a vital role in ensuring the safety, comfort, and performance of your athletes. Let's explore the key factors to keep in mind when choosing the ideal martial arts mats for your gym.
1. Material Matters:
The material of your mats is paramount to their durability and functionality. Fuji Mats are crafted from high-density foam provide excellent shock absorption, reducing the impact on joints during training. Constructed materials like our vinyl surface or rubber latex waffle backing for their non-slip properties, ensuring a stable surface for dynamic movements. Our Fuji Mats are considered the best in the business and have been chosen by many of the world’s leading premier gyms including World and Olympic champions.
2. Thickness and Impact Absorption:
The thickness of your mats directly correlates with their ability to absorb impact. For disciplines involving throws and takedowns, thicker mats are advisable to minimise the risk of injuries. Evaluate the specific needs of your gym's martial arts focus when deciding on the appropriate thickness.
3. Surface Texture and Traction:
A balance between smoothness and grip is crucial. Fuji Mats offer two premium surfaces, Tatami and Smooth Series both with a non-slip surface texture offer stability, preventing unnecessary slips or slides during training. This ensures that the surface is easy to clean and maintain, promoting a hygienic environment for your athletes.
4. Size and Installation:
Determine the layout and dimensions of your training space to choose mats that fit seamlessly. Interlocking mats are popular for their versatility due to their budget friendly price range. These are a great entry level product but offer less impact and absorption as well as life expectance of only around 5 years commercial life expectancy before the foam is considered spent or not able return to its natural resting position to give its full maximum benefit. These come in several thickness generally 25mm and 40mm in a 1m x 1m size and can easily be installed due to their jigsaw puzzle like edges. These can also easily be cut to fit around furniture, poles, and other obstacles.
Roll Out Mats are the next step up with a nicer longer lasting vinyl surface with a lightweight portable design. Primarily designed for easy on and off set up such as school halls and community centres, many schools have opted this for their full-time academies. This offers a cleaner semi-seamless finish with minimal joins, but it also has a limited impact absorption like interlocking mats and a commercial lifespan of 5 - 8 years. A good thing to keep in mind is that this type of Roll Out Mat is a portable product design for easy on-off set up and pack up, not really for full time academies running multiple daily classes 5 - 7 days a week. These come in various thicknesses’ ranging from 30mm - 60mm and lengths ranging from 5m to 12 meters. These can also easily be cut to fit around furniture, poles and alike.
Lastly, Tatami style mats. These come in a traditional Japanese 1m x 2m size and are available in thicknesses ranging from 25mm - 50mm depending on art your training in. these offer the highest possible impact and absorption rating of all mats due to the construction of the foam. Made with a high-quality vinyl cover and a rubber waffle backing for great traction control, these mats are the choice for many top schools from around the world. Their commercial life expectancy is 15 plus years, are very versatile and can easily be trimmed to fit around furniture, poles, and other obstacles.
| GOOD | BETTER | BEST | |
|---|---|---|---|
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 |
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| FUJI PUZZLE MATS | FUJI ROLLOUT MATS | FUJI TATAMI MATS | |
| SIZE | 1m x 1m | 1.5m x Up to 12m | 1m x 2m or 1m x 1m |
| THICKNESS | 25mm and 40mm | 30mm - 50mm | 25mm, 40mm and 50mm |
| IMPACT | 90 - 110 kg/m3 | 90 - 110 kg/m3 | 220 - 240 kg/m3 |
| WARRANTY | 6 months | 6 months | 5 year limited |
| PRINTING | No | Yes - Optional | Yes - Optional |
5. Martial Arts Discipline Considerations:
Different martial arts disciplines have unique requirements. For striking arts like Muay Thai or karate, taekwondo, and kickboxing, opt for heavy-duty mats designed to withstand constant impact. For ground-based arts such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or judo, prioritise mats with ample cushioning to protect against falls and throws.
6. Budget and Long-Term Investment:
While it's tempting to focus solely on immediate costs, view your mat selection as a long-term investment. High-quality mats may come with a higher upfront cost, but they often prove more cost-effective in the long run due to their durability and longevity. As the saying goes, 'Good things are not cheap and cheap things are not good. Those starting their martial art academies and dojo should consider long-term costs, but budget can sometime get in the way. For these clients we suggest thinking about a few options such as saving more or equipment financing with low monthly payments which will help get you better equipment upfront and allow you to slowly pay it off. The last option to consider are our entry level interlocking tiles with the idea of growing your academy and replacing them with proper Tatami style mats once your school is established and when the time comes to replace your old jigsaw style mats. This is also a great way to preserve your start-up funds.
For those clients who are considering updating their old style interlocking martial art puzzle mats then the Fuji Tatami Series or Fuji Smooth Series are the mats of choice for them offering better warranty, higher impact rating and longer commercial life expectancy.
7. Brand Reputation and Reviews:
Research and select mats from reputable brands with a track record of delivering quality products. Reading customer reviews and seeking recommendations from other gym owners can provide valuable insights into the performance and durability of specific mats. With Fuji Mats you can rest assured that every product is tried and test. With many World and Olympic champions already using Fuji Mats both here and abroad, we have already cemented ourselves as a top tier company with highly rated and adored mats that are the envy or other brands.
Conclusion: Elevating Your Gym with the Right Mats
Selecting the perfect martial arts mats for your gym is more than a functional choice; it's an investment in the safety and success of your athletes. By carefully considering material, thickness, surface texture, size, discipline-specific needs, budget, and brand reputation, you can create a training environment that not only meets but exceeds expectations. Take the time to assess your gym's unique requirements, and with the right mats beneath your feet, watch your athletes thrive and your gym flourish. For further information simply reach out to one of our sale team to help get you into your very own Fuji Mats.
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