mastercole
Master Black Belt
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What kind of training floor surface do you, or your students practice on?
We use Kwon puzzle mat
We use Kwon puzzle mat
Training floor surface
- Thread starter mastercole
- Start date
ralphmcpherson
Senior Master
Timber floor, which was recently re painted and is a bit slippery for my liking. We bring the mats out for self defence. All club competitions, including the club championships are done on mats that look like what they use on the youtube vids I see (the blue and red ones).
My dojang is in a church fellowship hall. It's tile over concrete. I recently added some puzzle mats that I remove after every class.
OP
mastercole
Master Black Belt
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I think Swain makes a roll out mat, that is sectioned along the bottom. It can be rolled back up easy and stood in a corner.
My two issues are lack of storage space & money. I've talked to the folks at Swain & seen their mats. If I had more storage space (& more money) I'd love to get them.
bugatabugata
Orange Belt
The Master actually talked about this a few weeks back -- according to him, the best surface to train on is a suspended wooden floor. But, we have the puzzle mats, which can give you wicked rugburn. Also, every once in a while they'll come unfastened and trip you. Other than that - no complaints.
How do you get rug burn on a puzzle mat?
bugatabugata
Orange Belt
Bottoms of my feet after one too many "fast foots." Also, I've gotten tossed and skidded across on my forearms a couple of times. Graceful, I know 
Danny T
Senior Master
We have two training areas. One is a floating wooden floor and the second is matted with Zebra Combo Mats. Excellent mats. We are is process of moving to a larger facility in the next two weeks where we will have 3 training areas. One will be with a wooden floor, One will be matted with the Zebra combo mats and the third will be Zebra grappling mats. These are a bit softer, thicker, and have a smooth finish compared to the combo mats that have a tatami texture.
Here in Germany, Kwon Puzzle Mat. In the UK, we had about 90 pieces of puzzle mat from Ki Martial Arts that we laid out before every session and took up after. We got it down to a fine art so it took only 2 minutes to lay out and put away with everyone helping. Beautiful to watch kids so well trained
Archtkd
3rd Black Belt
DIN-rated Exerflex floating wood floor in the main training area. Wood colored Zebra taekwondo mats mounted on a floating sub-floor in the sparring area.
andyjeffries
Senior Master
Wooden floor (school hall). Like the others, I'd love to use decent mats, but have nowhere to store them...
Maybe in a year or so when they are more in to sparring, I'll speak to the school about being able to store them somewhere and buy enough for a ring at least...
Maybe in a year or so when they are more in to sparring, I'll speak to the school about being able to store them somewhere and buy enough for a ring at least...
Tswolfman
Green Belt
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We actually have three training rooms each one a different surface. In our main studio it is Black and gray puzzle mats on a carpeted wooden floor, in our fitness room we have a painted wooden floor with extra grip( was that way when we bought the building..) and in our kids are we have 2" heavy duty swain style mats ( not sure what brand as they are over 15 years old.) each surface is great but in different ways and it is good to train on all of them so you learn how to adapt to the different textures of the floors.
GlassJaw
Orange Belt
We're a student organization at a university and, thus, don't have our own dojang. Our training location is subject to the whims of the Facilities Management folks. We have been in perhaps a dozen different rooms on campus over the years.
Currently, we have access to the dance studio (wooden floor) one day a week. That room has tumbling mats available, which we put out when practicing takedowns, high-impact SD, etc. The mats are too thick for sparring on, so we just do that on the hard floor.
The other two practices each week currently switch location arbitrarily between two sites (depending on availability--the University frequently bumps us from one to the other for meetings and catering functions). The first is a section of a banquet room (separated off by folding walls) and has tile over concrete. The other is a small, carpeted conference room (with a large support column in the center). We generally do not spar on those days because neither room really has the space for it.
The hard flooring bruises the feet a little more, while the carpeted floor is a bit tougher on the toes. But I seem to get blisters and floor burns regardless of the surface type.
Currently, we have access to the dance studio (wooden floor) one day a week. That room has tumbling mats available, which we put out when practicing takedowns, high-impact SD, etc. The mats are too thick for sparring on, so we just do that on the hard floor.
The other two practices each week currently switch location arbitrarily between two sites (depending on availability--the University frequently bumps us from one to the other for meetings and catering functions). The first is a section of a banquet room (separated off by folding walls) and has tile over concrete. The other is a small, carpeted conference room (with a large support column in the center). We generally do not spar on those days because neither room really has the space for it.
The hard flooring bruises the feet a little more, while the carpeted floor is a bit tougher on the toes. But I seem to get blisters and floor burns regardless of the surface type.
Kicksport have some good quality Korean manufactured matting for a very reasonable price, we've been using it for a while. Cost about £600 for a 10x10m ring I think.
They offer discount for instructors. Delivery was about £100
http://www.kicksport.com/shop/WTF-Mats-Xintian-Korea-Red-and-Blue.html
I currently teach in a church with our room assigned depending on availability. The flooring varies from wood to linoleum over concrete to carpet over concrete. Much if not most of my personal training, weather permitting, however is outdoors on uneven ground littered with sticks and pinecones. I think that training variations (e.g., flooring, street clothes/shoes vs. dobok, indoor vs. outdoor, etc.) are useful for improving balance, coordination, and generalization of skill.
Cynthia
Cynthia
