Some sports and activities are performed indoors, and they often involve athletes rolling, jumping, or crashing on the floor. This may be painful or hurt someone on a hard wood or concrete floor, so instead, gymnastics crash mats are used, and these gymnastic pads can be convenient and durable for just that. As the name suggests, training gymnasts make use of these gymnastics crash mats, and their tough but soft and shock-absorbent bodies are ideal for allowing for a softer landing. Rolls and somersaults, flips, and accidental falls alike are all handled with a gymnastics mat. And even during real events, professional or at a high school or college, these gymnastics crash mats are put to use to make for a softer and safer landing for everyone involved, and these mats aren’t distracting or conspicuous during an event, either. In what other contexts might these useful mats be found? And how can a person buy one and take good care of it?
Who Uses These Mats
As described above, school and professional gymnasts are frequent users of these mats, and it can help them make a softer landing or tumble during practice or a live events. Such mats are a fine choice if someone is walking a tight-beam but might fall over, of if someone is practicing flips and tumbles as well. High school students getting into gymnastics will appreciate havin these mats around, and many American high schools (and plenty abroad) are making good use of these mats for their gymnastics teams.
But it’s not only gymnasts who are using these soft but tough mats. Martial arts and self-defense often involve falling over, whether by accident or on purpose, such as grapples and throws. A gymnastics crash mat will prove very useful for a martial arts class, such as for karate or judo or kickboxing. Many martial arts are practiced around the world and far beyond their native nations, and karate in particular is practiced by 100 million people in 192 countries (which is nearly all of them). Something similar may be said for judo, the Korean tae kwon do, or even Bruce Lee’s own jeet kune do. For safety, a martial arts class (in a fitness center or elsewhere) will have all of these mats in place during training and practice. Someone could get bruised or hurt by falling on hard floors during practice, and instructors know that.
Even professionals such as soldiers or police use these gymnastics crash mats to train their cadets for barehanded combat. American military trainees and police academy cadets will practice CQC (close quarters combat) for use against dangerous individuals, and this means having good gymnastics crash mats in place to prevent a serious injury. A drill instructor wouldnb’t want a trainee to be out of action because they fractured a bone by falling onto a hard wooden or concrete floor. Other soft practice items may be used too, such as certain gloves, helmets, or dummies for practicing all sorts of moves.
The Mats
These are not rugs or bed mattresses. Rather, these mats are tough but light and soft, making them convenient to move around and use. Such mats have foam padding inside that provides cushioning, and they will have a smooth but lightly textured vinyl or fabric outside that resists tears and stains. All the same, mat owners are urged to prevent food or drink spills on them, and hard objects such as bladed items, shoes, and more are generally kept away from the mats, just to make sure that they don’t get torn. If a mat is torn, it might leak stuffing, and further use may rip the tear even wider. So, a damaged mat may be sewn closed or even have its entire coating removed and replaced with an new one. And best of all, these mats are light, don’t break or warp, and can be folded. This makes them easy and convenient to store nearly anywhere, and they are easy to take out of a storage closet and deploy for anyone to use in a gym, fitness center, or police academy training hall.