Mats

[Bastich]

As there seem to be a fair number of instructors on this forum I thought i would ask for your opinion on mats for training.

Last night while practising my niehan shodan kata my to got caught in the join between two mats as i was moving. I now appear to have broken as i have a black throbbing mass at the end of my foot.

I know wht my sensei has the mats down, we have a lot of younger students who can be over enthusiastic practicing takedown techniques.

My old sensei never used mats and i found this much better for movement.

So back to my question, Do you use Mats or not?

[todome]

I'm just a Sempai but I teach when I'm told.

IMO, as long as the clearcoat hasn't been layed on too thick, nothing beats a hardwood floor

[JusticeZero]

My art isn't Karate, but my current studio is covered in thin mats. They annoy me and I suspect they hurt my students' feet slightly from time to time from twisting and such; I much prefer practising on hardwood or cement in street shoes. The mats change the dynamics of turning the feet, which we do all the time, and prevent the wearing of shoes to protect the toes from various twisting and impact forces of less than perfect footwork.

[Wa-No-Michi]

I'm just a Sempai but I teach when I'm told.

IMO, as long as the clearcoat hasn't been layed on too thick, nothing beats a hardwood floor

It depends on what I am doing.

I much prefer training on a well sprung wooden floor than most type of mats when practicing karate as I feel it gives you much better feedback and response.

Jigsaw mats can be dangerous if they are not put together well or are badly maintained (lugs missing) as it is all too easy to catch your toes on them. Judo mats (tatami) can give you the same problem if they migrate apart.

I snapped my toe during a display a few years back so much so it was sticking up at a right angle. And this was because I caught it in a gap.

99% of my Karate training is done on non matted surfaces, however in Daito Ryu we train on mats and to an extent it would be too tough on your body if you didn’t (with all the throws and ground work.

Wado-ryu also has a lot of Nage Waza (throwing techniques) in it, but we tend to do this on solid floors anyway, as it is considered that you should learn to break fall on solid floors as this is more realistic.

WNM

BTW todome - I hope you don’t mind, but strictly speaking “Senpai” is written with an “n” not an “m” – as it is a compound of two Japanese words the first being “Sen” which means “before” meaning senior.

In spoken Japanese however “n”s are pronounced “m” when they precede consonants like p’s and b’s. so you say “Sempai”, but write “Senpai”

[Shotokan-kez]

We train on hard floor. Hard on the feet but we find it much easier than moving about on mats. We only get the mats out if we are practising take-downs.

[todome]

...BTW todome - I hope you don’t mind, but strictly speaking “Senpai” is written with an “n” not an “m” – as it is a compound of two Japanese words the first being “Sen” which means “before” meaning senior.

In spoken Japanese however “n”s are pronounced “m” when they precede consonants like p’s and b’s. so you say “Sempai”, but write “Senpai”

Don't mind at all, thanks.

[JoiH]

We have jigsaw mats, but I prefer hardwood floors. Our mats are in good shape and fit snug so we haven't had problems yet, but they are expensive and, in my opinion, not the best for training. I like the mats when we are doing takedowns, but not for regular training. Although, in the winter the mats are so much warmer on bare feet then hardwood or tile!

[tallgeese]

Mats, always when we're in the gym.

Between repeated takedowns, falls, and trips, it's too easy to get beaten up without them down. Not to mention, even taking standing jj face plants after awhile really stinks. Then again, we do a fair amount of ground fighting as well.

I use wrestling mats and keep them taped at the seams. This way, you don't get the foot stuck syndrome. They stay down all the time.

[Rateh]

I have trained on mats for 11 years. I have never seen anyone get caught in the cracks, nor any difficulties with turning.

We didn't use jigsaw mats however. At both schools I have trained at in the last 11 years, the mats were rectangular in shape, with the same consistency of the jigsaw ones. In Las Vegas the mats were not secured to the floor, and so would slide a bit on occasion. If we saw any gaps, then the students would stop, and slide the mats back in place. At my current school the mats are quite long, running the entire length of the floor. There are 5 of them and they are secured and taped together with tape of almost the same texture as the mats, and exactly the same color. There are no gaps ever on these mats.'

Personally I hate training on carpet or hardwood.

[bushido_man96]

Our school uses a special ordered mat that has a carpet-like top. They are kind of like a floor gymnastics mat, I think. They don't sink too much, but offer good protection for falls. However, with the carpet like top, they tend to be rough for too much ground play.