KickChick Posted February 13, 2003 Posted February 13, 2003 Never have "trained" on those mats ... only wooden floors and as Doug posted, I prefer carpeted dojang floors. Yes I do have calloused feet (but that's a good thing! ) We have the added padding for shock absorbtion ... very good for stretching... no friction, ease in spreading legs apart. Absorbs sweat better too!!! eh, those Century mats remind me of those ABC mats my kids used to have in their nursery as toddlers!
Tobias_Reece Posted February 13, 2003 Posted February 13, 2003 Jigsaw mats are cool - if not for their texture, but for the fact that it makes the dojo look like Blackpool Pleasure Beach. "You Are Never Given A Dream Without Also Being Given The Power To Make It True. You May Have To Work For It, However"Principal Kobudo Instructor & OwnerWest Yorkshire Kobudo Academy2nd Kyu (Matayoshi Okinawan Kobudo, IOKA UK)
G95champ Posted February 13, 2003 Author Posted February 13, 2003 Thanks everyone. I guess Im going to have to try them out for myself before I make the move on them. I love wood floors. Carpet is ok but I always got rug burns LOL. (General George S. Patton Jr.) "It's the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that ensures victory."
SaiFightsMS Posted February 13, 2003 Posted February 13, 2003 I always slid a lot on carpet when barefoot.
omnifinite Posted February 14, 2003 Posted February 14, 2003 Hmm... maybe I'm using something different. I've never noticed ours moving at the seams, catching my feet, or squeaking. 1st Dan HapkidoColored belts in Kempo and Jujitsu
IAMA_chick Posted March 28, 2003 Posted March 28, 2003 we have them at our school, and they work well. they do sometimes squeak but after a while people get use to them and learn how to make them not squeak. they are fine if you ask me. they have been at our school for 2 years now and they are still in good shape! Tae Kwon Do15-years oldpurple--belt
Martial_Artist Posted April 1, 2003 Posted April 1, 2003 If you sweat a lot and the floor gets wet it also gets very, very slippery. I had some of those puzzle mats (not Century) in a room I trained in in the Philippines. At the start it was excellent, but after two hours of training it was soaking wet and traction was at a nil. Something to consider. Especially if you are going to teach a large class. Sweat dripping from brows could make the floor really slippery. MA "I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination.Imagination is more important than knowledge.Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." Einstein
Pacificshore Posted April 8, 2003 Posted April 8, 2003 G95: I have 1" thick puzzle mats in my garage. They are from Tiger Claw. They are okay for what space and budget I have. You do tend to stick to them pretty good, so catching a toe or pivoting can sometimes be a pain/possibility. I just lay mine down on the cement and they don't slide. I don't recommend throws or hard take downs on them, even with padding underneath. I have 2 fold out mats for that. Perhaps one on the best home mats that I had was the 8x8 Swain one peice mat. Unfortunately it wasn't big enough to train on. Swain gets real expensive when you need a decent size coverage. Di'DaDeeeee!!!Mind of Mencia
theswarm Posted April 22, 2003 Posted April 22, 2003 i hate those puzzle mats they feel awful gimme a wooden basketball court anyday
Guest Posted April 22, 2003 Posted April 22, 2003 Our main area floor is double padded carpet, while up front we had some century floor mats on top of carpet. We eventually bought new carpet w/ double padding up front and removed the puzzle mats. The question we had to ask ourself was, Would you rather have double padded carpet or puzzle mats? Carpet is easier for us to maintain, but we still keep the puzzle mats incase the need ever arises for us to use them. Good: They are soft. Easier on falls. Easy to pinpoint movement or line up feet positions. Stackable. Really nice for Judo throws. Can rearrange patterns (when you have mutiple colors). Quick, easy way to cover up concrete. You could take them outside for a demonstration on pavement. Bad: Not too easy to clean (we loaded ours into trucks and went to carwashes). Your feet/toes could snag while doing spining kicks or feet drills. If someone accidentally stepped on one w/ shoe, the print shows. Not always lined up w/ edge of wall. They Migrate. You need edge fillers so they don't get toes caught on edges. If an outside piece (connectors) breaks off, there is a hole in the mat. If you drop a Sai, a nice whole appears in the mat. Make your feet black if not cleaned often.
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