ABSOLUTE ASCENDANCY

Commencing operation . . .

Overview

It wasn’t until I moved back home that I decided to purchase a set of training mats for my home workouts. I started with no flooring solution in place many years ago when I first started in-home training in my bedroom, during my university years. A few years after which, I used a yoga mat before procuring a full flooring solution for my training.

Training Mats for Martial Arts

What kind of flooring solution is best for you? It depends on numerous factors, primarily the type of training you intend to do. Depending on where your training area is, you may or may not require some training mats to cushion against substantial impact and to provide an adequate surface to train. I would always suggest, at the very least, using some yoga mats or the like for your exercise area to provide a minimal level of padding and offer some safety during your training.

Martial arts mats are practical for agility and safe footwork. You get a decent grip with them, so you are unlikely to slip and fall over. They absorb a bit of impact, as well. My home gym uses standard 10-millimetre thickness mats, which are sufficient for the training I do. The dojo where I train at has thicker 14-millimetre mats, which are a good compromise for martial arts training and moderate weight lifting.  

If you intend to lift lots of heavy weights and equipment, however, you should look to instead purchase some gym mats which are designed to take massive impact, though the rougher surface makes them less suitable to move and roll around.

Conclusion

One thing to bear in mind is that the martial arts mats that I use have warped over the years due to seasonal temperature changes. The room I train can get very hot. It is a potential safety hazard as the air can become trapped underneath the mats, warping the surface and losing the integrity of the structure. As long as you have awareness, it is not a massive problem, at least in my experience.

I recommend using some kind of specialised surface for any home workouts you intend to do, for safety reasons as well as damage limitation.

Mission complete – Overlord Drakow signing out.