It is a regular trend for me to use topics from my own training for posts on here. Today is no exception. We have recently been looking into purchasing the somewhat standard interlocking mats that you see in many Karate schools around the world. I would like to discuss the pros and cons of having foam mat flooring. While there are many different styles available, I am going to talk about the most common mats available, the 40″x40″ interlocking mat. These come in a large variety of colors, the most common being red and blue. Some of the more recent ones are available double sided with red on one side and blue on the other so that you can change the floor layout when needed.
Pros
Let us for examine reasons why it would be beneficial to have floor mats, as opposed to a wooden floor. The most apparent benefit is that foam padding feels much better on your body when you get thrown to the ground. In Karate-Do schools that practice take downs, sweeps, and throws, this is a huge benefit. When your fellow Karateka are not broken, they are more likely to come back and train with you again. Even with thinner mats, such as a 7/8″ mat, this is still significantly better for your body then falling on a wooden floor, or worse, concrete. I currently train in a former racquetball court with all wooden flooring. There are numerous times that we have to perform our movements at a slower speed or without actual completing the full movement for fear of hurting our training partner. This does not make a huge impact on our overall training, but it is a limiting factor and can be quite annoying at times. One of the benefits that I have taken advantage of at my Sensei’s dojo is that with different colored mats, we were able to define a space for sparing. While using duct tape or masking tape to make a square will work, it is not as apparent as two distinct colors on the floor. While you can find tape as you are trying to fight someone, it is hard to miss when the floor suddenly changes from blue to red. Another neat benefit is being able to track where you move during kata or exercises. The mats are normally either 20″x20″ or 40″x40″ and make distinct lines. These lines can be used to quickly line up a class of children or help you keep track of where you start and end a kata.
Cons
Now that we know all of the reasons a Karateka would want to train on these awesome mats, lets consider some of the pitfalls. The biggest one that I can remember is stubbing your foot. This normally the result of carelessness, and in retrospect the wooden floor may hurt more, but I have stubbed my toe on the mats and it leaves a pretty bad brush burn on your skin. Another problem is that, while a Karateka may be unwilling to try a movement for fear of hurting his partner on a wooden floor, that same Karateka may be willing to try a dangerous movement when they feel reassured that the mat will prevent any injury. Practice and proper instruction are the only things you need to prevent an injury, and more often than not, when you do not have proper instruction, no amount of padding will prevent the injury. The final argument that I can see against mats in a Karate dojo is one of nostalgia. If you compare photos of the Matayoshi Kodukan with that of an American Family Martial Arts school, you can quickly understand why people complain that using mats takes away from the look of a traditional karate school. If you however are in a racquetball court like myself, then you didn’t look like a martial arts dojo before and haven’t lost anything by adding mats.
Conclusion
There are many arguments for and against mats in a dojo. I am going to lean towards the side of safety over nostalgia. Although I think that every school should dream of having the kind of reputation that the Matayoshi Kodukan gained, there is no reason that this can not be done while providing all members the best safety equipment available. If anyone has differing opinions, please feel free to share them. Additionally, if you have a suggestion of a great mat/retailer, I have not placed my order yet for our new mats.
I love hardwood floors for kobudo, but if I’m going to get swept, taken down or thrown I’m sticking with mats. As for what kind of mats–Zebra Mats get my vote (and no, they don’t pay me to say that, but I would love it if they did
). Firm enough that you don’t stub toes easily and soft enough to pad that fall when someone throws you uchi-mata. The Zebra Mats I’ve used are the tatami-style grappling mats rather than the puzzle mats, so I can’t say how well those work, but apparently they have a hardwood-flooring-design so that from the outside you can look like a really hardcore dojo 
Looking at them – I love them Noah…just don’t have the money
. We are trying to fill a 20′x30′ space and it would be close to $$4900 to do that with the MMA Elite 2″ mats…might consider the 1″ mats, but I already have a great deal on 1 5/8″ mats.
I believe the AOK’s Peoria dojo mats are similar to Zebra Mats (Noah may know for certain), and I don’t mind working out on those. I feel like I can get a good grip with my feet, though you do have to watch out for the small gaps that develop during workouts.
I’ve only worked out on a hard surface once: in Hawai’i we worked out with another dojo on a concrete basketball court in a rec center. I liked the feel, but I would definitely like some sort of pad available for ground work and throws. I don’t know if that class works ground techniques or not. Of course, they have a sandy beach right outside.
I’ve grown accustomed carpet in the dojo I train in, but it’s not my favorite. There’s enough cushion there for comfort, even for light sweeps or falling practice and for accidental tumbles. However, as big as I am, I have a skidding problem, especially during leaps. Rug burn is no fun, either.
I tend to like working out on carpet as well, since that’s what we had at the Morton dojo, but having a matted floor definitely makes it much more convenient to work throws. I’ve had my fair share of rug burn at the dojo, so I know exactly what you mean. As for the mats in Peoria, I don’t think that they are Zebra brand but they are very similar.
My first dojo was a horse pasture. I learned to do some falls in the middle of a grassy field that was full of rocks! I will say that you really learn how to fall correctly, doing it like that, because it really hurts if you don’t!
The potential for injury is much higher, however, and for a beginner especially, mats are awesome. Speaking as someone who sports a number of chronic injuries, I am grateful for the mats at our dojo.
When someone does their falls wrong, however, Sensei Wah always makes a point of saying “do you want to go out on the asphalt and try to fall like that? What do you think will happen? Do you think your head will gently bounce?”
I believe it is important to learn to be flexible. Practice your kata with or without shoes on. Spar in the dojo, but also spar in other environments, so long as you aren’t going to get arrested for it. Learn to move on hard, uneven ground. If you’re attacked in the street, no one is going to say “wait, there are too many obstacles here, and the ground’s too hard!”
So, learn the basics on the mats. Practice and spar and move on the mats. Use them for the safer training environment that they create, but never forget that most of the time, when you are out and about, you will not have a mat under you.
Sensei and I often spar in the kitchen, much to the dismay of housemates and family alike. Poor sensei Wah (my instructors are long-suffering and patient) exclaimed, “the kitchen is so dangerous! There are knives, and there is fire!”
Yep! True. But I have learned to keep an eye open for obstacles, for dangerous things, and for my housemate who just wanted to get a freakin’ soda from the fridge, okay?
I’m really glad we have the mats in the dojo though. I go flying more than Dumbo with his magic feather!
OSU! (that’s pronounced as a cross between “oos” and “us,” by the way… we Kyokushin karateka say it constantly.)