Training Floor

[tsdclaflin]

What kind of floor do you train on?

My school has a concrete floor. Previously, we had a wood floor (probably suspended on concrete) and previous to that we had puzzle mats.

What kind of floor would you prefer?

The puzzle mats were better than I expected to train on. They seemed to need a lot of cleaning, though.

Tang Soo!

 

[Makalakumu]

I have a two tiered dojang. The top part of it is carpeted and some of it has padding for falls. The lower part of it has a very nice hardwood floor. It works out pretty good because we have a variety of surfaces.

 

[tsdclaflin]

What kind of floor do you train on?

My school has a concrete floor. Previously, we had a wood floor (probably suspended on concrete) and previous to that we had puzzle mats.

What kind of floor would you prefer?

The puzzle mats were better than I expected to train on. They seemed to need a lot of cleaning, though.

Tang Soo!

 

[Cryozombie]

-Mod Note-

Duplicate threads merged.
​

 

[TX_BB]

I've trained on all of the above, but my favorite is a closed cell pad with a vinal cover. Second favorite is puzzle/swain mats coverd with a vinal cover.

I always appreciate a crash pit for throwing and acrobatics practice.

 

[TigerWoman]

I've trained on concrete with a thin carpet. I've trained on a uneven wood floor with thin carpet. Since my knees were progressively getting worse, even on a wood floor, I bought puzzle mats for the dojang. Now, our dojang is upstairs, a wood floor, a heavy pad, heavy carpeting with the puzzle mats on top. It is great for falls but not so great for balance work in forms. There is something about a solid wood floor and knowing your foot will be solid when it comes down. And it is especially hard to do slow motion kicks for testing. But this floor is still preferred. Anything that saves wear and tear on the joints as we practice is a good thing. Especially for the 35 and up crowd which is our noon class. TW

 

[trueaspirer]

I have seen and trained on several different types of dojang floor. To me, wood seems to be the best, sometimes added to be small, portable mats.
Concrete is too hard, can cause serious injuries, and is a bad influence on the training environment. Concrete looks bad, and looks influence feeling, which is an important part of training. Without the proper positive feeling, one cannot procees. It drags a person down.
On the other hand, thick mats placed over the entire training room also present problems. Yes, it is possible to overcome the bad balance that mats give a person, but it is a false training environment. On the street, you will never be fighting on mats. When it comes down to it, a person who has trained soley on mats will find it difficult to compensate for the difference, and any difficulty or interference can mean life or death in a street fight.
So, as I said, I believe that wood is the best solution. It is hard, but not too hard, while presenting a stable floor to work on, mimmicking real-life scenarios. Mats will sometimes have to be used for more advanced flipping and throw techniques, but they can be put in a corner and kept there until needed, not interfering with training.
Of course, that's just my opinion.

 

[stone_dragone]

At my school at home, we train on a concrete/thin carpet floor (its a BBall court for a community center). Similar flooring in Tennessee. In alabama, we had a thick but tight carpet on the floor, not alot of give but just enough pading when you hit the floor.

I personnally like the puzzle mats...my school in TN has a a set that they put down and take back up when they are done. They are firm, but padded enough to avoid seriouse impact injuries.

My two cents...

 

[NoSword]

Most of the training that I've had occurred on a squishy gymnastics floor (plywood, a layer of foam, more plywood, and sort of thick carpet). I've had chances to train on wooden floors and concreate as well. I have to say though, my favorite training surface is just plain grass when the weather permits.

 

[Carol]

Our school uses mats on both floors, during the summer some of the classes are on grass. I train on carpet or bare concrete when practicing at home.

Personally I prefer the mats for the same reason that Tiger Woman said...much easier on the joints.

 

[karatekid1975]

I've trained on a wood floor (the suspended kind), concrete with thin carpet, and we have the swain type mats covering the whole dojang floor in the new dojang. The mats are nice for falls and such, but bad for balance in forms. I perfer the wood (and using folding mats for falls when needed). Maybe because I'm a forms geek. I like the balance. The concrete floors hurt my knees, eventhough it was also nice for balance. I also train outside in the summer at home. But the ground here is uneven (but good for realistic training purposes).

So, it depends on what you like and what type of training you do (as in, what you perfer), it seems.

 

[donna]

We have puzzle mats on concrete but they get dirty really quick.Our "Dojo" is an industrial shed with roller doors both ends. Our instructor hoses them down infrequently. It gets annoying coming home from training covered in red dirt every session.Thank goodness we have black Gi.

 

[Lisa]

I have been fortunate that all my training has been on two inch matts. Considering we were grappling, it came in very handy. Don't think I would last long on concrete or wood!

 

[Henderson]

Hard tile over wood floor (former pool hall)
Covered with 55 Zebra puzzle mats.

 

[TX_BB]

Just for your information for thos schools that hit the floor alot. USAT statistics have shown dramatic decrease in serious injuries since they have gone to padded floors. The pad protects competitors from falls.