Overview
A wide variety of mats are fundamental in gymnastics to aid the learning and performance of skills. The type of matting used will be dependent on the type of gymnastics being practiced. The term “mat” can refer to the floor area on which gymnasts perform their sport and the additional mats used around the gymnasium.
Basic Mats
Basic mats are often individual thin foam mats which can be laid out in a sports hall or multiuse gymnasium. This type of mat is often used in schools or small gymnastics clubs. They can range in size and shape and are usually made from a light polyethylene material covered in vinyl or leather with a nonslip base. The thickness of basic mats usually starts at around 4 cm. This type of mat is not appropriate for high-level gymnastics or for high-impact landings.
Sprung Floor
A sprung floor is the matted surface which artistic and acrobatic gymnasts perform on. It is a 12-by-12-meter carpeted area with foam layer and a sprung base. The carpet is usually tribond, chipfoam or polybond foam and covered in a 5 mm broadloom polypropylene surface. The floor is designed to absorb high-impact landings and give the gymnasts the required amount of rebound for their performance. Some gymnastics clubs can use just the foam and carpet layer to train on, but will usually use additional matting for landings.
Rhythmic Gymnastics Mat
Rhythmic gymnastics is performed on a 14-by-14-meter matted area. The mat is not sprung like the floor used in artistic or acrobatic gymnastics, instead it is a smooth low-friction carpet. The mat or carpet can be laid on to a sports hall or gymnasium floor but is sometimes laid on top of a sprung subbase. The FIG standards require the subsprung base at competitions to give gymnasts the required cushioning and rebound. It is much easier for rhythmic gymnasts to perform their skills on a nonsprung floor.
Safety ‘Crash’ Mats
Safety mats are often called “crash mats” and help assist the gymnast’s landings when learning new skills. They are commonly made from layered foam and absorb the impact of high-level skills. Landing mats can be covered in a range of materials, most commonly in leather grained PVC or cotton canvas. The density of the safety mat can vary from being very soft to firm, depending on its main usage. Some safety mats are thin and shaped to fit round apparatus such as the beam and vault to protect gymnasts when they are learning new skills.
Landing Mats
Landing mats are used to surround the areas around apparatus in the gymnasium or at competitions. Like the safety mat, they are made from a variety of foam and covered in grain leather and PVC. However, landing mats are firmer than safety mats and have reinforced sides. This is essential at competition to give the gymnasts an optimum amount of stability on landings from all apparatus. FIG specifications state that landing mats should be 20 cm deep to provide the guarantee correct level of safety for the gymnast. Most landing mats have additional Velcro fastening to allow mats to be joined together to create landing areas.
Suppliers and Costs
There are many international gymnastics equipment suppliers that supply mats to gymnastics clubs across the world. American Athletic is the official supplier of mats and equipment to USA Gymnastics. Mats can cost anywhere between $50 and $2,000 as of April 2010, with a full competition sized floor costing around $7,000, depending on size or specification. Most of the major gymnastics equipment manufactures provide gyms with bespoke quotes and can fit mats to their specification.
About this Author
Sarah Robertson is a dynamic writer with five years of experience in journalism. Since graduating from Bournemouth University with a multimedia journalism degree, Robertson has worked on various pre-school, pre-teen and sports titles, including Barbie, Girl Talk and SportsPro. She continues to write for The Gymnast magazine, as well as updating gymnastics blogs on a regular basis.
