I am training my children in a high school wrestling room where the surface is pretty hard and not suitable for throws, falls, and rolls. The existing surface is very hard rubber like something you might find in a weightlifting room. I am looking at the option of purchasing my own mats but really have no idea on what thickness I would need to prevent injury.

Is 1" thickness with a hardness of 40-45 enough protection. I had been looking at the mats shown here at http://www.getrung.com/24mm-info.html.

Cost and portability are my biggest obstacles. Since this is school property we will have to pickup the mats after each class. I may be able to store that mats on school property but I am not positive. Any suggestions are welcome.

I'm not trying to be rude to you, but if you don't know the answer to something super-basic like this, I doubt you're qualified to be teaching your kids Judo/throwing.

Find them some quality instruction, even if it's not Judo IMO.

If you know Judo, then you know the mats are fairly particular -- firm but soft, mostly smooth, not slick and not tacky. Basically, enough give to absorb throws but enough firmness to move freely and not twist an ankle or slip on a puddle of sweat.

Here's one reputable company: http://swainmats.com/store/store/comersus_listCategories.asp

I'm not trying to be rude to you, but if you don't know the answer to something super-basic like this, I doubt you're qualified to be teaching your kids Judo/throwing.

Find them some quality instruction, even if it's not Judo IMO.

I am ranked 2nd degree brown belt through Jujitsu America in Small Circle Jujitsu and 1st degree brown in Judo through USJA. We (my children and I) had been training at the same dojo for four years 4 days a week. We had to move due to a job change to an area of the country where the nearest Judo dojo is 2 hours away. So ... first time not being near a dojo and having to setup my own training area. Sorry I don't have all the answers like you.

I think I am more than qualified to instruct my own children. Thanks for your "genuine" concern.

If you know Judo, then you know the mats are fairly particular -- firm but soft, mostly smooth, not slick and not tacky. Basically, enough give to absorb throws but enough firmness to move freely and not twist an ankle or slip on a puddle of sweat.

Here's one reputable company: http://swainmats.com/store/store/comersus_listCategories.asp

Thank you for the link. Mike Swain is an excellent judoka but his equipment is a little out of my price range. :) Thank you though.

So you're a nikyu in Judo that doesn't know how thick a mat for throwing should be? I guess that makes you both pretty qualified and really unobservant.

Try shopping on ebay for Dollamur wrestling mats. If you're patient you can find a very good deal + free shipping. You can roll them out over the existing too-hard mats and roll them up when you're done.

So you're a nikyu in Judo that doesn't know how thick a mat for throwing should be? I guess that makes you both pretty qualified and really unobservant.

I personally don't think a brown belt is qualified to teach Judo, but I have quite high standards.

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On average Judo mats are around 40mm or 1.6 inches thick.

I personally advise against the foam style jigsaw mats, they don't offer anywhere near the same type of impact absorbtion as conventional Judo mats and their sticky surface makes ashiwaza awkward and can lead to injuries with people catching toes and ankles etc...

They are a cheap option though, but make sure you shell out th extra to get the 40mm versions as opposed to the 20mm. Your kids will appreciate the difference.

Putting mats on top of a wrestling surface should probably be ok, much better than solid concrete as a base, which is pretty unpleasant.

So you're a nikyu in Judo that doesn't know how thick a mat for throwing should be? I guess that makes you both pretty qualified and really unobservant.

If you mean I never thought to measure what the thickness of the mat was. I guess you got me. I never had cause to. They were just always there.

If there was a shodan rank available I would gladly take them. To complete my training and theirs. But to just give up their training after they worked so hard to get where they are would be foolish.


Try shopping on ebay for Dollamur wrestling mats. If you're patient you can find a very good deal + free shipping. You can roll them out over the existing too-hard mats and roll them up when you're done.

Thank you. That information is very helpful.

My experience of interlocking mats is when they break in they tend to curl and lift at the interlocked edges. Also, 1" of mat is easy to go 'through', which might be ok for kids or on already sprung floor, but for adults doing a throwing art may be too thin. Now these mats may be different, i don't have any experience of them, so I'd be happy to know different, but you should look for testimonials first. They state that with 300 lb wrestlers they dont pull apart, but that's not really the point, actually, using their own marketing against them, they state it's the same foam used in running shoes, i've always found that running shoes failed after a certain amount of use, the eva sacrificed itself. But again, I'm happy to be shown these are different.

I used to teach/train jujtsu on interlocking mats, adults and kids, they are actually good for kids, kids wont slide normal mats back, and they will take the impact ok, I'd question how well they stood up to full throws by big guys, because i never much liked taking a big breakfall on them, and to do tomoe nage we'd use a crash mat.

I once got given some wrapped mats, which I opened up to make them smaller, long story... anyway, it was a different kind of foam inside. The trouble with mats is you get what you pay for, if you get full on judo mats, part of your problem will be they are too heavy and bulky for kids to even lay, but they will last, well, for you, forever. We always try and source mats from judo places and such that are replacing theirs.

Plus they are already broken in!

So you're a nikyu in Judo that doesn't know how thick a mat for throwing should be? I guess that makes you both pretty qualified and really unobservant.



To be fair, if thats the only surface he's trained on, he may not know any different, and he's asking, which is good.

I personally don't think a brown belt is qualified to teach Judo, but I have quite high standards.

Well, in our dojo adult senior rank (brown belt) was required to teach in the children's and adult classes. How else to they learn how to teach? Part of a senior ranks responsibility is learning how to instruct others. Like I mentioned in my original post, I am not running a school. I am teaching my own children.

Well, in our dojo adult senior rank (brown belt) was required to teach in the children's and adult classes. How else to they learn how to teach? Part of a senior ranks responsibility is learning how to instruct others. Like I mentioned in my original post, I am not running a school. I am teaching my own children.

I'll bet that brown belt, which in America can mean anything from a 3rd kyu to a 1st kyu, was under the supervision of a dan grade though...

As I said in my post my personal opinion is that a brown belt, especially a 3rd kyu one, let alone a 1st kyu isn't qualified to teach Judo, but of course you're entitled to do what you like with your own children, within reason.

Your arrogance is astounding.

I've used the Get Rung 1" MMA puzzle mats in Enshin, and have thrown myself pretty hard onto them without any particular issue. Of course, this was in a dance studio-ish room which may or may not have a sprung floor under the hardwood, so I can't vouch for them on a different surface. I can't comment on their durability, however, as we have not been using them long enough to form a solid opinion.

On the plus side, they're fairly cheap, kind of portable(they're pretty damn big in person but wrangle-able if you buy a carry case), not especially sticky, and afford a decent measure of protection to herpy-derpy fat people slamming into them, though if you're looking for serious protection for serious throwing I'd suggest following the advice of everyone else and shelling out more for some tatami or thicker fancy mats.

Remember: Safety first! Also, it's probably cheaper to shell out some fat cash for good mats then what you'd have to pay taking your children to the hospital to get them fixed up if they get broken by being thrown onto crap.

Your arrogance is astounding.
I stated my personal opinion that a brown belt isn't qualified to teach, which as a black belt and holder of the UK national coaching qualification for Judo level 2, which allows me to run a club and award grades up to brown belt in the UK NGB the BJA and as a holder of the Fundamental Principles of Judo 1 qualification issued by the alternative organisaton to the BJA the BJC, I feel is not an uneducated opinion.

I also was the only one to actually provide you with the information you were requesting and provided specific information on the common mat options avaliable, which you choose not to acknowledge and, I presume, ignore.

If you feel my opinions are not of worth to you and that I'm too arrogant to stand feel free to put me on ignore.

Depends on the surface under the mats and the intended falling....

Id go with TIFFIN takedowns...in 2 inch....velcro all around....8 foot x 12 foot....they are good on gym floors...no bottom out.....

For heavet ukemi I use a layer of these OVER my swain mats which also have another 1/2 inch of dollamar underlayment.... --- saftey