Mat (sport)
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Sports mats are mainly used in gymnastics, such as apparatus gymnastics , floor exercises or children's gymnastics . But they are also used in martial arts such as judo , karate or wrestling, as well as bouldering . They are used to make the athlete's landing as soft and gentle on the joints as possible in order to avoid injuries.
Purpose of use and properties
Due to their properties and the resulting purpose, sports mats are divided into four main types. The characteristics of the sports mat determine where it is used. The essential properties are the degree of damping ( depth of penetration ) and the resilience, i.e. the ability of the mat to take on its original shape and dimensions again after the athlete has landed and the forces acting on it have been eliminated.
Gym mat
Soft floor mat
Landing mat
Floor exercise mat
Gym mats
The gym mat can be used in many ways and has good resilience, but low damping behavior. Therefore, it is not suitable for sports in which the athlete lands on the mat from a height of more than 60 cm.
Soft floor mats
The soft floor mat has a very high penetration depth and thus dampens the landing very strongly. As a result, this type of mat is used in sports with uncontrolled landing. However, the soft floor mat is unsuitable for sports with selective landings (e.g. gymnastics): feet and hands can be "caught" when landing due to the high sinking depth (so-called "vice effect"), which can lead to injuries.
Landing mats
Characteristic for this type of mat is a lower sinking depth. Therefore, the landing mat is ideal for demanding sports with turns. However, this mat is not suitable for children up to primary school age. Due to the low weight of the children, the body does not sink into the mat and the jump is not cushioned.
Floor exercise mats
Floor exercise mat, also called runner, is the sports mat with the largest surface (standard length 6 or 12 m and standard width 2 m), but it is very thin (approx. 3.5 cm). The floor exercise mat is mainly used for rhythmic gymnastics , acrobatics and floor exercises. Due to its dimensions, this mat is also used in schools as a cover for interstices between the mats or as a support on soft floor mats, with the aim of ensuring a better stand when the athlete lands.
Classification of sports mats by type
The German Institute for Standardization eV (DIN) has named a total of twelve different mat types, taking into account the construction and the area of application:
- Type 1: mat for floor exercises without jumps (for beginners)
- Type 2: mat for floor exercises with jumps
- Type 3: Mat for floor exercises with jumps and for jumps
- Type 4: Mat for easy exits of devices with controlled landing
- Type 5: landing mat
- Type 6: mat for difficult exits
- Type 7: Soft floor mat for simple exercises
- Type 8: soft floor mat
- Type 9: high jump mats (school, training)
- Type 10: high jump mats (competition)
- Type 11: pole vault mats (school, training)
- Type 12: Judo mats
Technical details
Areas of application
| Type according to EN 12503-1 and EN 12530-2 |
Previous designation | scope of application |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Floor exercise mat DIN 7914-4 (low floor rolling mat) |
School and club sports on sports floors with floor exercises and jumps |
| 3 | Gym mat DIN 7914-1 |
School and club sports |
| 5 | Landing mat DIN 7914-3 |
School and club sports, artistic gymnastics without a competitive level |
| 6th | Landing mat | School and club sports, artistic gymnastics - for competition level (Note: For artistic gymnastics competitions, reference is made to the competition requirements of the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG)) |
| 8th | Soft floor mat DIN 7914-2 |
School and club sports |
| 9 | High jump mat | School and club sports / high jump exercises |
| 10 | High jump mat | Competition (Note: For athletics competitions, reference is made to the competition regulations, each in the latest version issued by the working group of the rule commissions of the German Athletics Association (DLV), Austrian Athletics Association (ÖLV) and Swiss Athletics .) |
| 11 | Pole vault mat | Competition (Note: For athletics competitions, reference is made to the competition regulations, each in the latest version issued by the working group of the rule commissions of the German Athletics Association (DLV), Austrian Athletics Association (ÖLV) and Swiss Athletics.) |
mass and weight
| Type according to EN 12503-1 and EN 12503-2 |
Abbreviation | Length ± 15 | Width ± 10 | Thickness ± 5 | Weight of composite foam mats (min.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1,200 × 200 × 3.5 cm | 12,000 mm | 2,000 mm | 35 mm | |
| 3 | 200 × 125 × 6 cm | 2,000 mm | 1,250 mm | 60 mm | 18.5 kg |
| 5 | 300 × 200 × 12 cm | 3,000 mm | 2,000 mm | 120 mm | |
| 6th | 200 × 150 × 20 cm | 2,000 mm | 1,500 mm | 200 mm | |
| 8th | 300 × 200 × 30 cm | 3,000 mm | 2,000 mm | 300 mm | |
| 9 | 500 × 300 × 50 cm | 5,000 mm | 3,000 mm | 500 mm | |
| 10 | 500 × 300 × 50 cm | 5,000 mm | 3,000 mm | 500 mm | |
| 11 | 500 × 500 × 80 cm | 5,000 mm +1,500 mm pre-cushion |
5,000 mm | 800 mm |
All angles of the respective mat must be square.
Manufacture of exercise mats
With the so-called laminated gymnastics mats, the cover material is firmly glued to the mat core. This prevents wrinkles from forming. The mats are usually provided with a floor that does not slip.
Classically produced gymnastics mats consist of the mat core and a cover that can also be exchanged. A fleece lamination is no longer necessary if abrasion resistant foam is used for the mat core. Nevertheless, the fleece lamination is still used, as it simplifies the covering of the mat cover over the foam core.
According to European standards, leather corners and the different shapes of connecting flaps are permitted. If available, handles or loops on the mats should be designed so that they fit tightly to the mats so that there are no gaps when the mats are placed together.
material
The first sports mats were woven from rope and later replaced by coconut fibers. They were relatively cheap to manufacture and had a long service life. Due to the nature of the material, however, these mats were very susceptible to dirt, so that they were soon replaced by mats made of leather with a padding. In order to save leather, it was later replaced by canvas mats, on the underside of which there was a chrome leather sliding protection. Today, both the core and the surface of sports mats are largely made of plastic.
Mat core
The core of a mat is responsible for optimal cushioning, which can only be guaranteed by standard gymnastics mats. The corresponding values are specified in the new European standards. The core is usually made of foam, with composite foams or polyethylene lightweight foam types being best suited for this purpose.
Composite foam
Neopoles
PE foam
PU foam
Composite foam
A foam made of foam flakes is suitable for the mat core of a sports mat. These are pressed and glued in a special process. The use of this material means that the mat is particularly robust and yet elastic.
- Volume weight (RG): ≈ 80, 100 or 120 kg / m³ (with gymnastic mats)
- Use: As a gymnastics mat (RG 100 + RG 120) for landing and fall heights of up to 0.60 m or as a floor exercise mat.
Neopoles
Expanded polypropylene foam, mainly closed-cell foam particles. Sports mats with this core are characterized by good resilience after static and dynamic loads.
- Volume weight (RG): 32 kg / m³
- Use: As an apparatus gymnastics mat (light gymnastics mat) for landing and fall heights of up to 0.60 m.
PE foam
In the case of sports mats, the polyethylene foam is sandwiched in several layers and glued together. Mats with a core made of PE foam are characterized by high stability and low weight.
- Volume weight (RG): ≈ 30 kg / m³ (for gymnastic mats).
- Use: As a floor exercise mat
PU foam
Sports mats, in which polyurethane foam is used as the material for the mat core, have a high degree of dimensional stability. Therefore, PU foam is primarily used for the production of soft floor mats.
- Volume weight : at least 20 kg / m³
Mat surface
Polygrip gymnastics mat
Knobbed gymnastics mat material
Tarpaulin
Needle punch
Polygrip gymnastics mat fabric
- Polyester fabric with plastic coating
- Tear strength: 2,500 N
- 600 g / m²
- Scar structure
- Anti-slip
Knobbed gymnastics mat material
- Polyester fabric with plastic coating
- Tear strength: at least 2,500 N
- Anti-slip
- Nub structure
- Protection against skin burns
Tarpaulin
- 100% polyester with plastic coating
- Tear strength: 2,500 N
- 550-680 g / m²
- Smooth surface
- Friction properties according to EN 12503-5 ± 6
Needle punch
- No wrinkles due to the firm gluing of the core and surface
- No burn injuries
- Skin-friendly
- Surefooted
safety
There are currently the following European standards for tested quality mats:
- EN 12503-1 gymnastics mats - safety requirements (1-3)
- EN 12503-2 high and pole vault mats
- EN 12503-3 judo mats
- EN 12503-4 Determination of the damping properties
- EN 12503-5 Determination of the friction properties of the underside
- EN 12503-6 Determination of the friction properties of the upper side
- EN 12503-7 Determination of the static properties
Various additional standards have also been drawn up by the member states. However, these do not affect the security requirements.
So that a sports mat can adequately fulfill its function, it must meet the following safety requirements.
- Cushioning property , i.e. the mat's ability to reduce the load on the athlete as a result of the impact.
- The depth of penetration is understood as the ability of the mat to deform upon impact and thus to maintain the athlete's stability.
- The sports mat must be elastic , i.e. it must return the mechanical energy after the athlete's impact.
- Friction properties of the mat underside.
- Frictional properties of the top of the mat.
To ensure safety, the mat core should not have collapsed or penetrated. The cover and core of the mat must also be designed in such a way that there is no noticeable sliding between the core and cover. The slip resistance of the mat is also required. In order to prevent possible accidents, a sports mat should also not have carrying straps. To be able to transport the mat, many manufacturers use tight-fitting handles.
literature
- DIN German Institute for Standardization eV (Ed.): DIN-Taschenbuch 116 - Sports equipment for gymnastics, ball games, training, skateboarding and climbing. 7th edition, as of the repr. Standards: January 2007. Berlin / Vienna / Zurich. Beuth Verlag GmbH 2007
- Gutsche, Edgar: Sports facilities and sports equipment - information on safety and testing. Edited by the Federal Association of Accident Insurance Funds. 2002
- Steiner, Norbert: The characterization of surfaces for apparatus gymnastics. Sports and leisure facilities: reports B 74.2. Verlag sb 67 Verlagsgesellschaft, Cologne 1975. Ed. Federal Institute for Sports Science
- Hess, Hermann: Standards for gymnastics and sports equipment. Berlin Verlag W. Mannstaed, 1939
Web links
- GUV-SI 8035 Mats in physical education (PDF file; 808 kB)