Tag Archives: Gym mats

Wall Padding For Your Gym

Benefits Of Wall Padding

When people set up theirs they often think the only gym mats they need go on the floor. They think EVA mats, vinyl mats or rubber mats. Although those mats are a very important component of the gym to say they are all you need is plain wrong. You have to also consider the need for wall padding.

With floor padding is it a no brainer. Depending on the kind of issue you want to resolved the choice is usually simple. There are a number of gym mats options available to suit any situation. If you have heavy equipment you go with rubber mats. If it is an anti-fatigue mat you require an EVA mat or tatami mats will suffice. People however tend to neglect the walls.

Protect Your Clients With Wall Padding

Damage to your body during training doesn’t just come from impact with the floors. There are also those times when impact with the wall can cause injury. This is especially true when you are doing person to person activities like sparring or cross training. There is a real danger that distraction can lead to impact with the walls. This is where wall padding comes into the equation.

Luckily there are a few options available when it comes to padding your walls. You have your standard wall pads which are 1.8m high and 60cm across. They come with timber backing so they can be attached to the wall. You also have rollout wall pads which are light weight and can be attached to the wall using adhesive or velcro. There are even pads for poles which in themselves can present a hazard.

Gym Mats Abound

So there you have it. There are many options when it comes to decking out your gym with mats. You want to make sure your customers are safe and comfortable. You want to keep them coming back for more training. After all a happy customer is a good customer.

Best Training Mats

What Are The Best Training Mats

Sometimes it is hard to know what the best Training Mats are for the particular activity that you do. There are so many mats on the market that it can make things confusing. They come in so many different shapes and sizes. Not to mention colours as well. That is what we are here for. To help guide you through the process.

Individual Training Mats

The first thing you would want to ascertain is what kind of activity are you doing. Is it a group activity or is it an individual activity? It it is the later then you might want something you can just roll up and take with you where ever you go.

A good option for this would be Pilates Mats which are light weight and very portable. Pilates mats are also often called yoga mats although there are mats which a exclusively for use with pilates training. Pilates mats are usually made from light weight material like EVA, PVC or NBR. There are all foam like materials which are durable and inexpensive.

Group Training Mats

Then you have the kind of mats you would use if you were training in a group. These might be Gym Mats that you lay down permanently such as tatami mats. Tatami mats are usually bigger and heavy which make them let portable than other gym mats. You will find them in martial arts schools and other places where a durable mats is required.

Then you have gym mats which are smaller and more light weight such as Puzzle Mats. With puzzle mats you have a mat which is 1m x 1m and comes in a variety of thickness. They also come in different colours which makes them idea for all sorts of organisations. The best thing is that they are easy to transport and store especially if you have a special made trolley.

Popular Mats For Training At Home

In this hopefully soon post covid world people will probably continue to train at home. Sure they will resume their gym training at some point if they haven’t already but the urge to train at home will remain. Which is why they will continue to require mats for their home training. Here we discuss popular mats for training at home.

Firstly to say that this mat is more popular that that mat and vice vera is pointless. All mats are great for training and the main factor is to have a training mat in the first place. You need to protect yourself during training for your long term benefit. It is good to know, however, what is available and what is out there. A good place to start is EVA mats.

EVA Mats A Flexible Mats

EVA Mats are a mat which is made from EVA material. There are many things made with EVA. It is an inexpensive material and it has good protective qualities which is why it is so useful. It is particularly useful for training which is why EVA mats exist. A popular form they come in is puzzle mats, where you can set up large areas in your home or gym.

Other mats made from EVA are yoga mats. So they are a single mat which you roll out onto a timber or concrete floor. They are portable and usually light weight depending on the thickness. This type of EVA mats is popular not only for yoga but also for pilates and other physical activities.

Heading to The Gym With Gym Mats

Gym mats are any kind of mat which you would use during gym training. They come in all shapes and sizes and use different types of materials. The term Gym Mats is a very broad term which is used to describe any mat you might use for your training. Gym mats would include everything from yoga mats to crash mats and tatami mats.

Which brings us to Jigsaw Mats which are also great mats. It can be argued that jigsaw mats are indeed the most popular mats for home training. Indeed they are our highest selling mats. If I had to nominate a gym mats which outsells all others it would definitely be jigsaw mats. They are inexpensive and you can cover a large area in no time. I guess their convenience and cost is what make jigsaw mats such an interesting proposition.

Gym Mats for Karate and Martial Arts

There are a heap of interesting UFC fight coming up in the not too distant future. You have Conor McGregor making a return to the ring after an absence of three years and you have the legendary Jon Jones schedule to fight after an infrequent fight schedule due suspension problems.

All of this is great for the fans because let’s face it there has not been a lot of excitement in the realm of MMA lately. Apart from Stipe Miocic’s victory over Cornier in the heavy weight devision there is not much to talk about. Thankfully 2020 will be a lot more exciting than 2019.

All of this bodes well for the sport of martial arts in total. I mean the move excited that people get about MMA the more likely they are to buy themselves some gym mats and do some martial arts training. Without some thing to spur them on people end up staying home and watching cartoons on the television. Being inspired to do some training such as martial arts is good for the brain as much as it is for the body. So in that regard this year is looking to be a good year for both the body and soul.

Of course if people are going to do more training then it is good that they do use gym mats for their training. But it must be said that even if you call them gym mats it doesn’t mean you can’t use them for martial arts. Indeed what most martial artists would call gym mats other people would simply call them karate mats or more broadly martial arts mats. So clearly they same kind of mat can have multiple names.

Market Watch Jigsaw Gym Mats

The market recently has been all over the place. It is difficult to predict anymore whether it is going up or down. It used to be (at least for a while), that is it went up before lunch you would expect it to retreat a bit after. Or if it went up one day it would come down a bit the other. These days it either up, up and up, or down, down and down. If you are trying to predict the movement there is just no telling where it will go. Even in the volatility that has been Donald Trumps presidency it has really gotten difficult to read the markets.

One of the bright spots has been the Aussie dollar. It has been pretty stable and has tracked between 67c and 68c. It might go a bit above that range at times or a bit below, but generally it has remained pretty consistent over the past few months. This has bode well for jigsaw gym mats. With the price of the AUD steady so too has the price of gym mats, particularly jigsaw gym mats, remained untouched. The price of tatami and MMA mats have had to go up again, but that was mainly due to them being artificially low. They have had to come up in price to improve the margins on them as the previous prices were unsustainable.

The RBA chief announced today that interest rates are unlikely to go down any further. This has spooked the market again evidently which can account for their slide. It also explains why the AUD peaked above 68c which is a level higher than usual for the recent period. Jigsaw gym mat pricing has remained the same but if there is a sustained lift in the AUD then we can expect a drop in pricing, this would include for all gym mats. One would also conclude that this would be the case for all imported goods which are predominantly calculated in USD.

If you are thinking about going on a holiday, and not just buying jigsaw gym mats, then this should help you also. This would be for people going all over the place and not just the United States of America. Although not all places take USD, and lift in the AUD would be seen also in other currencies.

Well that is the market news for now. You can expect that there will be another update pretty soon as I post these updates pretty often. Generally they come when there has been a major development in the market which necessitates a new report.

Market Watch AUD and Gym Mats

As Josip Broz Tito once said, “If Bosnia is strong then all of Yugoslavia is strong”. In the same way it could be said that if the AUD is strong all of Australia is strong. But while we remain strong in the cricket and rugby our economy is not strong. And when the economy is not strong than the AUD suffers. That has been the case as the AUD lost another 30 points against the USD. This was after American consumer confidence surprisingly jumped, to an eight-month high. This is in contrast to Australia where consumer confidence is low and the retail sector is suffering.

The American markets are booming since realising that the cost of borrowing will fall after 2.25% worth of interest rate increases since December 2015. Since consumerism contributes 70% of US GDP, this is a welcome occurrence. This positive sentiment is reflected in the stock market and retails sales. While the Australia stock market is also rising the same can’t be said about retail spending which is in a slump. Also further falls in the AUD may cause more damage to consumer sentiment as they realise things aren’t as good as they should be.

The sale of gym mats has held up though. Even today we got a significant enquiry from one of the major rugby leagues looking at purchasing a large quantity of gym mats for one of their overseas operations. Similarly gym mats sales have been going from strength to strength as Southern Cross Mats and Ezy Mats (our parent company) expand market share. This has been mainly due to word or mouth about our excellent range of gym mats which include:

Jigsaw Mats
MMA Mats
Tatami Mats
Yoga Mats
Folding Mats
Gymnastics Mats
EVA Mats

In fact this is one of the largest ranges of gym mats in the southern hemisphere.

Thus far the depreciation of the AUD has not had an adverse effect on gym mat pricing. This will hopefully persist into the future.

Edward back training on Gym Mats after defeating Rafael dos Anjos

Leon Edwards Defeats Rafael dos Anjos at UFC San Antonio

Leon Edwards defeated Rafael dos Anjos at UFC San Antonio in the welterweight. Rafael lost via unanimous decision. The fight was another epic battle between two very seasoned fighters. While Anjos has been labelled as a serious contender for the title, it is not clear that he will remain so. I might be a case of him just needing to spend some time on the gym mats honing his fighting skills or maybe he just doesn’t have it in him anymore. It could also be that I am an arm chair warrior who doesn’t have a clue about what is takes to be a UFC fighter.

There were a number of other great fights at UFC San Antonio. It is great that the UFC is able to show such great fights consistently considering that seem to have a fight night every other day. To have such a large bastion of fighters on the books really sets them apart from the rest. Surely there are lots of fighters spending day in day out training on their gym mats getting ready for the next great show.

New Shipment of Jigsaw Mats, EVA Mats, Tatami Jigsaw Mats

New Shipment of Jigsaw Mats in Sydney

We are happy to announce a new shipment of jigsaw mats arrived to our Sydney warehouse yesterday. It was a 40′ shipping container so we were able to fit quite a number of mats in the container. The EVA mats that came in include. So if you need jigsaw mats in Sydney give is a call. Coming in are:

20mm – T Pattern – Red/Black Jigsaw Mats
20mm – T Pattern – Red/Blue Jigsaw Mats
20mm – T Pattern – Black/Grey Jigsaw Mats
30mm – T Pattern – Red/Black EVA Jigsaw Mats
30mm – T Pattern – Red/Blue EVA Jigsaw Mats
30mm – T Pattern – Black/Grey EVA Jigsaw Mats
40mm – T Pattern – Red/Black EVA Mats
40mm – T Pattern – Red/Blue EVA Mats
40mm – T Pattern – Black/Grey EVA Mats
40mm – T Pattern – Yellow/Black EVA Mats (already sold out)
40mm – Black/ Grey Tatami Jigsaw Mats
40mm – Blue/Red Tatami Jigsaw Mats

Although it may seem like a lot of mats they will sell very fast. It is imperative that you place your order now whilst stock lasts. We don’t want you to be disappointed.

We also have a container which has left the factory on its way to our Melbourne warehouse. That container is not scheduled to arrive for another 3 weeks.

Southern Cross Mats is the premier supplier of jigsaw mats in Sydney. We also sell MMA mats, tatami mats, folding mats, gymnastics mats, wall mats, and gym mats in the Australian market. Our warehouses are located in Sydney and Melbourne for your convenience.

Jigsaw Mats in Sydney

Canelo Alvarez Stops Golovkin on the Mat

In their much anticipated boxing match Canelo Alvarez went on to beat Golovkin via decision. In what was a very competitive fight the two of the three judges gave it to Canelo 115-113. It gave Alvarez the title via majority decision with the third judge scored it a 114-114 draw.

The fight was widely seen as a great fight with both fighters giving it their all. There is already talk of another Alvarez vs Canelo fight in the future to continue the rivalry. Both fighter would be wise to get back on their gym mats and training their hearts out until the next competition. Any fighter worth their weight in gold would spend most of their time training in their gym on their gym mats.

In the other fight Canada’s David Lemieux was victorious in the first round of his fight with Irish fighter Gary O’Sullivan. After hitting O’Sullivan with a savage left hook the Irish fighter on the foam mat.

Lemieux was not happy after O’Sullivan team’s talked trash in the lead up to the fight. He gave them an emphatic response with his victory.

In reponse to the trash talking Lemieux said “Don’t p*** me off guys,”. “I guess the message must be clear, I don’t like the trash talking at all that was done to me from O’Sullivan’s side so I kept it in me and I put to the right timing.

“I’m a respectable fighter, I come in the ring, I don’t disrespect my opponents, I train hard, I don’t trash talk and I respect that kind of behaviour.

“I felt great, I’m in superb shape. I gave you all a great knockout and a great event so I hope you’re all happy.”

Lemieux had previously fought Gennady Golovkin in 2015, said he’d like another shot at the champion. He would also like a shot at Alvarez he confirmed. Boxing ring generally use canvas but interlocking mats are also used in some gym setups.

“I’m not rooting for anybody, I want to fight both of them,” he said in the post-bout interview.

“I think it’s a 50-50 chance fight. Canelo is an excellent boxer, so is Golovkin. It’s going to be an interesting fight”.

As it is Canelo went on to beat Golovkin via decision. In what was a very competitive fight the two of the three judges gave it to Canelo 115-113. It gave Alvarez the title via majority decision with the third judge scored it a 114-114 draw.

Canelo Alvarez Stops Golovkin

Croatia Silver Medallists in World Cup 2018

Croatia were the runners up in a nail biting contest against France. After an almost perfect run in the 2018 World Cup in Russia and what was one of the best finals in living history the French side were victorious. They were able prevail in somewhat controversial circumstances which saw the Croatian side lose the only one game in this years world cup, albeit in the final game.

The Croatians dominated the game from the start. Croatia had over sixty percent of possession of the ball in the game and showed real classes. However a dubious penalty close to the box saw the first penalty against Croatia. What was clearly a dive by the French player was then converted into a goal when the ball touched the head of the Croatian player and then went into the goal for an own goal against Croatia.

Croatia then retaliated by scoring a brilliant goal which saw the game equalised to 1-1. The goal was truly great and served to lift the Croatian side.

Another corner to France saw another dubious penalty awarded to France in front of the box when the ball touched the arm of the Croatian player and a hand ball was awarded. What would normally would have been dismissed was counted as a hand ball after it went to the new VAR technology which saw the referee award the penalty to the French side which they converted.

With the Croatian side stunned the French quickly converted two quick goals which saw the valiant Croatian side on there back foot and 4-1 down in the competition. A brilliant goal from Mandžulic saw the game go to 4-2 and the momentum quickly turned back to Croatia. Just as the side started to reassert itself a couple of streakers ran onto the field from the Russian protest group “Pussy Riot” which again sapped momentum from the Croatian from which they never recover with the game going to the French 4-2 in the end.

Souther Cross Mats is please to know that both sides apparently use gym mats and jigsaw mats as part of there training. They are used in indoor training sessions to minimise injury. Although these are unconfirmed by an independent source it only makes sense that a professional sporting side would want to reduce the chance of injury to their players.

Daniel Cornier Fights Stipe Miocic at UFC 226

As you may have already heard Stipe Miocic is set to defend his UFC heavy weight title against Daniel Cornier at UFC 226 on July 7th. The fight will take place somewhere in the USA and is set to be a excellent fight between to opponents. The fact that they are two seasoned fighters and experienced wrestlers makes the fight even more exciting.

Daniel Cormier wrestled at Oklahoma State University prior to making the U.S. Olympic team in 2004 and then again in 2008. His interest in wrestling is so great that he has accepted a head-coaching role with the wrestling program at Gilroy High School, which is located south of San Jose, California, USA. Stipe Miocic was himself a seasoned wrestler who wrestled while at Eastlake North High School. So the fact that both have spend considerable time on wrestling mats will make for a very interesting match indeed.

It is interesting to note that Miocic was a Gold Gloves boxing champion while in college before making his mark in MMA. Cornier current training at the American Kickboxing Academy which means that they are both very competent stand up fighters as well. It is no doubt that they have spend considerable time on their gym mats training for this fight. Hopefully it will be a great fight and bring lots of enjoyment. It is sure to be watched by a large audience and we all look forward to it.

Gym Mats For Christmas

That time of the year is coming around again and after a year of hard work it is some to take a break and celebrate the festive season with our loved ones. Now we get to put up our feet and have a BBQ or two in the warm Australian summer. But before we get to relax we first need to think of what we will be buying our friends and families this Christmas as gifts. This is not always an easy task.

A great Christmas gift for anyone is a set of gym mats. Gym mats are a great way to burn off a little bit of Christmas cheer and to continue to shed some weight in the aftermath of what is usually a time of eating and sitting around by the pool or watching cricket. Gym mats are also a great way to tell your loved ones how much you care about their well being and to give them incentive to get up and do some exercise. There is no greater hint then giving a piece of exercise equipment like gym mats.

Gym mats are made from EVA foam which gives them the absorbing qualities needed for vigorous training. Foam mats, as they are otherwise know, are a great way to minimise the impact that hard training can have on your body. Foam mats are available in a number of thicknesses so they can be tailored to whatever activity you may need them for. They also come in different colour options to match with your surrounding.

Foam mats are not only good for training areas but can also be used for play areas as well. If you have setup an indoor play area for your kids they are a great way to reduce injury when kids are playing. Whilst they can’t protect against all mishaps and falls and are no substitute to adult supervision they can definitely reduce the impact when a child falls down. You can either use our standard foam mats for a kids area or purchase specialised kids mats which come in colourful patterns and alphabets.

So if you are looking at a good practical present for your family this Christmas then look no further the our foam mats and gym mats.

Get Fit With Gym Mats For Summer

This time of year is here and it is time to get ready for summer. All of us will be looking at starting some extra training to loose some of the weight you accumulated during winter. Whilst those extra pounds are ok when you are wearing jumper and coats it is another thing when you put on a bikini or your budgy smugglers. Before you start planning your training regime it might be a good idea to think of the equipment you will be needing to hep you through your training sessions. You might particularly want to break out some gym mats as they will definitely help you prolong your training.

It is all and good to ramp up the training leading up to summer but you might also want to protect your body by purchasing some gym mats. Gym mats are aways a great way to help combat the fatigue that comes with hours spent training and doing your vigorous exercises. Fortunately gym mats come in a variety of thicknesses to be tailored to the intensity of the activity you are doing. While some light exercise may only require the thinner mats if you doing more intensive then you might want to consider some thicker mats.

Foam mats are aways an excellent addition to your training area as they help assist with limiting injury and fatigue. Foam mats are used by people all over the world for all sorts of activities. With foam mats you really are helping ensure that your time spent training won’t come with an injured or fatigued body thereby allowing you to train longer and harder.

Foam Mats for all Your Training Needs

We often get asked the question of which are the better mats for this activity or that. The truth is the type of mats you use for any given activity depends on what you are going and what the out come of your training needs to be. Also the type of area you are using can play a major role in what you might choose to use for your train area. The bottom line is that where you are engaging in a vigorous activity you should probably look at getting some safety mats the help mitigate any risk your activity might attract.

That said I am a big fan of foam mats. Foam mats, as the name implies, are made from compressed foam which is then die-cut into a jigsaw pattern. The die-cutting of the foam mats means that the size is uniform and that each piece will easily slot in to the next, therefore creating a continual surface. Also now as puzzle mats, foam mats are easy to manufacture and transport which makes them and idea product. If you are considering laying some training mats in your dojo or training area then you really can’t go any further then foam mats.

The other benefit of these mats is that they are easily cut. All you need is a Stanley Knife or box cutter and you will easily cut through an EVA mat. This is handy during the installation process as it allows you to fit your mats in non-square corners or to cut around furniture or other obstacles. Foam mats are a truly versatile product.

Dollar Down After Disappointing Inflation Data

The Australian dollar was down this morning after weaker then expected inflation data. The rate of inflation came in at 0.2% instead of the expected 0.4%. The core rate was 0.5% which was in line with expectations. Although the RBA is more likely to take core inflation into account, the announcement spooked traders which saw the dollar fall by 0.3%. Immediately after the announcement it found itself just above the $0.79 mark.

We don’t expect the current fluctuation of the AUD to have a dramatic effect on the price of gym mats. The dollar has been relatively high in the past few months which has kept the price of gym mats low. In any case suppliers like Southern Cross Mats are competitive and usually absorb any currency movements. It would take a serious shock to the market to cause a large drop in the AUD and therefore have an effect on imported goods.

The other factor to consider is the price of oil. As you may very know foam mats are manufactured using EVA which is a petroleum bi-product. Any change in material costs has an effect on the finished product. The price of foam mats has stayed low because the cost of oil has been stable. What’s more any rise in the cost of USD denominated raw materials would have been off-set by the rising AUD which has acted like a buffer. As such we can expect the cost of foam mats to stay low.

Order your jigsaw mats whilst the AUD is good value. You know you will be able to buy your jigsaw mats at a good price when the Australian Dollar is so high. The price of jigsaw mats is much higher when the dollar is around the $0.72 mark. We have heaps of stock of jigsaw mats at the time so order now. We also have a shipment coming regularly.

30mm EVA jigsaw mats are also know as puzzle mats

How Jigsaw Mats Got Their Name?

It is always interesting to find out how certain products got their name. Sometimes it is a vague connection with how a product got it name like Pina Collada. Who would ever know how that drink got its name. I have tried to find out and have had scant success. And what about that movie La La Land. I watched it the other night and I have no idea how that got its name either. I don’t know if it is because it was based in LA or if is about an industry that is so “out there”. Nonetheless it is a puzzle to me (I wonder if they used any puzzle mats in the film).

Which brings us to jigsaw mats. How did jigsaw mats get their name? Whilst it may allude many people to me it seems quite obvious. If you have ever seen a jigsaw mat then you would have noticed that it resembles a jigsaw puzzle. The main difference is that with a jigsaw puzzle the pieces all fit together differently. This is because it is a game to see if you can find the right pieces to fit together. With jigsaw mats it is not a game. It is serious business. When people buy these mats they don’t want to be mucking around trying to find the right piece. They want the convenience that comes with having interlocking mats that fit together.

So whilst jigsaw mats got their name from a game we at Southern Cross Mats take it quite seriously. For us it is not a game as we love to please our customers and make sure that they get the best deal possible when sourcing their training mats. So if you are also serious about your gym mats then give Southern Cross Mats a call.

New MMA Mats

MMA Mats – Mixed Martial Art Mats

Southern Cross Mats are glad to announce the we have introduced new MMA mats to our martial arts mats line up. MMA mats different from our standard tatami mats which have been hugely popular with the grappling community. Our MMA mats come with a smooth vinyl surface. These are ideal for mixed martial arts as they eliminate mat burn. These mats are very popular in MMA training where there is a combination or stand up martial art and grappling. Whilst they look similar our MMA mats are not Zebra Mats.

Zebra Mats versus MMA Mats

Our MMA mats are not to be confused with Zebra Mats™. Zebra Mats are a trademark of Zebra Inc. Our mats are are a cost effective solution for MMA mats. Southern Cross Mats has been supplying tatami and EVA mats now for a number of years and we are confident that our MMA mats will be as well received as our all our training and gym mats.

Our MMA mats are available in black and grey. Other colours can be special ordered. The mats are 2m x 1m x 40mm is size. They are also available in size 1m x 1m x 40mm on special order. If you have a custom colour you would like you can also check with us to see if it is available as a stock colour or if it can be tailored to your requirement.

Our mats come with:

Smooth vinyl finish
Compress foam inner
Non-slip rubber back
Density of 230kg/cbm

Southern Cross Mats are a premier supplier of MMA mats and gym mats. We have outfitted a huge amount of gyms with both our EVA jigsaw mats and vinyl MMA and tatami mats. If your are looking for mats for your gym or martial arts centre then look no further the Southern Cross Mats. Call Southern Cross Mats for all your MMA mats requirements.

About Mixed Martial Art

All is all good a proper to know where to get MMA mats but what is MMA. MMA is an abbreviation for “mixed martial arts”. Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact combat sport that combines both striking and grappling, in both standing position and on the ground, using a variety of techniques from different martial arts.

Some would argue that MMA first become popular with the UFC, or Bruce Lee or the Gracies. I say that MMA has been around since the dawn of time. Since man (and women) first roamed this earth men (and sometimes women) have chosen to use fighting to sort out their differences. To do so they kicked and punched and did all sorts of things to defeat their opponent. It was the passage of time which eventual split them up and began to categories aspects of fight.

Which Mats Should an MMA Fighter Use?

It is an age old question. Which mats to use? Heaps of fighters still prefer tatami mats for their training. Sometimes it is just because this is what they are used to using. Maybe time spend training in judo or other traditions arts has gotten them accustomed to the tatami look and feel. MMA has a large amount of fighters that have origins in more traditional forms of martial arts.

Others like the added grip that the tatami finish give them. I have often been told that during a hard workout a person can get very sweaty. During a work out a person can be literally dripping with sweat. If you multiple that by ten or more people you can imaging how bad it can get in a training gym. For this reason having a bit of grip can be beneficial even desired.

Smooth Mats vs Tatami Finish

There is no doubt that MMA mats with a smooth finish are becoming more predominant. The issue of mat burn is the most cited reason. As MMA fighters tend to work both their stand up and mat game in equal measure a fighter will come on contact with the mat constantly. Often even quite violently. The constant impact can lead to grazing especially in a gi-less environment. If you visit most MMA training gym you will find Zebra mats or MMA mats with a smooth finish. That is either Zebra Mats™ or a less expensive MMA mats that is manufactured in China such as those sold by Southern Cross Mats.

Image by Southern Cross Mats with Made in Germany Logo.

Gym Mats Great For Skipping

I find that skipping everyday is a fantastic form of exercise. I only ever used to do it when I went boxing but then I bought myself a skipping rope and now I do it all the time. At first I just skipped outside on the concrete driveway but then I started to notice fatigue on my knees the constant jumping up and down was having an effect and I worried that I would have to stop an activity that I had really learnt to love.

Thats when I discovered that EVA jigsaw mats (also know as gym mats) are great for skipping. I have original bought the jigsaw mats for my kids to practice their jiu-jitsu but then upgraded to tatami mats. The spare EVA gym mats were just laying around so I through a couple outside to training on. I found instant relief the first time I skipped and haven’t looked back since. Now I would never sod skipping without my treasured EVA jigsaw mats.

So there you have it. Next time you are thinking about training and don’t want it to impact your joints call Southern Cross Mats. The EVA Mat Kings.