Your safety mats and padding are a significant investment in your gymnastics or cheer gym. They provide your athletes with safety, confidence, and success. Skill cushions, progressive skill builders, inclines and other shapes are all used heavily at most gyms and see the most “wear and tear”. Constantly replacing these mats can get expensive and most gym want to get the most out of every mat. Here are some quick tips to help prolong your investments!
Don’t drag
Dragging a mat can cause the vinyl to wear much faster. It also puts unneeded stress on the handles and seams. Using 2 or more people to move the mat is the best way to help keep the mat healthy. Dragging mats can sometimes be inevitable and doing so can get them dirty. Follow the steps here to clean and disinfect your mats to keep them spotless and sanitized!
Unnecessary Folding
If a mat is non-folding, avoid folding it. This can cause the foam to break which interns makes the mat unsafe. It also puts stress on the vinyl since there are no hinges.
Avoid Pits!
Avoid using skill cushions shouldn’t be used in free foam pits. i.This speeds up the breakdown of the foam. Sting mats and 4” skill cushions can cause injury to athletes in free-foam. (during twisting)
Improper use!
Using a mat from which it was intended can be a real danger. Safety mats are not toys. Don’t use mats in unconventional ways that can damage the foam, vinyl or seams.
Repurposing mats for training different skills is perfect; however make sure the mats aren’t being abused or put in a position that can cause damage. Following the steps will keep your mats looking great and in great shape for years to come!