Master MMA with Your Very Own Sprung Floor

If you are into MMA (jiu-jitsu, judo, etc.), then you know that the throws and takedowns involved can be pretty painful! How do we stop, or at least dampen the blow? Most MMA instructors would say that it is a special flooring that makes this possible, a sprung floor!

How Sprung Floors Work

Combat sports are hard on the body. There is rigorous training and practice that goes into mastering all forms of martial arts. What you cannot be fully prepared for is hitting the ground without proper padding and shock absorption. Landing on a floor that is made of concrete or wood, even with a small pad on top of it, can cause bones to shake and muscles to bruise. This is where a sprung floor comes in.

Sprung floors are often made out of a number of layers that make it great for preventing pain and injury! The top layer is where the contact will happen after a takedown or fall. This layer is followed by one or more layers of plywood to give the floor structure. The final, bottom layer, which is sitting on the original floor, consists of a number of foam blocks that measure 2” x 2” x 3” or 3” x 3” x 4”. The foam used can depend on testing for the application, but the most commonly used foams for this application are 2.2lb Polyethylene or 2lb Crosslinked Polyethylene.

What Does Foam Do?

The foam blocks that are spaced evenly and placed under the other layers are meant to give the floor its feeling of springiness. This, in turn, helps absorb the shock of a fall on the floor. The foam layer assists in preventing excessive injury and damage to anyone participating in combat sports.

While a Sprung Floor does protect people from injury, it also retains enough rigidity that it works perfectly for maintaining balance and not giving out underneath participants during sparring sessions: both things that are necessary for any type of martial arts.

There are actually a number of other ways that foam blocks can benefit an MMA Sprung Floor. It can also help improve traction and help with noise control in the area!

Where Do I Start?!

First, you need the materials: a vinyl cover, plywood, and, of course, foam from Foam Factory, Inc! Once you have everything you need, there are a large amount of instructional blogs and YouTube videos you can find online to help you build the floor!

Whether you are in your garage, or you are building a full-fledged MMA gym, building a Sprung Floor can be crucial to the safety of anyone using it. The best part is, building one can be done on a fairly decent budget with foam from Foam By Mail, Inc. If you have more questions on this or any other foam product, do not hesitate to Contact Us today!