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Customer Support | Call us on 02 4257 1105 or reach out to us via email info@morgansports.com.au
Love Your New Equipment? Leave A Product Review & Win a $100 Gift Voucher | You Will be Contacted Via DM!
Date Posted:7 August 2026
Choosing the right mats for a martial arts school is one of the most important equipment decisions an instructor or school owner makes. The wrong surface increases injury risk, creates maintenance headaches, and may not meet the expectations of practitioners coming from other established schools. Morgan Sports supplies commercial-grade gym and martial arts flooring to clubs and academies across Australia. Here are the questions we are asked most often about martial arts mats.
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Get Martial Arts Mats Direct from Morgan Sports Commercial flooring for martial arts schools. No minimum order. Direct B2B pricing. Call 02 4257 1105. |
What is the difference between jigsaw mats and tatami mats?
Jigsaw mats (also called puzzle mats or interlocking foam mats) are made from high-density EVA foam and connect via interlocking edges. They provide excellent cushioning for falls and grappling and are popular in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, wrestling, and mixed martial arts schools. The surface texture is relatively smooth, which affects the grip available for ground work.
Tatami mats are a different product category. Traditional tatami has a rice straw core with a rush grass surface, providing a firm but slightly yielding surface that is the traditional floor of Japanese martial arts. Modern tatami-style mats replicate the surface texture and hardness of tatami using foam cores and synthetic rush grass or tatami-weave surfaces. They are firmer than EVA foam jigsaw mats, which some practitioners prefer for standing work.
What thickness do I need for a martial arts mat?
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Discipline |
Recommended thickness |
Reason |
|
BJJ / grappling |
30mm to 40mm |
Cushions takedowns and ground work; frequent falls require significant impact absorption |
|
Judo |
40mm or more |
Judo involves throws from standing height; high impact absorption is essential |
|
Wrestling |
25mm to 40mm |
Similar fall profile to judo; thicker mats preferred for competition-style schools |
|
Karate (standing work primarily) |
20mm to 25mm |
Lower fall frequency; firm surface preferred for stance and footwork |
|
Taekwondo |
20mm to 30mm |
Kicking arts involve less ground work but jumping and spinning kicks create impact |
|
MMA (mixed programme) |
25mm to 40mm |
Needs to serve both striking and grappling safely |
Yes, with awareness of the trade-offs. A 30mm EVA foam jigsaw mat will serve both disciplines: it provides adequate cushioning for grappling work and is firm enough for karate kata and kumite. The compromise is that it is slightly softer than the traditional tatami some karate practitioners prefer for standing work, and slightly thinner than the 40mm ideal for heavy judo throwing. For schools running multiple disciplines with one floor surface, 30mm jigsaw mats represent the most practical middle ground.
What colour jigsaw mats are best for a BJJ academy?
From a practical standpoint, all EVA foam jigsaw mat colours perform identically. From a visual perspective, two-colour patterns (alternating mats in different colours such as blue and grey, or red and black) are popular in BJJ academies for both aesthetics and practical purposes: the mat pattern makes it easy to designate training zones, drilling areas, and rolling areas without physical barriers.
Do BJJ mats need a non-slip surface?
Commercial jigsaw mats for BJJ should have a textured top surface that provides grip for the techniques of the art. A completely smooth mat surface makes grip fighting, guard passing, and takedown work more difficult and less realistic for practitioners. Morgan Sports commercial-grade EVA foam mats feature textured surfaces appropriate for grappling arts.
What flooring does WKF (World Karate Federation) require for competition?
WKF competition events use specific tatami surfaces that meet defined specifications for surface texture and firmness. For school and club training purposes, a 20mm to 25mm firm EVA foam mat or tatami-style mat is appropriate. For schools hosting sanctioned WKF events, check with the relevant national federation for current competition floor specifications before purchasing.
Is rubber flooring suitable for karate?
Rubber floor tiles are not ideal as the sole surface for karate training but work well in the striking and conditioning areas of a karate school. Morgan Sports 15mm EPDM rubber floor tiles are appropriate for the bag and conditioning zone of a dojo. The primary training area for kata and kumite is better served by tatami-style or firm EVA foam mats.
How do I keep jigsaw mats from shifting during training?
For permanent installations, options include: placing the mat tiles against the walls to prevent edge migration, using double-sided tape under the perimeter tiles, or installing a rubberised underlay beneath the entire mat area. For mats in a multi-use space that need to be laid and packed away, ensure the total mat area is bordered by wall or by a firm edging strip that prevents the interlocking tiles from separating under lateral movement.
How often should martial arts mats be cleaned?
At minimum, mats should be swept or vacuumed before each session to remove debris, and mopped with a diluted disinfectant after each training day. For high-use BJJ and grappling schools where athletes are in close skin contact with the floor surface for extended periods, a between-sessions cleaning pass may be appropriate during busy periods. Mats that are not regularly cleaned accumulate sweat and dead skin cells that create hygiene risks including staph infection.
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Source Your Martial Arts Mats from Morgan Sports Commercial-grade EVA foam jigsaw mats, rubber tiles, and astro turf for martial arts schools. B2B pricing. |