I realize they suck, but it's about all I can afford for my basement or garage. I was wondering If anyone had some unique ideas to improve them? I was thinking of getting a sheet of plywood and glueing the puzzel mat down to prevent gaps (that break toes). I was thinking of doing two or three sections that way I could put them away without having to completly take apart the mats.
Velcro? 6" wide strips. Have it permanently affixed to one side and have the female(?) part of the velcro on another piece so they can be separated and stored easily...or velcro the bottom of all your mats and velcro the floor or plywood.
why does everybody think puzzle mats suck?? get decent ones that are thick (3-4cm) and they won't fall apart here in Australia 99% of BJJ gyms use puzzle mats mostly in the tatami type pattern they don't move apart or anything in the time I have trained
have you seen the DIY thread on here where people are making them out of carpet matting and tarp? you'd get a much better result and you'd spend the same/less
ask Anthony Perosh toe what it thinks about puzzle mats Brendon, ive never trained on anything but puzzle mats but after seeing that picture.....man that looked bad...
If its gonna be a permanent things, use mat tape on all seams, on the top. If you glue the bottom you can still get your toes caught from the top. Or make your own, get some foam plates from home depot, the 3/4" ones, glue 3 on top of each other and cover with vinyl.
+1. After seeing what happened to AP I decided no puzzle mats at my place - not that I would be going gangbusters for a takedown like he was when he did his toes but just the thought has put me off. In the weeks since that injury his gyms (SPMA) have announced Zebramats-type mats to replace the puzzle mats. I haven't watched the Youtube vids yet but I recently saw a BJJ gym at a PCYC that had ~3cm of foam overlaid with thick PVC sheet. That seems quite economical. Of course I could still get the puzzle mats and then just overlay with tarp or thick PVC.
