About Wrestling Mats

If you have ever fallen on the ground you know the importance of a mat beneath a wrestler. Picture instead of falling, you are being slammed by a person who knows exactly what they are doing and they are trying to pin you. The shock of the slam is ringing through your bones and muscles. This is not something you want to do on grass or on a tile floor. Bring in the wrestling mat. This is the wrestler’s protection against a hard slam from his opponent. Let us look at some specifics.

Size and Markings

For Olympic and college sized mats they will be 42’ by 42’ and the circle will be 32’ in diameter. For high school mats, the circle will be smaller in diameter needing less for the size of the actual mat. This will allow for a lot of movement by the wrestlers to execute their techniques while making sure their opponent cannot escape. The mat will range between two and four inches thick depending on the maker. In the middle of the circle is a rectangle approximately a quarter of the diameter of the circle across and a sixteenth of the circle wide. This is the starting point for the wrestlers. One line on the shorter side will be white and the other black (or other alternating colors). The wrestlers must touch each of these lines with one foot.

Special Ordering

If you like the makeup of the mat, but need something special ordered such as a design on the mat, this can also be done. Obviously this will cost a little extra depending on the design, but it is worth it to make your mat look unique. Additionally, you will need to make sure that the lines are drawn correctly, but considering you are likely buying from a professional, your lines will be alright.

Composition

The mats themselves are very dense, but being rubberized they have a little bit of give to them. This means that while you will still feel the slam mentioned earlier, you will not be broken by it. These mats are not cushioned enough that you could sleep on them comfortably (some wrestlers probably do on occasion). The mats are usually covered in a lacquer to give it sheen and to prevent sweat from being absorbed and fungus to be passed between users of the mats. The mats themselves are cleaned between each competition and practice; usually with some sort of all-purpose cleaner to kill any bacterial infestation.

Related Information

Wrestling Mat

Gym Mat