Floor systems for gymastics practice

By its very nature, gymnastics can be a risky sport, so it’s imperative to know that the equipment you’re using is safe. The most-used piece of equipment in a gym is the floor. This is where gymnasts warm up, tumble, and practice their floor exercises.

Tumbling can take its toll on a body, especially if the floor you’re using is old, of inferior quality, or improperly installed.

A gymnastics floor is a complex system of foam, springs, wood, and carpet, and each component plays an important part in keeping gymnasts safe and enhancing their performance.

The bottom layer of the floor consists of springs, which should be set a foot apart. Generally these springs are laid directly on the concrete floor. Better quality springs have a plastic cap on either end of the spring, and the thicker the spring, the longer it will last.

A new product has recently hit the scene as a substitute for springs: 4” foam cubes. This product is new enough that not much feedback has been given about its longevity or performance, but it makes for easy installation.

The springs are attached to 3/8” to 5/8” plywood, birch, OSB (Oriented Strand Board) or other wood material. Many experts recommend birch as the best wood flooring material for gymnastics. Better quality floors will have thicker wood than inferior floors. Thicker wood will mean a longer-lasting, quieter floor, and the springs will last longer. The springs are sometimes attached to the wood with Velcro.

A new development in the wood portion of a gymnastics floor is the positioning of the wood. Traditionally, the 4’ x 8’ or 5’ x 5’ boards have been placed in a grid, but some floors are now designed so that the boards are placed diagonally because gymnasts almost always tumble on the diagonal in their routines.

Next comes the foam, followed by the carpet. Some manufacturers of gymnastics equipment are now selling the foam and carpet bonded together, and this is a good choice for a floor as it keeps the carpet from rippling or on top. Together, the carpet and foam she be about 1 3/8” to 2” in thickness.

One advantage of a floor with unbonded carpet and foam is that tapered foam pieces can frame the perimeter of the floor, forming a small ramp to ground level all the way around the gymnastics floor. This is an added safety feature, preventing people from tripping on their way up or down.

Once this complex system is all put together, you have a 42’ x 42’ (USA Gymnastics specifications) seamless floor on which to tumble. If it’s put together well and constructed of quality materials, gymnasts should be able to practice and compete safely and work on improving their skills.

In addition to the actual floor, make sure the gymnastics floor has enough space around it that a gymnast can have room to fall out of bounds without hitting other gymnastics equipment, walls, mirrors, or stands for spectators. You just can’t be too safe when it comes to this beautiful, spectacular sport.