The best sports floors are designed with performance and safety in mind, so coaches, parents, and players never have to worry about problems.
However, it’s important to select the right finish for your sports floor. Keep reading to learn which sports floors are the safest to play on.
Avoid Vinyl Tiles
Traditional vinyl tiles are extremely durable and versatile, so some sports facilities choose them for their floors. However, they aren’t safe for players since they offer almost no shock absorption or lateral support.
Their surface is often too slick for safe play as well. Cushioned vinyl can help with shock absorption but has the opposite traction problem as traditional vinyl: it provides too much grip.
Do your best to avoid playing sports on any type of vinyl.
Be Cautious About Wood Flooring
Wood flooring is a somewhat safe type of sports flooring. It provides shock absorption and a safe level of resistance, so players can run without overstressing their joints. It also helps balls bounce for easier play.
However, most wood flooring doesn’t offer much lateral support, which is necessary when a player stops or suddenly changes directions. There’s also the risk of a player slipping if moisture gathers on the surface.
If wood flooring is the only option in your sports facility, you can play on it, but exercise caution.
Be Selective With Rubber Flooring
Rubber flooring is one of the safer options for sports floors, depending on what sports you’re playing. It offers great shock absorption while being moisture- and slip-resistant.
If you’re doing yoga or playing a more intense sport such as volleyball, then you can feel safe doing so on rubber flooring.
However, it sometimes has the same issue as cushioned vinyl tile—it provides too much traction for some sports to be played on it, such as martial arts or basketball.
Try not to play these sports on rubber floors.
Play Hard On Upgraded Modular Tiles
Traditional modular tiles offer little shock absorption and are not safe for sports players. However, upgraded modular tiles provide a great balance of shock absorption and traction without being too slippery or grippy.
They also provide the lateral support missing from wood flooring, while sports facilities can order them to maintain similar aesthetics.
If there are upgraded modular tiles in your sports facility, you can feel safe playing any sport.
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So which sports floors are the safest to play on? There are two options: rubber flooring or upgraded modular tiles.
If you need great shock absorption and lots of traction, then rubber is best. If you need shock absorption with a more balanced level of traction for a sport such as a basketball, then modular tiles are best, although wooden floors will do.
Just try to avoid vinyl tiles, as they do very little to protect players.
