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Old 04-15-2009, 03:55 PM   #1
Moe Fury
Dojo: Middle Tn Aikido
Location: Nashville
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 5
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Do symbol Realjitsu Mats 5/8 inches...really?

I have been searching for some mats for the house and stumbled upon these Realjitsu Mats on Ebay. I read everything i could but could not find the thickness. So, i wrote Realjitsu Academy.com and asked. I have posted their response below. Could you all read it and tell me:
a)have you had any experience with these mats.
b)have you ever heard of a Realjitsu Academy (which is apparently a MMA dojo.
c)does the response sound like believable science or a salesman's poetic rhetoric?

THANKS!

Here is the quoted response:
__________________________

Realjitsu Academy.com Mats are a 5/8-inch thick. Quality over quantity! Many people confuse thickness with the ability to absorb impact. Thickness of a mat is like the caliber of a bullet. It is only one factor in determining it's ability. For instance, 1/2 inch of corkboard absorbs more impact than a 1 inch of wood. The technology in our mats is amazing! Our mats absorb more impact than Swain Gold Medal Mats, which are used in the Olympics. Realjitsu Mats are 10 times softer than Zebra Puzzle mats. Realjitsu Mats absorb more impact than thicker more expensive brands because they are manufactured to be less dense and do not have a semi-rigid vinyl coating over the top (which is also hard on your knees when kneeling). Some brands even add rubber to their formula. This makes their mats harder, heavier & more expensive. Other companies take 6 inches of foam and pack it down into an inch & a half, making it rock hard! Our mats work more effectively, are less expensive & more portable.

Take downs depend more on the student?s level just like any mat on the market. We use our mats at the academy for take downs. Even many of the women & children do. They are laid over concrete. When laid over a wooden floor it makes a huge difference. One customer left feedback saying that they were great for body slams. I think that is a bit extreme. But for MMA Training they are great. Check our feedback!

Thanks! Train Safe! Ben Trust
Head of Customer Service at REALJITSU ACADEMY.COM

Train Safe! Is a trade mark of the Realjitsu Eclectic Functional Fighting Methods Development Academy.
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Old 04-15-2009, 08:30 PM   #2
Larry Feldman
Dojo: Atlanta School of Aikido
Location: Atlanta, GA
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 387
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Re: Realjitsu Mats 5/8 inches...really?

Never heard of them, but see if the manufacturer can send you a sample.

Also you will need a more absorbant mat if it is on a concrete (garage) floor, then if it is on a suspended floor with carpeting.
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Old 04-16-2009, 10:48 AM   #3
Moe Fury
Dojo: Middle Tn Aikido
Location: Nashville
Join Date: Apr 2009
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Re: Realjitsu Mats 5/8 inches...really?

Thank you, Larry. That's a good idea. Anyone else have 2 or 3 cents? I can use all the help i can get.
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Old 04-16-2009, 12:21 PM   #4
Steven
 
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Dojo: Aikido Yoshinkan Sacramento - Seikeikan Dojo
Location: Orangevale, CA
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Re: Realjitsu Mats 5/8 inches...really?

In reading the description of these mats, I see no mention of Judo or Aikido which leads me to believe that they are good for standup striking and ground work, but not good for a lot of hard ukemi you would typically see in Judo and Aikido. One or two falls, but not an hour or two of ukemi.

Just my two cents ... which ain't worth much.
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Old 04-20-2009, 02:26 PM   #5
Moe Fury
Dojo: Middle Tn Aikido
Location: Nashville
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Re: Realjitsu Mats 5/8 inches...really?

Thank you, Steven. your two cents is more than i started with.

I asked Realjitsu for some clarification, as copy/pasted below, but have yet to hear anything. I also asked in another message, for a sample. I figure if they were as good as they claim, they would have no problem giving out samples, and or at least have some place these mats could be viewed/tested. If they are that good, why aren't they in every dojo. They are half the price and half the thickness. Oh dwell...

"So, you are telling me that this 5/8" mat would do the same job as the 1.5" mat at which i was looking. I know that in Aikido, if an Irimi Nage is executed well, a person could find his or herself falling from shoulder height. Yes, we train to absorb these falls with technique, but if someone is just learning the technique and the mat isn't a sufficient shock absorber, the Aikidoka (well any crazy fool who sees a mat and wants to wrestle) could be severely injured.

Thanks,
M.F."
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Old 04-21-2009, 01:45 AM   #6
Kevin Leavitt
 
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Dojo: Team Combat USA
Location: Olympia, Washington
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Re: Realjitsu Mats 5/8 inches...really?

I have a flexiroll matt from dollamur that I practice with. They are good mats for ground work, but to be honest I don't think they are dense enough or thick enough to practice judo throws on. I'd do aikido on them, but then again, I don't really get carried away with throws in aikido training.

From the looks of their website, i'd be hesitant to use these mats for aikido training. Maybe grappling...okay. I think you get what you pay for.

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Old 04-21-2009, 10:44 AM   #7
maynard
Dojo: St. Pete Aikikai
Location: Pinellas Park, FL
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 38
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Re: Realjitsu Mats 5/8 inches...really?

Based on the description noted above, they're just spewing marketing hype, in my opinion. They compare themselves to the market leaders and of course are "better". <shrug> They pretty much have to say that they're competitive (price, performance, whatever). I'm not sure I believe their claim that more air means more cushion, especially over the long term. The leading manufacturers claim closed cell foam is better, and for a long term durability, I would guess that would be true.

We have zebra tatami at home, but I don't recall which thickness (I'm 90% certain that we have the 1 inch thick variety). They were a bit pricey, and often you'll get assessed a delivery fee by the freight company if delivering to a home. You might look into purchasing some used mats, often times a local martial arts tournament will buy some for the tournament then turn around and sell them after the tournament. Ask around in your area. They've worked well for us, and many seminars and dojos use them, maybe one in your area. If you do find some to try out, make sure you find out the age. We run an annual seminar and borrow Zebra mats from several locations, some of these mats are more than 20 years old, some are brand new. There's a huge difference between the soft, old mats and the new, stiff mats.

Oh, and by the way, cushion isn't the only thing necessary in a good aikido mat, the floor needs to be rigid enough that your toes and feet don't dig in and stick.

Good luck.

John

Last edited by maynard : 04-21-2009 at 10:48 AM.
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Old 04-21-2009, 04:05 PM   #8
Moe Fury
Dojo: Middle Tn Aikido
Location: Nashville
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Re: Realjitsu Mats 5/8 inches...really?

Domo Arigato
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Old 04-29-2009, 02:37 PM   #9
ninjaqutie
 
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Re: Realjitsu Mats 5/8 inches...really?

When I took aikijitsu we used very thing mats that were layed over carpeted cement. They worked fine for us. I'm not sure what they were made of or what the one's you are looking at are made of, but ours were the blue fold out type that can usually be seen in century martial arts catalogs (though aren't were not from them).
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Old 05-04-2009, 10:26 AM   #10
UFCwannabe
Location: west allis
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Re: Realjitsu Mats 5/8 inches...really?

I've rolled on these mats before. I liked them. My best friend has some & I've been to a few Realjitsu Seminars. I would gladly buy some if I had anywhere to put them. At one of the seminars they also had Swain mats & it was no B.S. the mats felt the same. They were thicker but the material packed together so tightly that it felt the same. It's just common sense engineering. They had a Swain mat cut in half so you could see what the material was like. We dropped some medicine balls from the same height & of course rolled on them for 5 hours. These guys are problem solvers. Pretty slick stuff they were teaching too. There's my 2 cents. Hope it helps.
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Old 05-04-2009, 08:15 PM   #11
Shannon Frye
Dojo: Aikido Fellowship of VA / Chesapeake Va
Location: Virginia
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 184
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Re: Realjitsu Mats 5/8 inches...really?

Todds info is the only positive I've been able to find.

I recently needed to purchase mats for 2 dojo locations, and got the exact same "cut and paste" response back from the Real Jitsu people It really reaked of "marketing" and double talk. I ended up going with 1 inch thick mats from GETRUNG.com They are very nice mats. They even have a discount promo codes that can save you some $$ (contact me if you need one).
Best thing is you can add 100 sq ft for $240 more, at any time. The RJ mats were "factory rejects" or something, and it sounded like they had limited supply.

Hope this info helps..

Shannon
ps. If you order from Getrung - avoid the red - they rub off on uniforms - the blue and black haven't done so yet.

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Old 05-08-2009, 09:58 AM   #12
Moe Fury
Dojo: Middle Tn Aikido
Location: Nashville
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Re: Realjitsu Mats 5/8 inches...really?

Outstanding...thank you all.
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Old 05-08-2009, 01:08 PM   #13
Suru
Location: Miami, FL
Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 453
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Re: Realjitsu Mats 5/8 inches...really?

I did most of my training on perhaps 2" thick wrestling mats at FSU, and they worked. I've been upon many other styles I liked better. Some of the best were at John Messores Sensei's dojo in St. Pete, Dennis Hooker Sensei's dojo in Orlando, and Christina "Wee-Wow" Dumlao Sensei's dojo in Miami. Perhaps you could call one of them and ask away.

Drew
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