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I am thinking of cutting down some of my tatami mats so as to fit in an extra two and a half feet of training area into the dojo. Has anyone had any experience cutting down their Zebra mats and how you went about doing it (and any problems associated with it, other than of course, ruining the mat for future locations)?
We used a nice sharp utility knife and finished the edge with some matching color duct tape.
The inside of the Swain mats are little chopped up foam bits glued together. Much like carpet padding just thicker and denser.
Bronson
"A pacifist is not really a pacifist if he is unable to make a choice between violence and non-violence. A true pacifist is able to kill or maim in the blink of an eye, but at the moment of impending destruction of the enemy he chooses non-violence."
What Bronson said is really the only way to do it but, for an extra 2.5' I would probably not do it unless you have more money than I do If you are considering moving again in months to come, I would not do it because those mats are expensive and I personally could not afford to do it. However like I said, if you can afford to replace them, go for it. I don't know if you will be able to feel the extra 2.5' to the point it is worth it?
I've got a 9-month contract on the space, and the mat is too small due to my blunder of not measuring correctly. I don't like the Zebra mats (am not proposing to do it to my Swain mats), so I am willing to sacrifice two or three of them to the cutting board if necessary. If this space ends up just being too small, I am either going to move my dojo into my basement (it's free) or find another space that works better.
If you are considering moving again in months to come, I would not do it because those mats are expensive and I personally could not afford to do it. However like I said, if you can afford to replace them, go for it. I don't know if you will be able to feel the extra 2.5' to the point it is worth it?
