Vaibhav Somani, Director, Gravolite

The Indian sports and fitness equipments market is projected to reach $ 6054 Million by 2024, growing at a CAGR of 9% between 2019-2024.

Sports as a category has played an important role in the mental and physical growth of the individual and we often see schools and public institutions giving importance to physical education and activities. Growing health awareness has also proved to be a catalyst for fitness and sports equipement sector.

But in India, we still see that many good talent go unexplored because the way we train our budding sports people is often done by cutting corners. This is particulary true when it comes to using of the right kind of sports mats for training and practice. If you remember the Hindi movie which was a biographial sports drama- Dangal featuring Amir Khan, which received rare reviews; his daughters train on mattresses before heading for the National Sports Academy where their training is done under professional coaches and professional mats.

Sports mats are different from other kinds of mats and come in different forms, shapes, sizes, and densities. One needs to identify and understand what kind of mat will be suitable for which kind of sports.

Sports is a platform for some extraordinary performances that include flipping, falling, and intensive physical activity. Having a quality mat is extremely important to help maintain the balance of players and help them in having the right posture. It has been observed that the percentage of people getting injured due to the non-availability of professional mats and equipment is quite high and some of these injuries are either life threatening or can led to physical disability. A professional mat cushions the body to prevent aches and pain, as well as fatal injuries while performing any sports.

Here are a few points highlighted which talks about why professional mats make a hugge difference in sports.

1.      Helps in good posture and grip 

A professional mat always comes with the guarantee of a good grip. When the body gets warm from physical exertion, the palms and soles of the feet start to sweat. A good mat doesn’t lose grip even when wet. This is due to the high quality of Ethylene- Vinyl Acetate (EVA) with JSR used while making the mat.

2.      Prevents sports injury

Professionalmats do not guarantee the prevention of injuries but certainly will prevent an injury from becoming as serious as it may have been without this extra level of protection. The latest equipment with cushion mats and hard density can prevent players from lots of injuries like sprains, strains, muscle injuries, dislocation, fractures, paralysis etc.

3.      Grooming of players

Professional mats became a symbolic part of the sports fraternity. Sports involve extraordinary activities like flipping, falling, running, etc. A professional mat will help in grooming the player, as it will increase the efficiency of the player while playing the sports. A good sports mat train them to play any sports nationally and internationally.

4.      Contributing to Indian sports

We all have seen the evolution of Indian sports over a while. How Kabaddi players have shifted from mud to mats. While playing any sport, players just don’t need strength but also quick and smooth movement. The idea is always to train to be better and compete on national and global level games. And if one has to be proficient enough to compete with international players that the players will have to practice accordingly.

5.      Easy maintenance and hygiene 

A good professional mat is designed to have high dirt and water absorbency rate to hold litres of water, ensuring continuous hygiene and cleanliness. A professional mat absorbs very less sweat which maintains proper hygiene while doing any exercise or practice. It can be easily cleaned and hygiene parameters maintened properly.

India is a country which has umpteen talent when it comes to sports. Many of our sports people often come from rural areas where the infrastructure facilities for them are limited. Imagine a situation, if we are able to give sports the same weightage as we give to rote learning in classes and support our budding talent with the right kind of infrastructure and that includes the use of professional mats; India would be producing sports talent which would beat some of the best players globally.