How to Repair & Tape a Wrestling Mat
Wrestling is one of the most intense and physically-demanding sports. With so many moves that could seriously injure your opponent, it's almost impossible to wrestle safely without a mat protecting you. These mats help reduce injury, cushioning your fall and putting a barrier between you and the hard floor. If your mat has broken, or slides around quite a bit while wrestling, it may be time for a little maintenance.
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Instructions
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Repairing the Mat
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Cement together any small cracks or breaks in the mat material with super glue. Wipe off any excess with a towel; this prevents dried glue from peeling up and piercing a wrestler's skin.
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Brush up any areas that are nicked, cut, or have small gouges with special mat vinyl paint. This also should be applied as a touch-up after gluing cuts together.
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Fill indents on the mat with a special caulking. After filling up the dimple, apply the vinyl paint as a touch-up.
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Apply mat solvent using a paint brush. However, first paint over the mat to activate the new vinyl paint you have just applied, and to help bind together the new and old paints.
Taping the Mat
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Tape the mats down in practice by taking one-foot pieces of tape, and applying them to the spaces between separate mats. Leave a one-foot space between each piece of tape.
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Tape the mats down. Applying the tape requires two people--one to cut and place the tape, the other to step on the tape to secure it. The tape securer should stay directly behind the tape placement person, and should just walk on the tape like you would walk on a tightrope. It works best to step on the tape in the middle; this gets rid of any bubbles that might weaken the tape's holding power.
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Tape mats for a wrestling match according to a different process. Do not bother to cut the tape into one-foot sections. Simply apply the whole roll of tape to each seam, with no breaks in the tape. Although not as efficient as the usual one-foot application, this way prevents any movement of the mats at all, allowing fair play between the wrestlers.
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Tips & Warnings
If masking tape is not available, use duct tape. Refrain from using it often; however, the sticky side of duct tape can eventually peel off the mat's paint.
References
- Photo Credit Boys High School wrestling 2 image by alice rawson from Fotolia.com
