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How Quality Sports Flooring Can Save Athletes From Injury

Most fans cheering a basketball, soccer or volleyball team may not care about the quality of a sports facility floor. However, coaches, designers, athletic directors, and athletes know how critical the floor beneath their feet is for their safety and performance. Regardless of the sports floor you’re designing, and whether it’s for an indoor gymnasium, multipurpose use, or outdoor games, it needs to be of the highest quality.

According to the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine, playing surfaces can have an impact on injuries. A good floor should be safe and offer the most shock absorption. This study recommends using indoor wood courts that you can find at https://www.junckershardwood.com/sports-flooring because they’re safe. They also discourage using asphalt and concrete courts because they’re dangerous. A quality sports floor may not prevent injuries, but it’ll certainly reduce the likelihood of getting hurt.

Here are ways that quality sports floors are safe for athletes.

  1. They Have The Right Amount Of Give

Give, also referred to as vertical deformation by ASTM, is the ability of a floor to adjust when an athlete jumps or falls on the court. A good sports floor should have the right amount of give to support the activities taking place on it and protect all the athletes, including the young ones. A floor with less vertical deformation could increase the rate of injury, decrease stability, and impede performance.

ASTM recommends that synthetic floors have a maximum give of 3.5 mm, while wood sports floors a maximum of 5.0mm. Wood floors made from maple tend to give the amount of vertical deformation safe to most athletes. That’s why most sports facilities prefer using it.

  1. They’re Easier On Joints

Excellent sports floors should sufficiently absorb shock. This way, they minimize long-term injuries among athletes. Athletes may suffer acute injuries from falling, landing wrong, and running into other players. These injuries are often accidental and challenging to prevent. However, some injuries also result because of overusing the sports facility.

An excellent floor will absorb shock, be easy on the athletes’ joint, and help him or her preserve their body. Some sports like basketball can really be hard on the legs. This is because players are continually pivoting, jumping, running, and cutting. Having a quality sports surface in your facility can help preserve the athletes’ ligaments, ankles, joints, and knees. That’s why they’re preferred for young athletes who are growing and developing.

According to the ASTM criteria, floors should have a minimum shock absorption of 10%. Anything under this is regarded as non-compliant. The hardness of a material isn’t a measure of its shock absorption. The absorption depends on the type of sub-flooring used.

  1. They Reduce Noise And Improve Playability

An excellent floor surface should be responsive and give a good bounce for ideal playability. Ball rebound depends on the comparison to the height of a bounce with a concrete surface. A good floor should provide consistent bounce throughout the court. This way, athletes wouldn’t be disorganized by uneven responsive areas of the floor. ASTM recommends a minimum of 90% rebound height.

Conclusion

An excellent sports surface should preserve athletes’ health. That’s why ASTM has laid standards for establishing the quality of sports floors in America. Excellent floors should be more comfortable on the joints, have the right amount of give, reduce noise, and improve liability.

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