Gymnastics is one the leading and one of the most popular sports, especially among girls. It’s a type of sport that can teach you some amazing exercising habits that will help you lead a healthy lifestyle for life. Except for helping you stay fit and healthy, gymnastics is a type of sport that can also increase your flexibility and confidence.
It’s flexible for practice in both gyms and homes with the help of a few equipment pieces like gym rings and gym floors. Aside from the many types of professional gymnastics floors, air tracks are among the most commonly used at home. In fact, they’re so beneficial that both aspired and professional gymnasts can benefit a lot from having an air tumble track at home.
What’s Gymnastics Air Track?
Generally speaking, this is an inflatable landing surface, or tumbling bed, that has the same purpose as professional spring floor mats. Also known as an air track mat, an air track is a durable and sturdy mat, designed both for indoor and outdoor use. It’s an essential piece of gear that can provide the gymnast with the needed protection in case of a fall or accident.
What’s the Purpose of Air Track?
Being lightweight, durable, and available in a range of sizes and materials, these mats can be used by both professionals and amateurs and by cheerleaders as well, making them ideal for being used for different sports activities. They can even be used as the ideal padded surface for kids who need to develop their motor skills.
Given the fact that all air mats are lightweight, it means that you can move them around with ease, making them the ideal exercising mat that you can use whenever and wherever you need. Being inflated, an air tumble track is designed to provide you with a great bounce-back which can improve your height. All in all, these air track mats are low impact landing surfaces that can reduce your chances of injuries while helping you practise, improve and learn lots of new skills.
Things to Consider When Choosing the Right Air Track
Size
What Is a Good Size Tumble Track?
Inflatable air tracks can be around 90 – 105 cm wide and around 10 – 20 cm high. But when it comes to the size, you should know that there’s ample choice ranging from 1 to 9 m or even more. This means that you have the freedom to choose an air track that can meet your needs and free space as well. Taking into account all of this, especially the free space is crucial in choosing the right size. By doing that, you can be sure that you’ll reap the benefits without compromising anything.
Material
The one thing you should have in mind when choosing the right inflatable air track is choosing one that is sturdy and durable enough to withstand daily use. By choosing a track made of durable and sturdy material, you can have peace of mind that the chosen type can provide your body with the needed protection.
Speaking of which, the most commonly used type of material for making air tracks is PVC plastic because it’s an extremely strong and durable material. Although being extremely sturdy and durable, still, this material provides a soft and non-slip surface that is extremely easy to clean and maintain. The latter is fundamental, given the fact that exercising leads to sweat which can lead to bacteria and germ growth.
Depending on the model you choose, the body of these mats is usually reinforced with drop-stitch double wall fabric to protect your skin from abrasion and scrapes. This drop-stitch or double-wall technology is known for years because it allows the track to stay flat. Without it, the air track can bulge under pressure which is something from which you cannot benefit at all.
UV Coating
One of the greatest benefits of these mats is that they can be used both indoors and outdoors. If planning to use it outdoors, you should choose a mat that has a UV coating in order to reduce sun damage.
Carrying Handles
Choosing a mat with carrying handles on both sides can help you move the mattress with ease even if inflated. Speaking of handles, it’s said that it would be better for you to choose handles with a finger grid and rubber coating because they will provide you with better control. The number of handles on the mat should mainly depend on its size. Consequently, the larger the size of the mat, the more the handles it should have.
Dual Valves
When searching for the right air track mat, choose one that comes with dual valves because it can provide you with more control when it comes to reaching the needed air pressure. This means that dual valves allow you to let out or fill in the mat with the needed pressure without affecting the overall mat inflation.
Splicing Features
Some of these mats come with Velcro strips on the bottom sides, allowing them to be connected with another mat side by side. So, when in need of performing certain activities for which you’ll need a larger air tack surface, you can always choose mats with Velcro strips and join them together.