What are the first things a driver’s education instructor teaches a student? Adjusting mirrors and fastening seatbelts would be high on the list. Those are important, but occur before turning the ignition. What about once the car is moving?
There is one practice that every new driver learns—keep your eyes higher on the horizon. Drivers have a tendency to steer toward the thing they are looking at. If that thing isn’t far enough away, a driver will oversteer, meandering and weaving instead of going in a safe, straight line.
There is an architectural design equivalent to this—keep your eyes on the end use. Most of you are undoubtedly good drivers and good designers. You look ahead, envisioning how a space will ultimately be used, and aim for it with layouts, material choices, and furnishing decisions. The eventual use of your design by real people in the real world steers your effort.
When it comes to sports flooring, we want you to reach that target on the horizon in the most efficient way possible. To do that, it helps to know which floors are the best fit for particular uses. Here is a list of floors, each matched with a particular sport or application in its wheelhouse.
Padenpor: If your gym is going to see heavy use and a variety of activities, we recommend Padenpor polyurethane. It’s tough, versatile, and it can be resurfaced if needed. Padenpor works best in multipurpose spaces, like school gymnasiums where basketball, volleyball, physical education, and maybe even a graduation ceremony all happen in the same place.
Regupol: Regupol rubber floors are a different kind of tough. This a leading brand is built to withstand the daily punishment of weight rooms and fitness areas. Dropped weights and heavy equipment would destroy other floors in seconds, but Regupol rubber shrugs them off without damage. If you’re designed a weight training and fitness area, Regupol floors are the right fit.
Omnisports: “Omni” is a prefix that originates from the Latin word meaning “all.” Omnisports multi-use floor definitely lives up to its name. This floor can provide shock absorption and ball rebound with unmatched uniformity—a gym floor that even advanced athletes would be glad to play on. However, the most amazing feature of Omnisports is that it is equally suitable for tables and chairs. Think of its potential for church fellowship halls, community centers, and school gyms that double as cafeterias.
Robbins Hardwood: There are some gyms, particularly those dedicated to basketball, where tradition matters most. In those cases, nothing less than a Robbins maple hardwood court will do. Robbins basketball courts have high shock absorption, extraordinary ball rebound, and a playing surface that will make athletes confident in their footing. Robbins hardwoods also look good. Although we might not admit it, appearance matters too, especially if your court might have a lot of spectators.
FieldTurf and GrassTex: For some types of indoor athletic training, mimicking the field is ideal. FieldTurf and GrassTex offer indoor artificial turf that feels like an outdoor playing surface for football, soccer, and other sports. Agility training is where this surface shines. Players can run and pivot just like they would outdoors. High schools, colleges, and universities with competitive teams will value indoor turf the most.
Remember that you can always contact the Abacus Sports team for more guidance on any of these flooring types and applications. Contact us at 771-560-8050 or send us a message.