Choosing the Right Roll Out Mat for Your Gymnastics or Dance Club

If you run gymnastics, cheer, acro or dance club, your floor surface is one of the most important investments you will make. A good roll out mat protects your members from injury, holds up to daily wear, and can be set up and packed away in minutes, which matters a lot when you are sharing a sports hall with five other activities that evening. Get the wrong mat, though, and you will end up with a surface that slips, bunches, or falls apart within a season.

Here is what to think about before you buy, along with a look at the roll out mats available from Beemat.

Why roll out mats work so well for clubs

Roll-out mats are popular with gymnastics and cheerleading clubs because they provide a safe, full-length practice or performance surface that can be set up and removed quickly. Unlike fitted flooring, they can be laid across a hall in minutes and rolled up for storage afterwards, making them ideal for clubs that hire shared venues such as school halls, leisure centres, or community spaces.

They are also lightweight relative to their size, so a couple of coaches or older members can usually manage the set-up without specialist equipment.

What to consider before buying

1. Surface finish: smooth or tatami
Beemat's roll out mats come in a choice of smooth or tatami (textured) surface. Smooth surfaces suit gymnastics, dance, and cheer floor work, offering a consistent glide for rolls, turns, and tumbling passes. Tatami-style textured surfaces are more associated with martial arts and grappling, giving extra grip. If your club is mixed-use, think about which activity will dominate the mat's life.

2. Length and width
Roll-out mats typically come in 6m or 12m lengths and widths of about 1.5m to 1.8m. Longer mats create fewer seams, reducing distractions and potential trip hazards during tumbling passes and running approaches. Before choosing a size, measure your usual training area and check the available ceiling height and run-up space for tumbling or vaulting.

3. Thickness and cushioning
For roll out floor mats used in tumbling, floor routines and cheer stunts, look for a foam core designed for shock absorption rather than just a thin gym mat. Beemat's roll out mats use layered or cross-linked polyethylene foam cores around 4cm thick, which is enough to soften landings from floor-level tumbling without feeling springy or unstable underfoot, important for gymnasts needing a predictable surface for skill progression.

4. Base grip
An anti-slip base is essential. Mats that shift during a routine are a genuine safety risk, especially during running tumble passes or partner work. Check that any mat you are considering has a grippy underside rated to stay put on the type of floor you are using it on (wood, vinyl, or sports hall flooring).

5. Undercuts and linking
"Undercuts" refer to interlocking edges that let you connect multiple mats together with minimal gap or overlap, useful if you need a wider training area than a single roll provides, or if you want the option to expand your floor space later as your club grows.

6. Footwear tolerance and durability
If your members train in trainers, jazz shoes or similar, check the mat's outer material is rated to withstand footwear without tearing. A heavy-duty PVC or carpet-finish cover will last much longer under daily club use than a basic vinyl.

Beemat's roll out mat range:

Beemat Gymnastic Roll Out Mat with Undercuts - from £499.95
This three-layer laminated polyethylene foam mat has an anti-slip base and is available in 6m or 12m lengths, with a 1.5m width and 40mm thickness. Choose a tatami or smooth finish. Its heavy-duty PVC surface withstands footwear while helping to prevent friction burns, making it a versatile option for gymnastics clubs at any level.

Beemat Carpet Gymnastic Roll Out Mat with Undercuts - from £549.95
Built with cross-linked foam containing air pockets for extra shock absorption, finished with a durable carpet surface. Available in 6m or 12m lengths at a wider 1.8m width, this one suits clubs doing higher-impact work such as tumbling, stunts and take-downs, where the softer landing and wider training strip are useful.

Beemat Tatami Inter-Connect Roll Out Mat and Beemat Smooth Inter-Connect Roll Out Mat - from £594.95
Inter-connecting mats designed to link together into larger, flexible floor areas, a good option if your club needs to configure different sized training zones for different sessions or plans to expand its floor space over time.

You can browse the complete range on the Beemat Roll Out Mats collection page.

A quick way to decide

• General gymnastics and dance floor work → the standard Roll Out Mat with Undercuts, smooth finish.
• Cheer, stunts, or higher-impact tumbling → the Carpet Roll Out Mat for extra cushioning.
• Growing club or flexible space needs → an Inter-Connect option so you can scale the floor area up later.
• Mixed martial arts/gymnastics use → the tatami surface option for extra grip

If you are not sure which fits your club best, Beemat's sales team can advise based on your space and activity mix, worth a quick email or call before committing to a size.