We invested in some crash mats for our community a few months back, and I've been using them sometimes in jams and training sessions.
I've come to realise that there is both pro's and con's to crash mats and their use in acro.
So I thought I'd share them with you for your benefit too.
Firstly, let's be clear, crash mats are good for certain uses and skills.
Whilst spotters are good for other uses and skills.
The two are not perfectly interchangeable.
Sometimes I will prefer to have a spotter for a skill whereas sometimes I would choose a crash pad.
More on that in the future, but for now focussing on crash pads...
Let's start with the benefits of crash pads:
Crash pads are great for cushioning falls, obviously... duh!
They massively reduce injury risk from falls and awkward landings.
That in itself, gives confidence to try tricks without a spotter.
They remove any danger/risk of injury for the spotter in high, or dynamic skills and tricks with a lot of rotation or motion.
Plus if you're training without spotters they are great additional protection.
I think these are all pretty obvious and self explanatory benefits.
I would just add that in my experience as a base, it's really nice to feel some additional safety for the flyer when removing spotters from a trick. As that can normally be a somewhat scary or nervous process.
So on to the negatives or downsides:
Crash pads can give a false sense of security.
They can make you used to falling in a relaxed way rather than trying to control your fall or roll out etc.
This is an issue if you then fall in the future without a crash pad and you don't react properly or can't control the fall.
They can increase injury risk if just landing on your feet normally because they are a less stable surface to land on, so potentially awkward for the ankles.
For example jumping down from a standing pose on to a crash pad I don't think is the best.
Of course if the floor is very hard then crash pads are better than nothing, but ideally puzzle mats that are more firm but still cushioning would be a better choice.
They can create overconfidence and people get encouraged to try moves they aren't ready for.
This is one I've seen a bit, where people try things they wouldn't even try with a spotter or they try stuff they've never even practiced before because of the added security they think the crash pad provides.
This is a recipe for injuries, and just something I think is the biggest mis-use of crash pads.
Which brings me back to the spotter vs crash pad topic...
I think it's important to understand where it's appropriate to use spotters or crash pads, and even sometimes both!
In all honesty for the majority of skills, a spotter who knows what they are doing is the best option.
For some tricks a spotter might be at too much risk, and if a spotter isn't skilled enough a crash pad might be a better choice.
Crash pads definitely have benefits and are great when 1 on 1 training without spotters, I think the key is to just be aware of the con's.
Realising any habits you are building by using them, and recognising overconfidence, and being mindful to practice the same skills without crashpads eventually when appropriate.
I hope this brings some additional awareness, and if you haven't used crashpads before I definitely recommend giving it a go, it's good to explore different safety equipment and options that can aid your practice.
Cheers,
Cas
