Krav Maga and Taekwondo Mat Testimonial - Triumph Martial Arts

Chris and Matt White have each spent more than two decades training in the martial arts and are approaching 17 years of running martial arts schools. The couple now owns two Triumph Martial Arts academies in central Iowa where they teach traditional Taekwondo, Krav Maga and self defense.

Both hold second degree black belts in Krav Maga and are the only Krav Maga instructors of that rank in the state of Iowa.

When it comes to training, they’ve found that having the correct martial arts flooring surface is critical as it must hold up to both bare feet and shoes and allow for quick movements while offering enough comfort to allow for long training sessions. That’s where Greatmats comes into the picture.

Martial Arts Puzzle Mats

While looking for the best flooring system, the White’s ordered a free sample of Greatmats’ 20mm thick taekwondo puzzle mats and found it to be perfect for their needs.

Not only did the mats accommodate the needs of their physical training, but they also were perfect for the space they needed to cover.

“We can make them fit just about any size and shape of space we need,” Chris said of the interlocking mats. “We did need to span two floors in this location and we needed to go around a doorway and through that doorway and the puzzle mats were a perfect solution.”

They also found that the closed cell EVA foam used in the mats has been a big benefit in the fact that it does not absorb water.

This was especially helpful when an ice dam on the roof caused water to leak into the academy and get under the mats.

“The great thing about these mats - we were able to pick them up, dry them off, let the floor dry and then put them right back down,” Chris said. “We had no damage whatsoever.”

Matt added that with the reversible design, “We can flip them over and use the other side. We could actually have a multi-color floor.”

With Matt also being a 5th degree black belt in Taekwondo and Chris holding a second degree in TKD, they’ve used many different kinds of mats in the past.

“We have a competitor’s mat at one of our older schools, and that mat is very dense,” he said. “It is really uncomfortable for falls. I like the surface of the Greatmats and how well that works for falls and takedowns.”

“The Greatmats that we’ve used for the past 5 years have been excellent and by far the best flooring that we’ve trained on,” Chris said.

More about Triumph Martial Arts

Triumph Martial Arts is an affiliate partner of the Krav Maga Federation-AC (KMF-AC) under Alain Cohen of Israel. Master Cohen is a fifth degree black belt in Krav Maga and student of one of the self defense system founder Imi Lichtenfeldt’s first black belts, Raphy Elgrissy.

It is also an American Taekwondo Association (ATA) school with locations in Clive and Pella, Iowa.

Matt and Chris White

Triumph Martial Arts

Clive & Pella IA 50219