What about flooring? Do I need mats?

You do not buy mats. They ride in the truck with the pads and the gloves. Nobody is going to sell you a floor.

How the surfaces rank:

• Grass. The best thing you have and it is free. Soft, grippy, forgiving.
• Mats over concrete. What a garage session is. Fine for everything, and the mats are exactly why.
• Carpet. Fine for standing work and pads. Grabby on bare feet, so not where you want to be twisting a knee.
• Hardwood or tile. Slick in socks, hard on impact. Mats go down first and anything with falling moves outside.
• Bare concrete or asphalt. Standing drills only, and even then it beats you up.
• Sand. Brutal conditioning, useless for technique.

The surface decides what the hour can contain, more than the square footage does. Takedowns and hard falls want grass or mats, full stop, and a hard floor just means we build the hour around standing work instead. Landing is a skill of its own and I will not rush it. See takedowns or pull guard.

Weather shifts the surface too. A damp lawn is usually still fine. A properly wet one moves us into the garage. See what happens if it rains.

Already own mats? Say so and we will use them. Thinking about buying some to practise between sessions? Ask me first. I would rather tell you which ones are worth it than watch you order the wrong thing. See what gear I bring.