Foam For Sports

Foam plays an important role in many different sports & leisure activities. Due to its cushioning nature, durability and impact absorption levels, it is often used to make a wide range of useful products.

Some examples include protective gear, certain exercise equipment like crash mats, swimming floats, pit foam and much more. Let’s take a look at a few of these examples in greater depth.

Foam Pits for Sports & Leisure

From trampoline parks to gymnastics facilities and skateparks, foam pits are a popular part of the sports and leisure industry. They provide a safe and fun environment for many to practice and improve their abilities in the air.

Pits are filled with cut to size cubes or logs of polyurethane foam which help to provide a safe landing surface for athletes, gymnasts and hobbyists to practice flips & tricks.

Foam pits help absorb the impact of a landing and reduce the potential for injury. They are generally filled partially with pit foam and contain an area of empty space below supported by pillars and an overlaying trampoline. Foam cubes and logs can vary in size but professionally constructed pits usually contain consistent sizes.

Foam pits are used for various purposes including gymnastics, BMX, motocross, skateboard & scooter stunts, action sequences in films, parkour/freerunning training and much more.

Crash Mat Foam

Like its use in foam pits, foam is also a useful material for making crash mats to help protect individuals. Depending on their intended purpose, crash mats can be made from various materials and different types of foam including both polyurethane and polyethylene foams.

Sometimes foam can be layered together to create crash mats that offer different benefits. They can also vary in thickness. Foam crash mats used for protecting someone carrying out a film stunt may be different to those used for martial arts or wrestling practice, for example.

The foam used for crash mats is usually covered with a durable and water-resistant cover, making it easy to clean and maintain. They can also have reinforced, welded edges to help expand the life of the mat.

Crash mats are commonly used in gymnastics facilities, gyms, dojos and various sports & leisure facilities where there is an increased risk of injury from falling or landing. One popular area where foam crash mats are used is for bouldering.

They can also be used in the film industry for stunts and for industrial purposes for absorbing the impact of heavy items (such as keg drop mats).

Foam for Sports Equipment

Foam is one of the most popular materials used in the making of protective sports equipment to provide comfort and protection from potentially dangerous levels of impact. Here are a few examples of where foam can be used in this instance.

Helmets

PU & PE foam is sometimes used in the construction of various sports helmets. This helps to provide protection for the head and brain. The foam is usually used to line the inside of the helmet to evenly distribute the impact of things such as tackles or falls.

Shin Guards & Knee Pads

Foams are also often used in the making of shin guards and knee pads. Players of sports such as football, cricket, hockey and lacrosse use these to help protect areas of their legs from injury after being kicked or hit by sports equipment.

Shoulder Pads

Using foam in the construction of shoulder pads can help to protect areas including the shoulders, chest and back. The foam is sometimes lined within the shoulder pad to help absorb impact from things such as tackles. This equipment is particularly used in sports such as American football.

Foam for Sports & Leisure Applications

If you require foam for sports and leisure applications such as pit foam or crash mat foam, our team of experts will be happy to assist you with your enquiry. Get in touch using our contact form or call on 01494 441177.

You can also order foam cut to size straight from our website in 5 simple steps. We even offer a next working day delivery service, making us the fastest foam supplier in the United Kingdom.