Very much used in many fight modalities, the synthetic tatamis, today, are among the best sold products in the sports floor industries. Sports like Karate, Taekwondo, Jiu-Jitsu, among others, are some of those that use the tatami made with this kind of material.

Dedicated to the making of sports floor for over 40 years, Ippon Yamamura company says that the synthetic material represents about 90% of the sale of the company.

They have come to substitute the tatamis made of straw and covered with canvas. According to teachers, this alternative is usually chosen because this material is more durable and, undoubtedly, more hygienic.

Julio Sakae, a teacher from the Paulista Federation of Judo, says that tatamis made of straw are harmful to the athletes because very often they release dust due to long term use. "Some sportspeople are heavier that others and along the years the traditional tatami is worn out much more easily that the synthetic ones. Without a doubt this disturbs the performance of the athlete, but the best thing about this material is that they are washable, have much more adherence, and even decreases the risk of accidents" says Sakae.

More hygienic and much more durable, some techniques of this tatami are done manually. According to Lincoln Yamamura, some steps of the tatami, depending on the model, can be considered craftwork. "First, the E.V.A. mass is prepared, then it is expanded on the press so that we can make the cut, that can be plain or cogged. On the plain cut models, the finish is manual and on the cogged models the finish is mechanical", he says.

The main advantages of the synthetic tatami, according to the owners of Yamamura, are the characteristics that the other, made the traditional way, does not have. The synthetic is washable, anti-allergic, they have greater durability, easy to handle and are found in many colors.

Each federation has its special color. Judo, for instance, uses green and red, and taekwondo uses red and blue. Federations recommend the use of official colors for specific sports so that the athlete is not confused and also to be standard.

The colors contribute in the following way: red and yellow are used as alert colors, as they are put at the edges of the areas. As for the wrestling area, green or blue are used.

"If this color discrimination did not exist, the athlete could throw his opponent out of the tatami, and cause some accident", says Lincoln.