The term “sprung flooring” comes up pretty regularly among people who are looking for sports floors and especially when looking for aerobic floors. I think most people envision this type of flooring as having a wood surface with hundreds of actual coiled springs underneath it. It certainly sounds like a floor that is a joy to walk on and to exercise on. Sort of like a giant wood trampoline.
I’m somewhat familiar with springs used under floors in the gymnastic market. They commonly use rows of 4″ springs under two layers of plywood that are typically covered with a foam pad and carpet or vinyl. That type of system is probably pretty good for people who are tumbling on it or using it for vaulting. However, when you consider putting it under a regular wood floor, it would nearly require a ladder to get on top of that surface. You’ve got the 4″ spring, the recommended two layers of ½” plywood, and then a flooring surface on top of that. I think you’re looking at a floor system that is nearly 6″ thick! But, In addition, this type of system is made for smaller platforms and wouldn’t be perfect for any type of court sport or group exercise. A system such as that would simply provide too much shock absorption and would not provide for adequate ball bounce, or for the correct type of impact absorption when jumping on the floor. Unless the floor was made up of small individual blocks of this type of surface it would also require a tremendous amount of energy to move a surface the size of most group exercise floors.
So, I did a little Internet research on the term “sprung floors” and it seems that it came mostly from dance. There, they discuss all types of sprung floors, including an innovative surface that consists of laying plywood sheets over old rubber tires placed on their sides. The potential problems with that system are really too many to fathom, but it’s certainly creative. The way in which they define it in that market is, “the construction under the floor which allows ‘spring’ or resilience for the participant, taking away the shock and possibility of injury.” So, they are looking at it as a performance issue, rather than the use of actual springs under the floor…That all makes sense.
Let’s then apply that notion onto sports flooring. Based on this definition, you need to look at floors that are resilient for activities that involve impact on the floor. That pretty much includes all court sports and aerobics.
What is it that gives the floors this resilience? There needs to be some type of mechanics that allow the floor to flex upon impact and then snap back into place. This is the only way that a floor would have “spring” as described in dance – especially when you consider that most dance floors are made of wood as well.
The mechanics are: Your impact allows the wood to deflect in some fashion, and then rebound back into place. Since wood is fairly stiff, yet still pliable, it snaps back in a perfect way to absorb your body shock gradually. Some floors move in between small joists installed underneath the surface on the subfloor. Others move along the tongue-and-groove joints with spring steel clips facilitating the wood’s ability to snap back into place. The latter is as close to the idea of springs underneath the floor as you’ll likely get for most activities.
There’s little question that resilience is important in most activities where there is impact on the flooring. This allows the body shock to dissipate into the flooring upon impact, rather than being sent back into your body. It is necessary to reduce injury to your legs and back that can be caused by repetitive impact activities. (Think of jumping onto a concrete surface and you’ll recall the impact that you felt unpleasantly traveling into legs). Sprung flooring can act as a “shock absorber” for your body when you are involved in those high impact exercise activities.
So, we’ve uncovered the true source of the sprung flooring terminology and now realize that it’s a performance term, and not one of actual design. Now, if someone recommends that you look for a sprung floor for a specific activity, or if a manufacturer tells you that they provide a sprung flooring system, you’ll have a better idea of what to realistically expect. At least you won’t be surprised if a box of tiny springs is not sent with your order.
Steve Chase is the General Manager of Fitness Flooring. He can be contacted at 866.735.5113, or by email atexerflex@exerflex.com, or visit www.exerflex.com.
