The History of the Wrestling Mat

Because wrestling is one of the oldest sports on earth, it has been played on many different surfaces. Whatever the surface and whatever the era, the wrestling mat has become an integral part of the sport. From the simple dirt arenas of ancient Greece to the modern World Wrestling Entertainment-style arena floors, the wrestling mat has undergone more transformations than any other sports venue in history. Its different forms have made wrestling what it is today--fast-paced, high-flying, rugged, technically sound and entertaining.

  1. Prehistoric Wrestling Mats

    • Wrestling is the oldest and most natural sport humankind can compete in. Its origins are next to impossible to trace, because even how amoeba attack each other can be considered wrestling. Anywhere living things can fight, they do. Fortunately, Homo sapiens fight much more elaborately than single celled organisms.

    Wrestling Floors Before the Olympic Games

    • Wrestling was a popular sport in ancient Egypt, Asia and the Middle East and was often depicted in drawings and on artifacts. Wrestling in this era was a scaled-down version of a battle, usual fought one-on-one, and the only surface available was an open field. While some wrestled in front of an audience with belts or trophies involved, for the most part wrestling was part of the way soldiers trained for battle.

    Wrestling Mats in Ancient Greece

    • Wrestling was one of the original Olympic sports. In ancient Greece, Olympic competitors practiced this sport in arenas built for all athletics or wrestling specifically. Civilians could be seen wrestling anywhere on the ground, whether it be grass, mud or even indoors. Rarely was there any kind of padding involved, which must have been a sight to behold because competitors often wrestled naked and oiled.

    Modern Olympic Wrestling Mats

    • Modern-day Olympic wrestling mats do not have ropes or turnbuckles. The sport is competed on padded mats or flooring. The International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) cites the following specifications for a Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling mat: a 1m painted circle indicating the middle of the mat and another circle around this 7m in diameter indicating the central surface on which the athletes wrestle. There are then red lines outside of these circles, usually forming a square, to mark the total area of the wrestling mat, which is either 12m by 12m or with a 12m diameter. The material used in an approved FILA mat is high density foam of various elements.

    WWE-Style Mats

    • WWE mats are made of thin foam--hardly enough to cushion a fall from 20 feet in the air. Under the thin foam is a layer of plywood and a layer of sheet metal. Between the sheet metal and plywood are numerous tension springs. These absorb the shock of falling the most on the mat. This mat is then elevated off the ground by thick beams so steel chairs, tables and other equipment can be stored underneath.