Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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1 Field of the Invention
~ his invention relates to a portable exercisin~J mat.
Background of the Invention
It is ~enerally very dif~icult to teach children and
S especially young children to perform exerci.sing maneuvers such
as head stands, hand stands, tumbling and the like. The ~ounger
children usually have a fear of injuring themselves by fallina
on their backs. They can of course use conventional gymnastic
mats, however, such mats are much too heavy and awkward for a
,,voung child to move and therefore, the child is restricted to
the area in which he or she exercises.
~ ven the provision of a conventional tumbling mat may not
totally rid the child of the fear of in~ury. Conventional mats
can often be quite hard. They are flat wit.h the back landing
area is at the same level as the head supportin~ area, so that
should the child topple hackwards, the fall is not brok.en and
the child will fall to a completely prone position absorbln~ the
brunt o the fall in the small of the hack.
In order to perform repeated tumhling exercises in the
past, it has heen necessar,v, to align a plurality of tumblinq mats.
As can be appreciated, it is very easy to loose one's orientat.on
and to stray from that al.igned path of mats ~hen repeat.ing
tumbling maneuvers. Due to spacial limitations, one is limited
to certain areas where the aligned mats can he set up.
As anyone who exercises regularly will appreciate, con-
tinued practice in performing headstands, handstands, nip-ups,
repeated tumbling maneuvers and the lik.e can be very horing and
monotonous. This is especiall,v true for younger children who
generally have'a very limited span o attention. '
The present invention provides a portahle exercising ~at
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1 comprising a first portion an~ a s~cond portion integral with one
another. The first portion includes hand grips for performing
repeated tumbling exercises. The second portion is constructed
from a soft resilient material and is thickened relative to the
first portion. The arrangement is such that when a person using
the mat is lying in a supine position on the mat with the user's
head resting on the first portion, the user's back is supported
by and arched over the second portion. Therefore, when the person
exercising on the mat tumble backwards, his or her fall will be
broken before reaching the prostrate or prone position. This is not
only comforting from a physical standpoint, but also provides a
psychological inducement by helping to overcome the inherent fear
of a young child in performing exercising maneuvers. The overcoming
of this fear especially in ~oung children is the first step in
acquiring basic gymnastic skills which are picked up quickly and
easi~y through the use of the mat according to this invention. ~ -
BRIEF DESCl~IPTION_ OF THE DRAWINGS : :
The above as well as other features and advantages of
the present invention will become apparent in the following
detailed description of the preferred embodiments according to
this invention, wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view looking down on a tumbling
mat having a preferred configuration according to this invention;
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Figure 2 is a sec-tional view taken along the lines 2-2
of Figure 1 showing the user's hand in an optimal position on the
tumbling mat;
Eigure 3 is an enlarged view of the whistle shown in the
extreme right hand side of Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a perspective view looking down on an alter-
native preferred construction for the tumbling mat according to
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1 this invention;
Figures 5 through 7 are perspective views looking down on
a`child using -the tumbling mat of E'igure ~ in performing repeated
tumbling exercises;
Figure 8 is a perspective view looking down on s-till
another preferred construction of a tumbling mat according to this
invention, showing the user in a supine position with his head
resting on the first section and his back arched over the second
section;
Figure 9 is an enlarged perspective view of the hand
grips of the tumbling mat shown in Figure 8.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
Figure 1 shows a tumbling mat generally indicated at 1,
comprising first section 3 and second section 5. As becomes
apparent from Figure 2, the second section is considerably
thicker than the first section. In addition, it is constructed
; from a soft foam rubber material or the like. The first section,
which is integral with the second section, may haVe a similar
construction.
The tumbling mat shown in Figures 1 and 2 is provided with
a pair o~ hand grips 7. These hand grips are especially useful
in performing repeated tumbling maneuvers as will be explained
hereinafter. Weighted portion 9, provided in second section 5,
i9 also of assistance in performing repeated tumbling maneuvers.
The second section can either be solid foam rubber mat-
erial, or hollowed as shown in Figure 2. The hollow area 13 may
be provided with one or more supporting partitions 14 to provide
; additional support in the hollowed area beneath the user's back
when performing various exercises.
Tumbling mat 1 is additlonally provided with a reed or
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1 whistle 11 as shown in Fi~ure 3. Whistle 11 :is located in a
passage extending through -the second section to the hollow area
so that upon partial collapse of -the second sec-tion, air is
expelled from hollow area 13 through whistle 11 provlded in
passage 15 to produce a noise from the whistle. The whistle is
constructed to permit the return of air to hollowed area 13. It
will be appreciated that whistle 11 can be replaced by any type
of noise-making device.
Figure 4 shows a tumbling mat 21, having a somewhat
different configuration. This mat includes first section 23 and
second section 25. The first section is provided with a pair of
:
ball hand grips 27, hand grip markings 29 and head position
marking 31. Second section 25 is provided with weighted portion
35.
Figure 8 shows a tumbling mat 31 construc-ted from a single
piece of foam rubber rolled back upon itself to provide a first
section 33 and a second section 35. Again, second section 35
may be provided with supporting partitions. It will be noted from
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figure 8 that the second section of mat 31 is considerably thicker
than first section 33.
Hand grips 37 including cut away portions 39 for clamping
engagement with the user's hands during repeated tumbling exercises,
are best shown in Figure 9.
Tumbling mat 1, shown in Figure 1 is especially suited
for production by injection molding. All three of the mats shown
in Figures 1, 4 and 8 are preferably provided with a tough outer
skin which does not detract from the cushioning of -the mat, but
does add to the mat's durability.
A11 of the mats shown in the drawings are used in
30 essentially the same manner. The user positions his or her head
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l over the ~irst sec-tlon of the mat. If -the user is performlng
head stands or hand stands, the hands may be placed on -the
floor at the sides of the first section, or directly on the
first section so that the hand grips need not necessarily be
provided on the mat. When the user locates his or her head over
the first section, the user's back immediately assumes the position
where it will be cushioned b~ the second section, should the user
topple backwards to a supine position. As can be seen in Figure 4,
first section 23 of mat 21 is flat to assist in performing head
stands. If the first section were inclined from the horizo~tal,
it would tend to tilt the head at an angle, and topple the person
performing the head stand.
The tumbling mat shown in Figures 4 through 7 is adapted
for use by very young children. Hand grip markings 29 indicate
that the.palm of the hand should be placed over the ball grips
27 for holding on to the ball grips during repeated tumbling
maneuvers. In addition, head marking 31 indicates to the child
the optimal posi-tion for the top of the head.
Figures 5 through 7 show the use of the mat for repeated
tumbling maneuvers. The user assumes the proper positioning by
grasping the hand grips and locating his or her head over the
first section of the mat~ Thereafter he or she simply rolls
forward to a supine position where the second section of the mat
cushions the fall of the back before the user assumes a completely
prone or prostrate position. The user maintains a grasp on the
hand grips so that the mat moves with the user for further tumbles.
As becomes apparent from Figure 8, the back is arched over the
second section with the user's legs curled around until his or
her feet contact the ground. This arching of the back and curl- :
ing of the legs significan.ly enhances the user's ahility to
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1 return to the standing position for performing urther tumbles.
The light construc-tion of the mat, makes it easy to flip
up and over the head of the user. The weighted portion at the
end of the second section is also made from a soft material which
is heavier than the rest of the mat. This additional weight
at the free end of the mat provides a hinging effect at the
juncture between the first and second sections which also assists
in flipping the mat.
When a child uses a mat such as that shown in Figure 4,
10 he or she will be rewarded by the noise made rom the noise- ~-
making device each time a proper tumble is performed. This,
as is the case with any other-noise-making device, maintains
-the intrigue of the child so that he or she will continue to
practice and quickly acquire basic ~ymnastic skills.
The elevation of the second section relative to the first
section, fulfills two functions. Physically it cushions and
arches the user's back prior to reaching a prostrate position.
Mentally lt provides the impetus required to persuade a child to
perform exercises in which the child can possibly fall onto his
or her back. Furthermore, in performing repeated tumbling
exercises, the user is not restricted to a predetermined path,
nor does the user miss the mat by losing his or her orientation
because the mat moves with the user.
~ Although various preferred embodiments of the invention
have been described herein in detail, it will be apparent to
one skilled in the art that variations may be made thereto
without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope ~-
of the appended claims.
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