a friend/long time training partner of mine is opening a BJJ school in our hometown and i am helping him as much as possible and we were wondering if any one has done the judo style sub flooring at their place? and is it worth it? was it hard to set up? thanks any help is welcome and appreciated
My coach did that to our mats. Email him crazytimbjj@yahoo.com he'll be happy to tell you how he did it.
Definitely worth it. 
nogidavid - http://www.judocalendar.com/denverdojo/Floorsystem.htm
some good info
+1
This also: http://judoinfo.com/tatami.htm
Beyond that, you can do it a few ways. The cheapest/easiest is probably to use tires underneath the plywood. The next is to use foam blocks or gymnastics springs(more expensive). And the sweetest, though most expensive is to do a sunken sprung floor like they have at the Kodokan and other dojos in Japan(ie: the mats are flush with the floor).
nogidavid - http://www.judocalendar.com/denverdojo/Floorsystem.htm
some good info
I've read everything on that page. I've been dying to build that floor for years.
People (including myself for a long time) just do not understand that falling on a harder surface has a different cumulative effect on your body than taking the same falls on a softer surface.
Even if you never get acutely injured from a fall, the cumulative effect of jarring ukemi WILL catch up to you.
A good falling surface isn't just for comfort and to protect from traumatic injuries but for long term orthopedic health.
Dancers know this. That's why pretty much all dance schools have sprung floors.
I did it at my gym.
It's amazing. Really. I recommend it for any gym that's going to train takedowns or impact.
The construction isn't hard, not that expensive...just a bit time consuming.
Steve72,
Did you use foam blocks?
Andre from Carlsons in Chicago has his own school in Homewood, Illinois. He has a Judo-style ground and mat set up. It's the best mat area I've ever been on. He posts here sometimes as JudoInMotion I think. I agree with Shen. As a dude with various injuries, most places just have mats on a normal floor and training throws and takedowns on them beats the crap out of me.
I just re-floored under my mat area using foam blocks and two layers plywood (with non-overlapping seams).
It's AMAZING. I could take falls on that floor ALL DAY
Sub
So plywood and 2x4's?
shen -
Steve72,
Did you use foam blocks?
Yep. There's a guy at Wisconsin Foam who has a mini-industry in preparing them for judo/jiu-jitsu clubs. Let me know if you want his contact info.
Steve72 -shen -
Steve72,
Did you use foam blocks?
Yep. There's a guy at Wisconsin Foam who has a mini-industry in preparing them for judo/jiu-jitsu clubs. Let me know if you want his contact info.
yes steve i would like this guys contact info,sir.
my email is: thiseley@yahoo.com
twinkletoesCT - I just re-floored under my mat area using foam blocks and two layers plywood (with non-overlapping seams).
So you laid the second layer of plywood exactly on top of the first? As in each sheet was laid in the exact same position as the one below?
James
No, just the opposite. We made sure that NO seams crossed or overlapped each other, in any direction. Or to say it differently, every seam is overlapped (or underlapped) by the center of another sheet of plywood. It looks like this:
OK cool, that makes more sense :)
James
Irishcarbomb21 -Steve72 -shen -
Steve72,
Did you use foam blocks?
Yep. There's a guy at Wisconsin Foam who has a mini-industry in preparing them for judo/jiu-jitsu clubs. Let me know if you want his contact info.
yes steve i would like this guys contact info,sir.
my email is: thiseley@yahoo.com
email sent.
go to www.nhbgear.com/forum.
there was a dude in montana i think or some where the fuck out there in the middle of nowhere that built a kick ass dojo and he did his own flooring using plywood and old tires. that shit looked great and looked as inexpensive as you can get in building a "spring loaded" floor.
go to that website and ask for that guy...
he posts here too but there was a thread there w/ pics and everything.