Shotokan Karate Tournament Mats - USAKF National Championships

By Brett Hart Created: September, 2018 - Modified: October, 2023

When Sam Justice, a ninth-degree karate black belt and owner of in Richmond, Virginia, needed mats for the 2017 USAKF National Karate Tournament, he went off the recommendation of a colleague and checked into Greatmats.com among other martial arts mat companies.

Discovering Greatmats had the best pricing among them, he decided on Greatmats 20 mm Pro Martial Arts Mats for the National Tournament.

On top of that, Sensei Justice added that he appreciates the design of the mats.

''I like the way you can interchange them really quick,'' he said. ''It's easy to show someone how to set up a mat. We usually set up an 8 meter square, and it's really easy to set them up like that when they're interconnected. It's got a good pattern to it.''

While he's very pleased with the mats, he cautions other users that, when brand new, the mats are a bit slippery, so proper cleaning and a break-in period is important.

Sensei Justice quickly contacted Greatmats about the problem, as footwork is essential in Karate, and he received cleaning instructions to help improve traction.

''I used the Pine Sol to clean them,'' Sensei Justice said. ''It took a couple times of doing that and that took care of my problem.''

''We used the mats yesterday,'' he said. ''Everything worked out fine. Nobody slipped. Nobody got killed. Everybody liked them.''

About Sensei Sam Justice

Sensei Justice began his Karate training in 1969 and started teaching in 1979 before starting Justice Karate American Shotokan in 1973.

''I just love it,'' he said. ''I've got a couple world champions. I've got one right now that's 11th in the world in the youth division. I was on the board of the AAU. I've been a referee, competitor, coach, instructor - you name it.''

Now retired from railroad work, Sensei says he's done martial arts most of his life as a hobby.

''I've trained in judo and jiujitsu, but not that much,'' he said. ''Karate's been my thing.''

Sam Justice
Justice Karate American Shotokan
Richmond VA 23294