10 Best Mat Tapes for Wrestling and Grappling in 2023

If you’re laying mats for wrestling, BJJ, Judo, etc., in your home gym and want to keep the individual pieces from sliding around, you need some quality mat tape. You could also build a DIY frame around the mats to secure them properly, but you’d still need tape to prevent the edges from riding over each other.

Today, I shall review the best mat tapes for wrestling and grappling. You can’t just go with generic industrial or construction tape. You need specialized mat tape that doesn’t leave residue on the mats, and it should certainly not rip off any paint from your wrestling/ BJJ mats.

Meister Premium Mat Tape

• Size: 3” x 84’, 4” x 84’
• Color: Clear
• Material: Vinyl
• Features: Non-binding adhesive
• Strengths: Leaves no residue, works very well on roll-out mats

This pack of Meister tape contains three 84-foot rolls, each can be 3” or 4” wide, depending on which version you get. Meister tape is optimized for roll-out wrestling mats; these are thick foam mats with vinyl skin. Because the adhesive binds instead of bonding, it won’t rip off the vinyl skin on your wrestling mats.

Champion Sports Wrestling Mat Tape

• Size: 3” x 28 yards, 3” x 36 yards, 4” x 28 yards, 4” x 36 yards
• Color: Clear
• Material: Rubber
• Features: Removable and reusable
• Strengths: Durable, works in very hot climates

Because this is rubber tape, it’s especially good for mats that lay on concrete floors in hot climates. So, if you’ve got a few exercise or Judo mats in your garage that keep melting down normal tape, I recommend the Champion Sports tape. Since this tape has a smooth and relatively grip-free texture, I suggest you go with the thinner 3” variant so it doesn’t extend far beyond the mat edge.

Gamecraft Mat Tape

• Size: 3” x 84’, 4” x 84’
• Color: Clear
• Material: PVC
• Features: Tear-resistant, waterproof
• Strengths: Strong glue, reusable

Gamecraft isn’t a popular brand in combat sports, so it’s surprising to see that this roll of mat tape costs more than others despite being the same length (84 feet). Rest assured, you aren’t paying the additional money for nothing- it’s extremely durable with a thick PVC core that features very sticky adhesive. With proper application, this tape can last for months.

Outus Wrestling Mat Tape

• Size: 4” x 131’
• Color: Clear
• Material: PVC
• Features: Residue-free, non-toxic
• Strengths: Works perfectly on foam wrestling mats

Outus tape works on MMA, BJJ, Judo, wrestling, and boxing mats. It’s also very long; other brands only give you 84 feet of tape for a similar price. Sure, this isn’t the most grippy or durable tape you can buy- but it’s adequate for a basic home gym or small dojo.

Great Call Athletics Mat Tape

• Size: 4” x 84’
• Color: Clear
• Material: PVC
• Features: Reusable, inner core logo print
• Strengths: Works with jiu-jitsu mats, boxing mats, and wrestling mats

It’s easy to apply and fully transparent to not obscure any logos printed on the mat. The PVC core is strong, with zero stretchiness, so your mats won’t start drifting apart after 2 weeks of installing this tape. Some cheaper tapes do that, and removing them is often a bigger hassle than installing a new section of tape.

Dollamur Sport Surfaces Clear Mat Tape

• Size: 3” x 84’, 4” x 84’
• Color: Clear
• Material: Vinyl
• Features: Removable and reusable
• Strengths: Durable core, zero elasticity

Dollamur mats are widely used by dojos and gyms worldwide; their mat tape is equally amazing. It’s completely clear, reusable, and versatile, which means you can remove the tape from one type of mat and plant it on another. However, understand that the tape only works with smooth surfaced mats (vinyl).

Cannon Sports Clear Mat Tape

• Size: 3” x 28 yards, 4” x 28 yards
• Color: Beige
• Material: PVC
• Features: Waterproof
• Strengths: Strong core, reusable adhesive

Let’s say you’ve got some old roll-out mats in your wrestling gym, and that Velcro on the floor just isn’t holding up like it used to. In that case, you should grab a few rolls of this tape and use it to patch up all the gaps. This will ensure that one of your students doesn’t randomly smash their toes into the hard floor underneath.

Cannon Sports mat tape is moisture-proof; it doesn’t matter how hard you sweat on top of it- the adhesive will hold strong. This tape uses zero-residue adhesive, so you can just peel it back up when it’s time to end class and roll up the mats for storage. Then, in the morning, reapply the same piece of tape.

Matman Wrestling MaxTAPE Mat Tape

• Size: 4” x 84’
• Color: Clear
• Material: PVC
• Features: Transparent, multi-use
• Strengths: Durable 8mm thick core, works on a wide range of surfaces

With an 8mm PVC core, this is one of the thickest mat tapes you can buy. Well, it’s not so thick as to bulge out from the surface of your mats, but you can definitely tell the difference between this and regular tape. The 4-inch width guarantees a wide surface area for the zero-residue adhesive to work its magic.

Cliff Keen Super Grip Mat Tape

• Size: 4” x 84’
• Color: Clear
• Material: PVC
• Features: Waterproof
• Strengths: Doesn’t leave any residue behind, very strong adhesive

Apparently, Super Grip is “the strongest mat tape on the market” (at least according to Cliff Keen). While Meister would like to talk about that, I can assure you that this is indeed one of the stickiest tapes you can buy. And it will effortlessly bind dozens of wrestling or BJJ mats into one seamless surface.

Meister Double-Sided XL Mat Tape

• Size: 3” x 30 yards
• Color: Clear
• Material: Cotton
• Features: Removable backing
• Strengths: Sticks to plastic, rubber, foam, and many other surfaces

If you thought the Cliff Keen tape was sticky, you should give this one a try. Even 3 inches feels a tad too wide because getting the tape off can be quite a hassle once you need to move the mats somewhere else. Despite its massive grip strength, this tape leaves no residue on your mat, so you can rest easy.

Conclusion

I hope this article helped you understand how mat tape works and which is the best one for you. Whether you’re using a smooth finish, heavy vinyl, or puzzle mats, you need good tape to keep everything secure. In a dojo, you might prefer rolling or folding mats since they can be easily removed for cleaning and stored in a compact space.

Good mat tape works with all types of mats and doesn’t tear off the vinyl. It should also be wide to provide a superior seal and better binding. Before laying the tape, clean the mat edges, then use a partner to flatten it out as you lay it down (remove air bubbles and wrinkles).

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Last update on 2024-07-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API