This is the 3rd in a series of posts focusing with the requirements of key standards for indoor sports flooring. Globally Area Deflection is the most controversial property of sport surfaces. That is the very reason why the EU decided not to include it in their indoor multi-use sport standard (EN 14904). Area deflection does not apply to point elastic (synthetic) playing surfaces. Within North America it primarily applies to wood playing surfaces, but may be used to describe a combination (wood/synthetic) system.
Area deflection is a measurement of how well the sport surface transmits vibrations generated from an impact through the surface. A higher value for area deflection means vibrations are transmitted stronger and further within the system. If you have ever dribbled a basketball and felt the floor vibrate beneath your feet, that essentially is what area deflection measures. Lower values means the vibrations are smaller and you don’t feel them as much. Higher values often feel uncomfortable to the athlete. While ASET does not consider it a safety standard, it does correlate to the preferences of basketball players with regard to vibration levels.
As owners and architects consider this property and how it will be used in their specifications, ASET urges them to consider the following: