One of the most unique things that The Fitness Equation offers at our family gym is a Ninja Warrior course built for kids! If you reach back into the recesses of your mind to when you were in elementary or middle school, you might remember that there is nothing you would rather be doing as a kid than climbing up ropes, jumping over obstacles, crossing monkey bars, and competing with friends. Our Ninja Warrior course gives kids the opportunity to do all of the above in a creative, challenging, and safe environment.
Whether you are closer to our Asheville or Chantilly location, both of our facilities host courses where kids can participate in open play hours or scheduled classes and mimic the physical activities on the popular American Ninja Warrior television series. Our youth ninja training classes are available to both members and non-members, but TFE members receive a preferred rate!
Increased Focus and Concentration
We all know that kids can be a little scatterbrained at times, which isn’t always a bad thing! However, if you are looking for a fun way to increase your child’s concentration, Ninja Warrior classes are a great way to do so. The obstacles are just difficult enough to demand their undivided attention while they attempt to successfully complete different sections of the course. Practicing the ability to avoid distractions in a fun atmosphere can transfer over to other areas of life, such as the classroom.
Increased Flexibility
If your kid loves playing sports and wants to become a better athlete, lifting weights or running excessively can sometimes be dangerous for their developing bodies. Activities like gymnastics and Ninja Warrior training are great for promoting flexibility, which eliminates awkward movement by giving your muscles and joints a wider range of motion.
Improved Balance
Between ages 8 and 15, kids will see the most dramatic growth difference of their entire life. Because they are consistently working with longer limbs and larger hands and feet every year, their coordination and balance can be thrown off. Ninja Warrior classes are a great way to help kids build confidence in controlling their own bodies and maintaining stability while crossing balance beams or jumping from object to object.
Increased Body Control and Spatial Awareness
Spatial awareness, or the knowledge of objects in relation to oneself, is an essential aspect of nearly every sport. In basketball, an important component is having awareness of how far away from the basket you are when you shoot the ball. The same could be said about soccer, tennis, baseball, and others. Ninja course obstacles require kids to understand where obstacles are in relation to their bodies and how they must move their bodies in order to overcome that obstacle.
Increased Strength
Building strong core strength is like building a strong foundation for your child. From a young age, improving core strength can promote good posture and better motor skills. As easy as a ninja warrior course may look, climbing the pillars, jumping over the obstacles, and swinging on the rings requires great core strength and will also work muscle areas that you wouldn’t expect! It is no surprise that the best Ninja Warrior athletes that we watch on television have some of the strongest core strengths in the world.
Learn How To Fall (And How To Fail)
Even though kids don’t have as far to fall as grown adults, learning the proper way to fall is important in preventing injuries. The nature of the difficulty of different elements of the course will result in a few falls! Our ninja course is padded so that kids can safely fall without risking serious injury. We demonstrate the best ways to fall to help minimize impact and absorb shock. As ironic as it sounds, knowing how to safely fall is important for kids being able to protect themselves on the playground and in other sports.
Along with the physical benefits, the act of falling during the course teaches kids the important lesson of knowing how to bounce back from failure. If kids are playing on the course for the first time, it is inevitable that they will fail at successfully completing one or more areas of the course. Failure is one of the best lessons to help build resilience and teach kids how to creatively overcome challenges.
There Are No Winners And Losers
While there are ninja competitions for kids, Ninja Warrior classes can be as competitive or not as your kids want. Many kids like to set personal goals, such as completing the course faster, doing a higher number of pull-ups, etc. Because of this, their biggest competitor is themselves, and there is no clear winner or loser as there is with most youth sports.
You Don’t Have To Be a Natural Athlete
Every kid is different. If your son or daughter has tried traditional youth sports such as soccer and basketball and found that they either don’t enjoy them or aren’t naturally gifted at them, physical activity such as playing at a ninja gym can be a great outlet for their fitness needs. While certain physical traits such as balance and strength are helpful on ninja courses, any kid can participate and build self-esteem on the obstacles at TFE.
Increased Confidence
The visible improvements that kids makeover multiple visits to our ninja gym clearly show the confidence that they build up over time. No matter how many times they might fail, as long as they have a good attitude and good work ethic, they will eventually succeed! Our trainers help kids set attainable goals so that they have the ability to eventually achieve them and in turn boost their confidence to try more ambitious challenges. The confidence they take away from Ninja Warrior courses can be transferred to any area of life.
Visit Our Facility
If you live in Virginia, check our gym locations to see which kid’s ninja course is closest to you. Whether your child wants to participate in an organized class or just pop in for some free play, our gym can accommodate them and their friends.
You should also consider giving your child a birthday they will never forget with a Ninja Warrior birthday party! This allows for private access to the gym, instruction, and fun activities such as relays and timed runs. Give us a call to inquire about birthday party availability!
