While it’s great to have all of the high flying, exciting obstacles you see on the TV show, it’s also important to remember the little novice Ninjas just starting out. No doubt, most of them want to immediately hop up on a salmon ladder or give the 14ft warped wall a go, but obviously that’s not exactly realistic. Of course, there will also be many youngsters that may walk in to your facility and see some of these towering obstacles and get intimidated right from the start.
A great way to alleviate some of the fears of the timid ones and keep the interest of the more ambitious little ninjas is to have a good selection of obstacles that mimic the popular ones but are scaled down to be more of a trainer obstacle. It is important for your program to be unique and consistently varied. But more importantly, you should have trainer obstacles where your younger athletes can learn proper technique in preparation for the show level obstacles.
One example of a popular obstacle that is appealing to kids of all ages is the Flying Bar. Considering the big air and large gaps the athlete has to cross with this obstacle, it is not one for the squeamish. A miss here and it’s a long fall to the ground. This is definitely a high level obstacle that is meant for properly trained ninjas. But, what if the little ones could do something similar that has the same technique but on a much smaller scale?
That’s exactly what our very own Flying Bar Trainer does. Give your novice ninjas some peace of mind knowing there aren’t any huge gaps to cross where they can potentially plummet 10ft. This innovative obstacle allows them to practice the same tap and body movement as the original flying bar, but the solid piece keeps them on the apparatus and keeps their spirits high. Challenge them as they progress by having them hop multiple ridges.
Check out some athletes working out on the FBT:
See more info on the Flying Bar Trainer and other unique obstacles here
Brad Thornton
