SpOTlight – Interactive Sports Zone

Posted on December 12, 2019December 12, 2019 by Brad Thornton — Leave a comment

Ninja Obstacle SPoTlight – The Versa Ladder

We sound like a broken record, but as it’s name suggests, we created the Versa Ladder with the idea of versatility in mind for your Ninja course. It really doesn’t make sense to have 100 obstacles in your gym with 50 in storage when you can have 50 obstacles hanging on your rig that have the same functionality as the 100. That’s a little exaggeration but you get the point.

We comfortably placed 3 different obstacles on the Versa Ladder which also caters to 3 different skill levels. Can’t get much better than that right? So, let’s take a look at each…

Standard Monkey Bars – Beginner
- These are pretty self explanatory and pretty much a must in every Ninja gym. The Versa Ladder has a set of rungs that are static and welded to the outside rails of the element. The rungs are perfectly spaced for beginner Ninjas but no reason all levels and athlete sizes can’t use them as they please.
Cliffhanger Ledges – Intermediate
- Another Ninja staple – We opted to go with a more mid level (2in) friendly ledge along all four sides of this obstacle. That’s not to say you can’t swap them out for some 1 “inchers” to make it wicked hard. OR no reason why you can’t mix them up. The combinations are endless really. What I love about the ledges on each end of the obstacle, is they make for a fun transition to or from another obstacle. A recent trade show we did, we had a simple leche bar with a nice 6ft leche to the cliffhanger ledge. Great fun!
Floating Monkey Bars – Intermediate/Advanced
- A fresh Ninja element, The floating monkey bars present its own unique challenge. The motion through the obstacle is similar to the monkey bars except there is one big difference – the rungs aren’t attached! Don’t worry, we added some nice cups for you not much bigger than the rung where you can place them. Therein lies the challenge. Our cup diameter is slightly bigger than the rung itself. This means you have to be hyper focused on placing that rung properly, otherwise you will be hanging from one arm for a long time – and any Ninja will tell you that can be a course run killer. Also, it’s worth mentioning these rungs are carbon fiber which are very light and safe.

Here is a photo of that beautiful and versatile piece of equipment:

How about a video too!

This would look amazing on your Ninja frame, don’t you think?

Hit me up if you want to talk about it!

Brad@interactivesportszone.com

Posted on August 29, 2018August 29, 2018 by Brad Thornton — Leave a comment

AG Ninja’s Newest Obstacles

Releasing new obstacles is always an exciting thing for me. Seeing them go from a 3D mockup to hanging from someone’s Katana Frame provides such a sweet satisfaction.

Here are the latest releases from AG Ninja:

The Revolver

Price: $1175

Difficulty: Advanced Ninja

Age Range: Teen – Adult

Material: Powder Coated Steel

Body Parts Worked: Biceps, triceps, back, shoulder, grip strength

You’ve seen the rumbling dice and the rotating spindle. Now comes The Revolver. This unique obstacle combines a myriad of challenges that will test the will power of the best athletes. Similar to the rumbling dice, one must do a pull/push motion with both arms on the Revolver rungs to get the heavy piece moving. However, The rungs of this obstacle provide their own challenge as they increase in thickness. Yes, thicker definitely means more difficult!

If you already have rails for a Rumbling Dice, you have the option of purchasing the Revolver as a stand alone obstacle.

The Wishbone

Price: $315 ea.

Difficulty: Advanced Ninja

Age Range: Teen – Adult

Material: Powder Coated Steel, polyurethane grips

Body Parts Worked: Biceps, triceps, back, shoulder, grip strength

It’s hard enough when an obstacle rotates on you, but when it swings and rotates, you have a problem on your hands. The athlete will get to test grip strength, upper body strength, core and the lechè skills with this obstacle. The wishbone is made of a powder coated steel and will include cannon balls on the ends to assist with the grip.

The Tic Toc Bag

Price: $795

Difficulty: Beginner/Intermediate

Age Range: 5 to Adult

Material: Vinyl padding, Powder Coated Steel, plastic base

Body Parts Worked: Biceps, Calfs, Quads

The Tic Toc bag provides a great deal of fun and versatility. A common use is to release from another obstacle and bear hug the bag and fight to hold on as it sways back and forth. So, you will often see a trapeze placed before this obstacle to get some high flying excitement. The soft padding is quite forgiving with it’s 2ft diameter and vinyl covering. The plastic base provides some needed support for foot placement. The obstacle is about 7.5ft tall and 3ft wide

The Cobra

Price: $775

Difficulty: Intermediate

Age Range: 8 to Adult

Material: Powder Coated Steel

Body Parts Worked: Biceps, back

Like a slithering Cobra, this obstacle rolls up and down and finishes with a climb to the raised head. Participants simply walk their hands along the back of The Cobra and try their best to avoid the venom! This obstacle works upper body and grip strength and would be considered intermediate level. Included are the rolling poles, mounting sticks and hardware.

The Flying Monkey

Price: $675 ea.

Difficulty: Intermediate/Advanced

Age Range: 12 to Adult

Material: Powder Coated Steel, Plastic Veneer

Body Parts Worked: Biceps, back, abs

One of the more popular obstacles from the TV show, the Flying squirrel allows the athletes to get HUGE air while swinging from one to the next. In a structured obstacle training environment, the flying squirrel can be used for a massive age range in that it’s great for training taps/correct swing and release techniques.

When used in a course running environment, this would be considered a high level obstacle for very experienced athletes

Brad Thornton

Posted on June 21, 2018 by Brad Thornton — Leave a comment

Sport Obstacle Highlight – The Flying Rings

No, we certainly don’t have a shortage of “Flying” obstacles. Can you blame us? Who doesn’t like to soar through the air, reaching for a bar, a pipe, rings, whatever? You miss, you land on a big soft resi or in a foam pit. Fun times. I literally spend a good 30 minutes each day just trying to think up different new flying obstacles. So, in comes the flying rings!

We’ve been offering this one for a while but we haven’t really given them their fare share of attention. The obstacle is personally one of my favorites and I often try to encourage clients to consider them. Yes, they appear to be difficult, but once again, like many of our obstacles, there are a number of ways to use them.

First off, if you watch the show, the obstacle is designed a little differently then what you might expect. Instead of tethering the rings and having the athlete essentially jungle swing from rung to rung, we kept the rings free. In addition, we went with pairs of hooks and rings instead of singles. So, this requires one to swing with both rings in hand and lechè over and loop on to a set of hooks with the rings. Not only does this require body control and precise technique, but it also really brings in the element of mental focus . Once you have launched yourself in to the air, you now have to hone in on these small hooks and stay completely focused on them so that you have a shot at latching on to them with your rings.

“Wait!” you say…”That sounds hard!”

It is! But there are many ways to make it more Ninja novice friendly

With your youngsters, you can slide the rungs closer together and use the obstacle as more of a ring toss. In other words, the athlete is still hanging from one ring on a peg as they are reaching for the peg across from it.
You can also start them out on swings only while holding on to both rings – working the proper tapping technique and getting accustomed to the grip strength required to hold on with the extra force from the swing. From there, the athlete can ease in to a swing and release everything all together (including the ring), landing on a resi or in a pit. Next, they can release with ring in hand, learning to get it up and over the bend in the rung. And so on.
The rungs are designed in such a manner to also allow your athletes to use a bar in lieu of the rings if needed. A bar will be easier in that it requires a little less precision than the rings. So you can have them perfect this before graduating to the rings.

If your more experienced Ninjas need an extra challenge, space the rungs further apart or have them perform the obstacle with one ring only (both hands on one ring). Have them face the opposite direction when they begin so that they have to turn 180 degrees mid air to make the catch. So many ways to do it!

Remember, obstacles like the flying rings can put your athletes in extremely vulnerable positions (including upside down!). It is important to mat appropriately. With obstacles such as this, you will want to go thicker on the safety mat than you would with say a monkey bar at the same height.

Train safely and email with questions or comments. Below is a quick video showing the flying rings.

Brad Thornton

Brad@american-gymnast.com

Posted on June 18, 2018 by Brad Thornton — Leave a comment

Sport Obstacle Highlight – The Flying Squirrel

One of the newest obstacles added to the AG Ninja arsenal not only brings excitement in it’s functionality, but it’s also beautifully crafted with a lot of attention put in to the design. Outside of creating obstacles that are safe and professionally engineered, we really want to focus on designing items that look great. Let’s face it, when your customers walk in to your facility, you want them to take one look at your equipment and think “whoa, that is really nice!” No doubt, this was achieved with the release of the Flying Squirrel.

If you haven’t seen the show, you may not be familiar with this Ninja Obstacle. The mechanism you see in the photo above works in conjunction with a second one to create a swinging obstacle that allows you to act like…well, just like it’s name.

Generally, a series of these are lined up so the athlete can fly from one set of bars to the next. Obviously, this sounds like a high level obstacle, and normally I would categorize it as such when used in a conventional manner. However, sometimes you have to think differently of the products we offer. It’s important to see how each of them can be used as a training tool and not necessarily a means to getting from one side of a frame to another.

In a structured obstacle training environment, the flying squirrel can be used for a massive age range. Now, if it is being placed on a course type environment where kids are simply trying to mow through a series of obstacles then it is limited to a more skilled level.

For example, before kids can learn how to release a bar and grab another, it is imperative they learn a proper swing/tap first. The flying squirrel apparatus is a fun way for kids to practice this swing and even swing and release and drop in to a pit or large resi. We even have options with this obstacle to allow the arms to operate independently of one another (more difficult) or connected to each other (easier).

I love this obstacle and know that it provides a variety of ways to teach body control, coordination, strength, confidence etc. The sensation of one day flying is appealing for kids and adults so I promise you can’t go wrong by including these in your curriculum.

If you have any questions or need details, feel free to to email me at Brad@american-gymnast.com

Posted on January 20, 2018January 20, 2018 by Brad Thornton — Leave a comment

Sport Obstacle Highlight – The Flying Bar Trainer

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

Posted on November 30, 2017November 30, 2017 by interactivesports — Leave a comment

Sports Obstacle Highlight – The Unstable Monkey Bars

This SpOTlight video highlights the AG Ninja Unstable Monkey Bars obstacle. Monkey Bars are a great exercise for grip strength, arm and shoulder development and hand-eye coordination. More challenging than your typical playground monkey bars, the “unstable” front-to-back and side-to-side movement requires the athlete to maintain a greater focus while navigating from one end to the other.

Posted on November 24, 2017November 30, 2017 by Brad Thornton — Leave a comment

Sports Obstacle Highlight – The Floating Discs

One of the trickier things that comes with designing a Ninja Setup for a client is providing a course that will cover a broad age range and skill level. The majority of people we are designing for have kids that range in age from 4 to 15. So, creativity becomes essential in the design process.

We have to consider 3 main things

It must be fun and safe for the younger kids
It must be fun, safe, yet challenging for the older kids
The course must fit within the client budget

Of course, we could simply recommend a number of our obstacles to keep on hand to swap in and out on the Katana Frame. While it is nice to have additional obstacles so you can keep the course fresh, sometimes this does not work with the budget. So we have to constantly think of ways to be creative with obstacles so they may be used in a number of ways by different age groups.

With all of these thoughts in mind, we created the Hanging Disc obstacle. We wanted to see how we could transform our floating pole obstacle (which the young kids love) to something that the older kids would enjoy as well. Our Floating poles look like the image below:

This is a fun obstacle but there is only one way to use it. So, we decided to shorten the pole to about 15 inches and do a rope connection for the remaining length. This allows us to do the floating poles as well as the very challenging high floating discs. The below photos show the difference between the two:

Low Discs:

Then these low discs can easily be transformed to the high discs by eliminating the rope:

All of a sudden, this becomes one challenging Ninja obstacle! You get two obstacles in one and everybody is happy! You can see more of our sport obstacles here.

Email Brad@american-gymnast.com for any questions regarding Ninja or to see about our design services

Brad Thornton

Posted on October 21, 2017October 21, 2017 by interactivesports — Leave a comment

Sports Obstacle Highlight – The Warped Wall

Are you ready to beat that wall? We offer 2 types of Warped Walls – Premium and Basic – and several different sizes to choose from for Sports Obstacle Training. This SpOTlight Video shows different age athletes trying to scale our 10′ high Warped Wall. This should give you a good indication of which size Warped Wall(s) you should consider for your Ninja Training Programs.

Posted on October 21, 2017October 21, 2017 by interactivesports — Leave a comment

Sports Obstacle Highlight – The Slanted Steps

Some version of the slanted step has been around Ninja Warrior since the beginning. It’s one of those obstacle you just have to have. Our Slanted Steps are custom made out of high quality wood, painted to the color of your choice and come with a gripped surface to prevent any slipping on the step. Each step has velcro on the underside which adheres perfectly to carpet bonded foam. This SpOTlight Video shows 3 different age athletes demonstrating 3 different techniques, varying from Beginner to Advanced, for navigating across the Slanted Steps.

Posted on October 21, 2017October 21, 2017 by interactivesports — Leave a comment

Sports Obstacle Highlight – The Unstable Bridges

One of the staples for Ninja obstacles are the Unstable Bridges The low hanging wood or plexiglass planks dangle from sling hardware causing motion in all directions as soon as you step on them. The ninja must carefully scale across the plank while attempting to keep their weight distributed in the center of the board. Then comes the true test of leaping to board number two! The gap between the two bridges can be varied to increase or decrease the difficulty of the obstacle.