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Published: 2022-09-01 19:01:00 Updated: 2022-09-01 20:41:38
Posted September 1, 2022 7:01 p.m. EDT Updated September 1, 2022 8:41 p.m. EDT
By Debra Morgan, WRAL anchor/reporter
Durham, N.C. — The NBC show American Ninja Warrior made it popular – now the sport of Ninja is growing in the Triangle!
Kids as young as two and adults at any skill level can practice Ninja training, working their way up to doing different obstacles at the USA Ninja Challenge in Durham.
Watching the strength and agility in real-life, instead of on TV, is mesmerizing – and a little scary.
Through the thrill, parents are seeing their children thrive as they progress in their skill at each challenge – and learn how to become a Ninja.
"You zoom!" says one child at the gym in Durham, coached by Achiri Acha.
Acha leads the little ninjas through different obstacles at USA Ninja Challenge.
"We have to learn a lot of technique and get to the point where we can actually be truly like flying through the air," he says. "The sport is insanely fun."
Instead of climbing trees – or the walls at home – kids can focus that energy at a ninja gym.
They learn agility, balance and how to fall safely.
"It’s not just physically transitioning, which is difficult, it’s mentally transitioning," says Acha. "Okay, this is my plan for this obstacle, so I’m going with my feet here. Now all of a sudden, I’ve got to grab and I’m turning my body sideways."
The coach knows what he's talking about: He was a contestant on American Ninja Warrior.
"I watched the show and I was like, 'Oh, I can do that,'" he says.
As a coach, Acha considers 12-year-old John David Spatola one of his greatest success stories.
Spatola won a world ninja championship in his age group when he was just 11 years old. Known as 'The Dude,' he already has years of Ninja under his belt.
In a sport that has only officially existed for around seven years, Spatola has been practicing for around four.
"I love how humans are able to hang from stuff and fly through the air to other stuff," says Spatola.
The Dude comes from a family of champions: He’s longtime Duke basketball coach Mike Krzewyski’s grandson.
Plus, his dad was also a basketball players, and is now a basketball broadcaster.
"I’ve always felt like I’ve had to stick with basketball, but just because of my family," says Spatola. "But I’m doing what I love to do and what I want to do – and accomplishing what I want."
He still plays basketball for fun, but his heart – and drive to compete – is on the Ninja playing field.
Just like soccer moms and basketball moms, his mom is navigating the new sport of being a Ninja Mom.
"I’ll ask him, 'How did you do that?' and he’ll be like 'You know, you swing your hips and you kip. You kip,'" she says. "I don’t even know what that means!"
Her two daughters are also on board, with one starting at the age of three.
"I mean, it’s thrilling to watch," she says. "And the other thing that I really love about being a ninja parent is you can really see progress. They can’t do it, they can’t do it – and then all of a sudden they can!"
Aside from the thrill, the workout, the progress, and the support of the ninja community, they also learn how to navigate the obstacles of life.
"I feel like ninja connects to a lot of life lessons," says Spatola. "Like if you fall, you’ve got to get back up. You’ve got to try and try again. Everybody fails. Everybody makes mistakes. Lessons like that."
No fear of failure – just progression until you succeed.
"Even the very best, they're going to fall sometimes," echoes his coach Acha.
To any children who may be interested in Ninja, but a little afraid to start, Spatola advises, "You start at your level and work your way up to competing. The cool thing about ninja is that we welcome all skill levels."
He dreams of Ninja growing as a sport, becoming mainstream like football or basketball.
"I see it 10 years from now, I’m not going to say it, but maybe in the Olympics," says Spatola.
His Instagram shows energized videos of him doing Olympic-style feats of dexterity and strength, flying through obstacles in the air.
Spatola says he wants to keep competing – and maybe open his own gym and coach one day, just like his Grandpa.
People interested in watching a Ninja competition live can watch a competition Labor Day weekend at Rock Solid Warrior in Fuquay-Varina and Apex. It is expected to attract a lot of ninjas from the TV show who are accustomed to coming to NC for both Labor Day and Memorial Day for what was one of the original big ninja competitions.
For those who want to get involved in Ninja training, information is on the website for the USA Ninja Challenge gym in Durham. In Raleigh and Morrisville, there's a gym called Warrior Tech.
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