ALL RIGHT. HE’S GOT A CHANCE WITH THE HAIR. HE’S GOT A SHOT. HE’S GETTING SO CLOSE, AND HE’S GOT IT. THAT WAS HOUSTON’S DANIEL GILL CRUSHING THE QUALIFYING ROUND ON AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR. IF YOU WATCHED THE SEASON PREMIERE OF AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR TONIGHT, YOU MIGHT HAVE THOUGHT, THAT LOOKS LIKE FUN. I WANT TO TRY THAT. YEAH. THE COMPETITION SHOW FEATURES ELITE ATHLETES, BUT THE SPORT ITSELF IS OPEN TO ALL SKILL LEVELS. WVTM 13 LISA CRANE SHOWS US HOW YOU TOO CAN BECOME A NINJA. BEAUTIFUL. OH MY GOODNESS THAT LOOKS SO GOOD AT JUST 18 YEARS OLD. WILL KING IS A STANDOUT AT THE NINJA OBSTACLE ACADEMY IN HUNTSVILLE. SEAMLESS. I FEEL LIKE I’VE ALWAYS BEEN IN KIND OF LIKE A MONKEY, PER SE. I’VE ALWAYS BEEN CLIMBING ON STUFF, BUT I SAW NINJA AND I JUST THOUGHT THAT WAS WHAT I WANTED TO DO. BEAUTIFUL. HE TRAINED ON HIS OWN WHEN HE WAS LITTLE, THEN JOINED THE ACADEMY SEVERAL YEARS AGO. AND HE’S NOT THE ONLY STUDENT INSPIRED BY THE SHOW. IT GETS A LOT OF PEOPLE EXCITED AND MOTIVATED TO TRY IT THAT OTHERWISE MAY NOT HAVE. YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT’S ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS THAT THE SHOW DOES IS IT SHOWS YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A SUPERHUMAN TO DO THIS AVERAGE JOE AND AVERAGE JANE CAN DO IT. GOOD JOB GUYS, YOU’RE DOING GREAT. YOU MAY START OFF AS AN AVERAGE JOE, BUT NINJA TRAINING WILL WHIP YOU INTO SHAPE IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE. WE KIND OF TAKE A COMBINATION OF GYMNASTICS, UH, PARKOUR, ROCK CLIMBING, AND THEN MARTIAL ARTS, AND WE KIND OF MAKE THIS FUSION THAT ALLOWS FOR IT BEING A TRAINING THAT’S LIKE PHILOSOPHIC PEOPLE ON TOP OF PHYSICAL ON TOP OF MENTAL. WE ARE THEN GOING TO GO TO WRIST CIRCLES. NOW MORE IN THE OTHER COACHES ARE TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF NINJAS KIDS AS YOUNG AS SEVEN ARE LEARNING THE BASIC NINJA MOVES SO THEY CAN ONE DAY MASTER THE WARPED WALL. SO YOU HAVE LIKE A BODY PROP DINO STRIDE PUNCH, AND SIMPLE HARMONIC MOTION OR SHIMMY. AND IF YOU CAN LEARN THESE SIX NINJA MOVES, THOSE ARE THE ONLY MOVES THAT EXIST. IF YOU CAN LEARN THESE SIX MOVES, YOU CAN COMBINE AND MODIFY THEM TO TACKLE ANY OBSTACLE IN FRONT OF YOU. WHETHER YOU’VE SEEN IT BEFORE OR NOT. THIS IS LIKE THROWING YOUR BODY FORWARD FROM A HANGING POSITION. A DINO IS THE REVERSE THROWING YOUR BODY BACK OR UP THE SHIMMY IS SWINGING LIKE A PENDULUM TO PROPEL YOUR BODY, AND THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF A BODY PROP. IT’S LIKE A PLANK. THEY BREAK DOWN EACH MOVE INTO SEVERAL STEPS. STUDENTS PRACTICE BEFORE ATTEMPTING COMPLEX OBSTACLES WILL MASTERED THESE MOVES AND HAS CLIMBED TO THE TOP IN MANY COMPETITIONS AROUND THE COUNTRY, MOST RECENTLY, HE LIVED OUT HIS DREAM TO COMPETE ON AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR. HE’LL APPEAR ON THE SHOW THIS SEASON, GOING THERE AND ACTUALLY SEEING IT IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE THAN ANYTHING THAT I’VE EVER DONE BEFORE. LIKE, IT’S JUST LIKE IT’S A WHOLE NEW LEVEL OF NINJA NOW. WILL CAN’T TELL US HOW HE DID, SO WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO WATCH THE SHOW TO FIND OUT. BUT WIN OR LOSE, HE SAYS, IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE AND IT GAVE HIM A NEW APPRECIATION FOR THE SPORT HE’S LOVED SINCE HE WAS SIX. IT KEEPS YOU HEALTHY, IT KEEPS YOU FIT WHILE YOU’RE ALSO HAVING A GOOD TIME DOING IT. IT IS THE MOST FUN WAY T

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‘A whole new level of ninja’: 18-year-old continues dominance on obstacle courses

Updated: 1:25 AM EDT Jun 5, 2024

At just 18 years old, Will King stands out at the Ninja Obstacle Academy in Huntsville, Alabama.“I feel like I’ve always been kind of like a monkey, per se. I’ve always been climbing on stuff, but I saw ninja and I just thought that was what I wanted to do,” King said.He trained on his own when he was little and then joined the academy several years ago. Justin Moore, co-owner of the academy, said, “I think that it gets a lot of people excited and motivated to try it who otherwise may not have.”You may start as an average Joe, but ninja training will whip you into shape in more ways than one.Moore said, “We take a combination of gymnastics, parkour, rock climbing, and martial arts, and we fuse them into a training that is philosophical, physical, and mental.”Now, Moore and the other coaches are training the next generation of ninjas. Kids as young as 7 are learning the basic ninja moves so they can one day master the warped wall.Moore said, “You have the lache, body prop, dino, stride, punch, and simple harmonic motion or shimmy. If you can learn these six ninja moves, you can combine and modify them to tackle any obstacle in front of you, whether you’ve seen it before or not.”The lache is throwing your body forward from a hanging position. A dino is the reverse — throwing your body back or up. The shimmy involves swinging like a pendulum to propel your body. A body prop is similar to a plank. They break down each move into several steps that students practice before attempting complex obstacles.King mastered these moves and has climbed to the top in many competitions around the country. He said, “Going there and actually seeing it is a completely different experience than anything that I’ve ever done before. It’s a whole new level of ninja.”King has a new appreciation for the sport he’s loved since he was 6.He said, “It keeps you healthy. It keeps you fit while you’re also having a good time. It is the most fun way to work out.”

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. —

At just 18 years old, Will King stands out at the Ninja Obstacle Academy in Huntsville, Alabama.

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“I feel like I’ve always been kind of like a monkey, per se. I’ve always been climbing on stuff, but I saw ninja and I just thought that was what I wanted to do,” King said.

He trained on his own when he was little and then joined the academy several years ago.

Justin Moore, co-owner of the academy, said, “I think that it gets a lot of people excited and motivated to try it who otherwise may not have.”

You may start as an average Joe, but ninja training will whip you into shape in more ways than one.

Moore said, “We take a combination of gymnastics, parkour, rock climbing, and martial arts, and we fuse them into a training that is philosophical, physical, and mental.”

Now, Moore and the other coaches are training the next generation of ninjas. Kids as young as 7 are learning the basic ninja moves so they can one day master the warped wall.

Moore said, “You have the lache, body prop, dino, stride, punch, and simple harmonic motion or shimmy. If you can learn these six ninja moves, you can combine and modify them to tackle any obstacle in front of you, whether you’ve seen it before or not.”

The lache is throwing your body forward from a hanging position. A dino is the reverse — throwing your body back or up. The shimmy involves swinging like a pendulum to propel your body. A body prop is similar to a plank. They break down each move into several steps that students practice before attempting complex obstacles.

King mastered these moves and has climbed to the top in many competitions around the country.

He said, “Going there and actually seeing it is a completely different experience than anything that I’ve ever done before. It’s a whole new level of ninja.”

King has a new appreciation for the sport he’s loved since he was 6.

He said, “It keeps you healthy. It keeps you fit while you’re also having a good time. It is the most fun way to work out.”

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