The Wait is Over for Top Young Ninja Athletes!

The Expectations of the Top Athletes Have Grown with the Ninja Sport

Many Athletes Want to Make it to “The Big Leagues”

10 years ago, two ninja leagues started up with less than 25 gyms in the country.  We are so thankful that the Ultimate Ninja Athlete Association (UNAA)and the National Ninja League – now World Ninja League (WNL) got the Ninja Sport started and continue to offer competitions. Adult athletes kicked off the sport due to the reality TV show, American Ninja Warrior (ANW).  From what I’ve heard from the pioneers, the first few years were great.  It was a place for the stars of ANW – and those who wanted to be – to compete outside of the show.  I had the pleasure of going to the Season 3 National Ninja League Adult Finals as a spectator at Ninja Quest gym outside of Atlanta.  All three stages were well-designed by the legendary Ryan Stratis.  My son and I sat there with a couple of hundred other spectators in awe of being able to watch – and get autographs from – the legends and other very talented athletes compete.  This was “The Big Leagues!”  Or was it?

After both leagues first season, the number of gyms grew, and the kids started to come.  By season 3, the kids came in droves..  The qualifications for “finals” didn’t rise as fast as the number of participants.  So “finals” left the more intimate gyms for larger venues.  To pay for the larger venues, more people had to come.  But is bigger better?

“The Big Leagues” are no Longer the Professional Leagues

The Ninja Sport has come a long way in 10+ years.  The sport went from athletes who found a new sport, to a new sport that attracted athlete wanna-bes.  There are now hundreds (possibly thousands) of ninja gyms and conservatively speaking, more than 25,000 athletes competing in regional, national, and internationally sanctioned competitions. Many more train for the sport and look forward to competing.

With more access to training facilities, and more advanced facilities, the ones who trained the hardest have grown their skills tremendously.  The obstacles from the first few seasons of ANW are now the basic starting obstacles.  And the obstacles that the best in the sport can do seem almost unimaginable to mere mortals.

Just as there are all sorts of levels of established sports from “recreational” to “prep” to “pros”, the Ninja Sport is at the point of recognizing those levels.  The household names of major league sports that most can recognize by their abbreviations (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, PGA, etc) didn’t show up in the first couple of years people invented and started playing the respective sport.

Now, the best of the best “pro athletes” gather in the Ninja Sport Championship series created by Chris DiGangi and Ethan Swanson – two legends of the show and the sport.  As they watched the sport evolve, they recognized that the bar had been raised and it was time to provide a venue for the stars to shine.  They offer the most challenging courses at hand-picked gyms by the best pro course designers.  Participation is limited and spaced is reserved for “ranked athletes”, so the best and most well-rounded athletes can compete on technical/hybrid, speed, and endurance courses with room for other wanna-bes to try their luck at competing with them, much like a Pro-Am golf tournament. The athletes dominating the sport have grown up with it.  Examining the top 100 athletes on the Ninja Sport Network’s Athlete Ranking, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone with less than 5 years of training (other than the occasional inaccurate data).  16-23 year olds dominate the list, with a few 13-15 and 24-35 year-olds coming on or hanging strong.

The Best Prospects Need The Best Opportunities

And the kids keep on coming.  Roughly 80% of athletes in the larger leagues’ sanctioned competitions in the last year are under 18.  Those 13 and under comprise close to 60% of competitors in sanctioned events.  Some kids are just starting out.  But others have been training as soon as they could climb or run.  Is it fair for a young 13-year-old who started training last year to compete with a 13-year-old who has been training, competing, and usually winning for 7 years?  Is it best for the 13-year-old who has been super advanced in the sport to compete on courses designed for an average 13-year-old?  Why should these same amazing athletes wait all year long to finally compete with the best in their age group on courses designed for the above average 13-year olds?  What about the 8-12 year-olds?

Well, in case the answer to those questions are not obvious, there is an answer.

The Ninja Sport Network recently announced the Youth Ninja Sport Championship series starting in March of 2025.

There will be 32 Qualifiers: 8 in each of the Northeast, Southeast, Central, and West regions.  These qualifiers will have up to 40 kids in each of the 8-9, 10-11, and 12-13 age groups compete on both speed and technical/hybrid courses.  Beginners need not register.  The top 10 male and females will also compete on a “burnout” course to determine the top 3 that will advance to their regional (“sectional”) qualifiers.  The top 8 at each sectional will advance to the finals.

We’re excited that Rock Solid Warrior was chosen to host both a qualifier at our original, newly expanded Fuquay Varina location on May 31 – June 1, and a sectional at our South Apex location on August 2-3.

What About the Other Leagues?

We started the Ninja Carolina League as a local/regional developmental league.  It has been beginner-friendly from the beginning, offering beginner and advanced divisions in every age group so athletes can be challenged locally at appropriate skill levels.  Individuals and families do not have to travel far to compete and develop relationships with other athletes in the sport.  We think it is both the way to introduce people to the sport with both a relatively low level of investment, and for more experienced athletes to compete in a convenient manner while bringing newer athletes along.

The Ultimate Ninja Athlete Association (UNAA) and the National Ninja League – now World Ninja League (WNL) have seasons starting in September that provide a single course and opportunities to qualify for a regional competition (March-June) that can lead to a national competition (June for WNL, July for UNAA).  The qualification criteria can be gamed to the point that it is rare for someone who really wants to go to the finals can’t get there if they know the system and are willing to travel to where they can easily qualify.  Both of their national competitions have really become more of a “jamboree” than a gathering of the best of the best.  They can be a lot of fun, and the best of the best who decide to compete in one or the other typically rise to the top.  We are not against competing in these leagues at all.  Both intermediate and advanced athletes can:

• learn a lot,
• meet a lot of ninja athetes from around the country,
• make it a mini vacation,
• be challenged,
• see what they still have to learn,

The best will still be the best (as long as they don’t have a bad day).

When you add in the Federation of International Ninja Athletics (FINA) whose season starts in November and also ends with finals in July in the same venue as UNAA, whose qualification criteria are harder to game, this is another larger league one might want to compete in, though their qualifying competitions are rarer in the southeast.

Any of these leagues can be great choices for intermediate and somewhat advanced athletes.  We’ve chosen to hold UNAA competitions at Rock Solid Warrior.

But for the most advanced young athletes, we believe the best option to see how far you can go will be the NSC Youth leagues.  And, if these young athletes ever dream of “going pro” someday, it will be the best way to prepare them for “the big leagues” of the Ninja Sport Championship.

What About the WNL Premier Series?

After the Ninja Sports Championship got the attention of the best pro Ninja athletes in its first two seasons, the WNL announced their premier series.  It has gotten mixed reviews from the pros that decided to participate, but many just stuck with the NSC.  Some younger WNL athletes decided to participate in it, too, and generally had good experiences at the events they participated in.  Others who don’t participate in the WNL weren’t qualified or interested.  Some involved in the WNL just thought the regular WNL season was too long and decided not to participate.  A few of their events were cancelled.  The WNL has not yet announced a 2025 Premier series.

Time will tell if the WNL Premier series will have staying power or whether the NSC Youth and NSC series will be the “go to” for the best of the best athletes.  The reputation of the Ninja Sport Network for being devoted to a high quality product is well noted in the ninja community.  They’ve been careful to not sacrifice quality for quantity and their focus is on the best of the best.  They recognize that there are plenty of other leagues that are serving beginner and intermediate athletes very well.  As in most things, the cream will rise to the top.