When it comes to popular culture, people have always viewed those with incredible physical capabilities as special. They tune in and travel far to watch them compete against others of the same physical prowess or to heroically defeat a situation that they feel is difficult.
This category of entertainment is most famously recognised in ancient Rome. Gladiators face off against each other in perilous bouts within a wide arena for the public’s viewing pleasure. Thousands of years after such styles of combat, we continue the tradition with televised sports like WWE wrestling, professional Rugby League and Rugby Union and the most recent addition to intense physical sports and of course Australian Ninja Warrior.
Though Australian Ninja Warrior (ANW) can’t be directly compared to the tenacity of pro wrestling, or the raw athleticism of Rugby League. The intense display of physical feats gets the blood boiling all the same way. That being said, it is attracting an audience that one might consider impressionable; obviously, the children. But with the rise in popularity of such a “sport” the question arises: how does this impact the youth?
The impact of being exposed to Australian Ninja Warrior is positive. The team-building experiences formed through group activities help improve social skills. The general strength training and body awareness that comes from the ninja courses are all good things for kids to develop, regardless of ability.
Many children are now involved in ninja courses due to the popularity of Australian Ninja Warrior. Through this they have been able to develop their social skills and most importantly have been able to make new friends. In many instances a little ninja will conquer an obstacle and then watch themselves perform like a ninja warrior in video playbacks from their parents, which additionally develops their confidence tremendously.
There is a growing trend of many kids deciding they no longer want to participate in mainstream sports. Ninja has become that go-to activity where a child simply sets their own pace and whilst is an individual based performance, the engagement with others is certainly a factor. Many kids will come together to help and demonstrate their techniques in conquering that cumbersome obstacle.
To further enhance the growing trend many gyms/studios have established purpose built programs that allow kids to come together and learn the techniques as well as develop new ones. Ninja classes do need to be quite compressed and generally only run over 4 week blocks. This simply allows the kids to focus on outcomes that will keep them focused and of course achievable – it is tough work being a Ninja. One of the greatest aspects though is the inclusiveness as the classes attract children with disabilities such as Autism, Hearing impairments and social issues just to name a few.
In such a busy and fast paced world there is simply no better way to reduce that screen time and get your kids active in this exciting new movement known as NINJA!