A big happy birthday Hi-Yah to NinjaZone Academy Geist as it turns three this year. While most parents dread the threes–or maybe that was just me–I’m looking forward to another year of ninja-greatness at NinjaZone. In honor of NinjaZone Academy’s birthday, here’s my top five favorite things about NinjaZone Academy Geist.
5. The Trial Class
If you’ve followed our Ninja Story, you know that we first discovered Ninja during a trial class. If you have not done a trial, you need to check it out. The class is $5 and is a real class. Your child will be using real equipment, with highly-trained instructors. After our class, my son could not stop asking when he could go back to “ninja school.” It wasn’t long before we signed him up. But I certainly appreciated a chance to try it before we signed up for another sport my son didn’t enjoy.
4. The Extras
Every Friday, after our regular class, we always stay for the challenge session–open gym time to work on ninja skills. You don’t have to do it right after your class, sometimes we’ll go in the middle of the week to burn off some steam. The flexibility of the app to schedule classes makes it so easy to pick up a challenge session when it works for your schedule.
If your ninja needs more special attention, they offer one-on-one time with a coach (for an additional fee). If your ninja wants something more competitive, they have a Ninja Team or the Ninja Games. If you’re looking for a summer or fall break camp, they offer those too. Each month they offer a Parent’s Night Out–siblings can come too–and it is very reasonable especially because it includes dinner.
Since we’re on the subject of birthdays, they also have amazing birthday parties. You know your kids are going to get a sugar-high from the cake and ice cream, why not host somewhere they can burn that extra energy.
3. The Coaches
I mentioned the highly-trained coaches–that’s right, multiple coaches in each class. From Gymnastics to Parkour to Martial Arts, these coaches know their stuff. They actually demonstrate each new skill and then work with each ninja to hone it. For weeks, my son was trying to learn the front flip from the trampoline. Every challenge session one coach would help him, give him pointers, and generally just encourage him until finally he got it. It was one of my proudest ninja moments
And, they are so great with the kids! They know when to push, but they also recognize when to hold back. My son can get very frustrated and the coaches know how to work with him to get him back on track. Frankly, sometimes I struggle with that.
Special shout-out to our coaches: Coach Michael, Coach Mike, and Coach Josh. You’re awesome!
2. The Academy
From the parent perspective, I can’t end this list without mentioning the Academy itself. As you would expect, the gym part is impeccable. My son loves The Rig and the trampolines and the wall the best. But I really enjoy going to ninja too. They offer free wi-fi and have many tables. So, if you’re like me and need to get some work done but still want to see your ninja in action, you can!
They also have a places for the young ones to play, still in full view of your ninja, and a private nursing area. As a mother of three, I really appreciated having a place to feed and diaper my youngest while my oldest got to go to class.
1. The Skills You Gain
This is the most near and dear to my heart. I’m asked a lot about what we think about the classes and it’s always a two-part answer.
The short answer if he loves it. We never argue about going to ninja, which is a problem I’ve had with other sports. On Fridays, he will excitedly ask “Is today ninja day?” while running off the bus. He tells everyone he meets about his progress in ninja class and loves to have me take video of his latest skill. (Which I love, of course!)
The longer answer–my answer–is he’s gained so much from the classes, it’s hard to put into words. While I’m impressed by the athletic-ability I never imagined he had, it’s the passion, confidence, and perseverance he’s discovered that really sets NinjaZone apart. These are qualities that spill over into every aspect of his life. I see his willingness to try new things, even the really hard things. I seem him trying that sentence again while doing his homework. I just see such a mature little boy sometimes. And, that makes me thankful NinjaZone exists.
So happy birthday NinjaZone Academy Geist! Here’s to another great year and many more to come.
