Anonymous wrote:Mine did it at a local gym for years - it was great for strength, balance, agility, etc. Just two days a week (plus doing stuff at home), and he got crazy strong. It translated into other sports, too.

To me, this is the key reason to try ninja, parkour, or many martial arts. Not every kid wants to play team sports, but there are options like these that are generally great for fitness.

My kid does parkour at Bolt. He likes the classes but I detest the management. They have removed all the decent chairs from the waiting room trying to get parents to leave rather than watch. They recently removed a large piece of equipment from the gym. I also have my doubts about some of the instructors--subs are inserted without notice. I think the sport is a great option for kids however--I like that it's once a week--no games, no belt testing or other silliness.

My kids did a free trial ninja class and it was mostly waiting in lines to do a move/course with instructor help one at a time. They barely did anything. Maybe it gets better as you progress beyond beginner. But they do like passes for "open gym" to just climb around l.

Mine did it at a local gym for years - it was great for strength, balance, agility, etc. Just two days a week (plus doing stuff at home), and he got crazy strong. It translated into other sports, too.

My kids got into ninja during the COVID days, and the younger one still does ninja seriously. It's a tiny sport at the competition level, but I had no idea anyone could even compete in ninja. We started ninja because my kids were bored waiting in lines at their gymnastics classes and wanted something more active. Nothing against gymnastics, it just wasn't the thing for my kids. So yes, there are actual teams for this, as well as competitions. Classes are offered for younger kids all the way up to teens and adults. The biggest audience seems to be elementary school kids for ninja, though if your kid is interested in ninja as a sport, they can compete and find skill-appropriate classes at every age at a ninja gym.

While I imagine a beginner ninja/parkour kid is not looking for the same things that my kid is, I just want to point out that there are different levels of ninja gyms. I can't speak much to parkour since that's not my kids' primary interest but we've heard that parkour is offered at many places. What we've seen is there are some ninja-first places, some parkour-first places, and then gymnastics-first. What that means is that a gymnastics-first gym may have a ninja area (I know Dominque Dawes does), but they will have a smaller selection of equipment and they don't change the obstacles as much as a ninja-first gym would.

Since I know ninja best, I can speak to the closest ninja-first gyms that I know about. Those are:
Jump Climb Extreme - Frederick, MD - they recently moved to a new and much larger gym. We've been there many times with some friends and we've always had a good experience.
Always in Motion Ninja & Parkour - Dulles Town Center - opened a year ago and this is where we go. I wouldn't consider it close, but my kid really likes ninja so it's worth the drive for me. AiM is the biggest ninja gym in the region and has a good variety of classes for all levels (young kids, adults, experienced ninjas), while also having parkour classes.
Vertex Labs - Lorton, VA - another great place.

Note that most of these gyms have 'open gym times' for kids and/or families (normally Friday nights or weekends), so it's pretty to easy to check them out and figure out what you like.

We know Dominique Dawes also does ninja but it's not their primary thing and their coaches aren't familiar with ninja as a serious sport. They have a long-term location in Rockville and a new location in Ashburn, VA. DD tends to be fine for beginner ninjas but if your kid has a long-term interest in ninja, I highly recommend trying out one of the ninja-first gyms. A good friend of ours started ninja at DD in Rockville and enjoyed it, but when their child wanted to take ninja seriously, they moved to a ninja-first gym.

Dynamite Gymnastics family of gyms has the Agility Center (ninja warrior) and Bolt Parkour — you should be able to do trial classes and in the past I think you’ve been able to use makeups at other facilities. Off of Boiling Brook Parkway in Rockville

Anonymous wrote:They market gymnastics to boys as ninja training / parkour. It is really gymnastics.

Strong disagree. Take Dominique Dawes center. The ninja classes are completely separate from the gymnastics offerings and no crossover in instructors or equipment. Many boys in elementary school participate in the ninja classes. Much more of an "obstacle course" to navigate. No gymnastics "moves" other than general agility and balance.

Try wushu.

They market gymnastics to boys as ninja training / parkour. It is really gymnastics.

Never got to check it out due to scheduling but was pretty interested in it.

We knew someone who was in our kids martial arts school who did it and is now a Hollywood stunt double.

I saw Dominque Dawes Academy offered Ninja Warrior training. I think it filled up fast and didn't work with our schedule. So never got to check it out.

But imagine some other gymnastics places offer it too. For the younger ages, I'd guess it'd start off like an offshoot of a gymnastics class.

My 9yo is suddenly interested in ninja/parkour classes, but I have no idea how any of it actually works. Are there actual teams for this, or is it mostly individual classes for younger kids? Also, any places you recommend near Silver Spring? Just curious how this usually works!