Ninja
Program
Coach BIO
Josh is a lifetime athlete who has competed nationally in men’s artistic gymnastics, provincially in trampoline and double mini and who has represented Canada on the world stage as a part of the Team Canada Coed Premier cheerleading team.
He has been coaching for over 20 years and is a certified coach for competitive men’s and women’s gymnastics as well as trampoline. He has also a member of ACTRA and has had minor roles in the first three Z.O.M.B.I.E.S. movies as well as the latest Bring it On.
Josh is originally from Newmarket, Ontario and grew up surrounded by high level athletes from many different sports as well as stuntmen which is where his love of Gymnastics and Ninja started. After completing his Digital Marketing degree at Fanshawe College in 2018 he moved back home to create and run a Ninja Program at Pulsars Gymnastics Club in Newmarket.
Now he and his wife are moving back to London and he is excited to bring his many years of experience to Forest City Gymnastics.
Program Description
Our Ninja program is a blend of Gymnastics, Obstacle Course Training, Martial Arts, and Parkour. This skill and progression-based program is designed to teach kids how to use their minds and their bodies to overcome obstacles and build their confidence at the same time. Our program and classes will help to build strength, co-ordination and body awareness in a safe, fun, and structured environment.
Each week in class kids will come in and do warmup and some stretching followed by some conditioning to work on their strength. After this they will spend some time learning some martial arts basics and then there will be a bar course where they will work on their climbing strength and skills as well as an obstacle course which incorporates various gymnastics and parkour skills.
Class Descriptions
Ninja Tykes, Little Ninjas, Ninja Kids
Class Length: 1 Hour
Headband: Light and Wind
Our beginner classes are designed to introduce kids to the basics and fundamentals on which they can build their Ninja training. These three introductory classes follow the same weekly schedule but are separated based on age. This is so that all our obstacle courses and bar courses can be tailored to the age, size, and ability of the participants. No experience is necessary as these classes are designed to teach kids everything they need from the ground up.
Intermediate Ninjas
Class Length: 1 Hour
Headband: Wind and Water
Our Intermediate classes are for those kids who have spent some time learning the basics and are ready to start progressing onto slightly more difficult skills. These classes are recommended for kids who have some experience in both gymnastics and martial arts. Bar and obstacle courses will start to become more difficult and there will be a bigger focus on strength and agility. These classes are where kids will really start to work on the progressions needed for harder skills such as flips.
Advanced Ninjas
Class Length: 1.5 Hours
Headband: Water and Earth
Our advanced classes are for kids who have a solid base in all our Ninja disciplines and are ready to start learning the more challenging skills such as handsprings and flips. Courses will be more challenging and there will be a heavier focus on progression to ensure that kids learn how to do these skills safely and effectively. This is also where we really begin to take many of the fundamental skills and put them together into harder and more intricate combinations. There will also be a bigger emphasis on conditioning and stretching to make sure that kids are both strong and flexible enough to perform the skills without injury.
