In βAmerican Ninja Warrior,β the real battle isnβt between contestants. βItβs you versus the course,β says Scott Behrends, the elder half of the first father/son team to advance to the national finals.
βEven though you see head-to-head races on the show, youβre not competitors; youβre really friends,β he adds. βWhatβs cool is when you see other people advance and do things that no one thought possible.β
A Cedar Falls, Iowa, resident (and owner of his own Ninja gym, called Ninja U), Scott has been a fan since he first saw the show. βMy mom called me a monkey as a kidβ¦and now itβs a sport, so itβs fantastic.β
Iowan Scott Behrends will be in the finals of "American Ninja Warrior," the NBC series that puts contestants through a series of obstacles.
Ben Behrends, 16, will be in the finals of "American Ninja Warrior." He and his father are the first father/son duo to make the finals.Β
Good for all ages
The 42-year-old father of three opened the training gym as a way to help others channel their energy. βWe do all kinds of classes for all ages and itβs a lot of fun. If you can make fitness fun for people, it becomes a lifestyle.β
And, in Behrendsβ case, a family affair. Sons Ben and Jason are die-hard competitors. Sixteen-year-old Ben is the other half of the father/son team in the finals. The Behrendses will be seen in the finals Aug. 28 on NBC.
While both are mum about the results -- βthat wouldnβt be fun,β Scott says -- they say different approaches work for different people. Scott, for example, likes to be one of the first to run the course; Ben prefers to be one in the middle. Scott chooses to rest and recover between obstacles; Ben likes to go full-out.
βThe best ninjas in the world are 18, 19 years old,β Ben says. βAnd thereβs a bunch of them.β Younger competitors, dad adds, have an advantage. βItβs like going from high school to pro sports,β he says. βItβs a huge jump.β
What most viewers donβt realize: ninjas doing get to practice on the obstacles. βIt pays if you can be good your first try doing something,β Scott says.
Adds Ben: βWeβll go back and watch (previous) seasons to see what obstacles theyβve had. The newer ones usually stay, but we really have no clue.β
Β Ben Behrends rings the bells in "American Ninja Warrior."
Practicing pays
Because gyms like theirs donβt have pools of water under their obstacles, Scott says competitors must be careful while training. βIf you fall in a gym, you might roll your ankle. Ninjas practice sprintingβ¦but many of the obstacles are what I call βsay a prayer and run across.β Every ninja loves upper body (challenges) but they rarely like balance ones.β
And, if ninjas happen to fall in the water during a run, that water isnβt comforting. βThey film the show at night in California, so itβs cool,β says Ben. βDepending on the time of year, it could be 40 degrees, but usually youβre zoned out. So if you fall, you donβt really feel it.β
Accidents have happened but βAmerican Ninja Warriorsβ is designed to be safe. Walls are padded; grip tape is added to bars.
Β Tyler Yamauchi, left, goes up against Ben Behrends in "American Ninja Warrior."
Just a look
While some ninjas like to embrace a look or wear a costume, most opt for training clothes.Β Flat-soled shoes -- which are better for most obstacles -- are common, the two say. Longer pants might be preferable to shorts, Scott says, if climbing ropes are involved.
Those costumes? βYouβve got to remember itβs a TV show with a competition,β Scott says. βThey like to see people having fun with it.β A cape, though? βIβm not going to do something like that personally. If you want to and Iβm going against you, by all means, do it.β
Ben, whoβs called the βHype Guy,β likes to get the crowd pumped. The persona fits with other Iowa ninjas. βWe like to encourage each other,β Scott says. βThatβs our shtick. I think thatβs one reason why they like us.β
In Cedar Falls, he says, the Behrends gym attracts a wide range of athletes. A 70-year-old is there because he wanted to do the sport with his grandchildren. βHeβs been very inspiring to me.β
Ben and Scott, meanwhile, have emerged as role models for a host of ninjas. While athletic ability is paramount, there are other attributes that matter.
βYouβve got to have positivity,β Ben says. βA lot of people who arenβt used to ninja fall once and give up. But if you have a better mentality, you keep going even if you do fall once.β
Focus, cardio endurance and upper body strength are important, too, dad says. βItβs like golf or any other individual sports -- you donβt have a team around you -- but if you have a bad day, you just have to accept it and move on. I always say the first step is the hardest one."
