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The first thing you notice about this gym is what’s missing.
No rows of treadmills.
No clanking dumbbells.
No mirrors lined with people counting reps.
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Instead, there are beams to balance on. Rings hanging from the ceiling. Ropes, grips and strange, colourful obstacles.
This is Dynasty Ninja.
Brandon and Cali Duncan opened Dynasty Ninja in Saskatoon’s north end in Jan. 2026. (Brandon and Cali Duncan/Submitted)
Most people’s closest reference point for the sport of ninja is a television screen. Elite athletes sprinting, swinging and launching their way through impossible-looking courses.
“It was started with a show called Sasuke based in Japan,” explained owner Brandon Duncan. “And then American Ninja Warrior happened, and then it’s built up since there.”
Watch the sport here:
What started as entertainment didn’t stay there.
You’ll find ninja training gyms across North America. Spaces built not for lifting or running, but for climbing, balancing, swinging and problem-solving. Spaces where the goal isn’t a number on a machine, but a single, simple question:
Can you make it across?
Listen to the story on Behind the Headlines:
Balance is an important skill for any good ninja to master! (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)
Not your typical “workout”
A small voice cuts through the room, full of excitement and zero hesitation.
“I’m at the ninja gym. Dynasty Ninja!” five-year-old Eli Schellenberg said. “We jump. Balance. I run up walls. And you have to balance and you have to kick off stuff to the other thing!”
He takes off again in the blink of an eye, already onto the next obstacle.
Dynasty Ninja is Saskatoon’s ninja gym, where kids and adults train with climbing, swinging and balancing obstacles to improve strength, agility and confidence. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)
That’s the rhythm here. Movement without overthinking. Play with purpose.
Duncan doesn’t try to dress it up as anything it’s not.
“It’s just cool, to be honest.”
These coaches don’t sit on the sidelines. Coach Cali was quick to demonstrate each and every move to her little ninja onlookers. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)
And watching a class in action, it’s hard to argue.
Kids move station to station, guided by coaches who tweak technique, offer encouragement and occasionally demonstrate something that looks just a little bit impossible.
One moment they’re carefully crossing a balance beam. The next, they’re swinging from rings or launching toward a new grip.
Ninja is a solo sport, but there is still a team element. Students cheer each other on, celebrating successes both big and small. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)
“It keeps you so fit, but doesn’t feel like a workout,” Duncan explained. “You’re focused more on the moves you’re making … it just helps people stay fit in a really fun and active way.”
There’s structure here, but it’s hidden inside the fun.
A playground that evolves
If it reminds you of a playground, that’s not an accident.
“It’s obstacle courses,” Duncan explained of the sport of ninja. “It’s like playing on a playground, but with a goal and with a bit more of a focus.”
The coaches at Dynasty Ninja rearrange the obstacle course once a week, ensuring students are always trying something new. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)
But unlike the playgrounds most of us remember, this one doesn’t stay the same.
“We change our course once a week. It allows a lot of creativity for the athlete and for the coaches who are designing the courses.”
A warped wall is a tall, curved wall that aspiring ninjas run up to in an attempt to reach the top. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)
One week, it might be all about balance. The next, grip strength. The week after, linking multiple obstacles together into something that feels like a real run.
One constant? There’s always something new to figure out.
Kids learn how to jump and swing, and they even learn the basics like how to fall safely and get back up. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)
Confidence in real time
From the sidelines, Eli’s mom, Aleta Schellenberg, watched as he launched himself toward a set of hanging grips, missed, dropped and then scrambled back into line, already determined to try again.
“He’s always asking if it’s ninja day and when he can come back,” she said with a proud smile. “He definitely has gotten more confident on the obstacles. He’s just really been loving it.”
A ninja lesson involves a lot of fast-paced action, but it also involves listening. Coach Cali gets down on the kids’ level when explaining new moves or techniques. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)
What stands out isn’t just what kids can do. It’s how they react when they can’t.
They fall. Reset. Try again.
“It’s really just you training to be better and overcoming obstacles,” Duncan said. “It can build a ton of confidence.”
Some ninjas are completely independent. Others need a little bit of help with certain obstacles. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)
Built for kids — but not just kids
Right now, the focus is on youth classes, running from ages four to 18.
But the idea isn’t limited by age.
There’s structure here, but it’s hidden inside the fun. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)
Duncan runs occasional adult nights and said there’s room to grow.
“I’ve trained two-year-olds who’ve done it for the first time. I’ve trained a 56-year-old who was competing.”
In this leg of the obstacle race, Eli dodged ‘lasers’ by jumping over or climbing under. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)
More than just monkey bars
For Eli, the appeal is obvious. Jumping, swinging, climbing.
For his mom, it’s the next step.
“When he was four, he loved doing the monkey bars,” she reflected. “So this is just perfect, because it’s more challenging monkey bars!”
Eli said his favourite obstacle in the gym are the hanging rings. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)
And maybe that’s the most simple way to understand it.
Take something kids already love.
Make it harder.
Make it dynamic.
Give it a goal.
“It’s something different. It’s fun,” Duncan said. “If your kid needs something to stay active … or if they’re looking for a new sport, it’s a really great opportunity.”
Before they even realize it, they’re stronger, braver — and already asking when they can come back.
