15 things we learned from the OG Ninja live-stream

While we’re all stuck at home, the American Ninja Warriors are helping out by putting on live-streams almost every day to entertain and inform us all.

You can find the schedule of those live-streams here.

They each have their own themes and topics, as decided on by the Ninja Warrior host. Brian Kretsch organized an online reunion for American Ninja Warrior’s four OGs. He, David Campbell, Lorin Ball, and Ryan Stratis have all competed on all 11 seasons of the show. (And they all got a call for season 12.) It was a really fun and fascinating session! If you missed it, here are a few takeaways that stuck with us.

1. Season one took place in a parking lot behind a Best Buy.
2. One of the keys to longevity is to follow the submission guidelines to the letter.
3. The training advice they’d give is to warm up, rest, and keep up with any injury rehab.
4. Brian, who broke his leg on the course in season seven, says he experiences “PTSD” on the show and struggles with balance obstacles (but he’s fine with them off the show).
5. Lorin Ball misses a “good old fashion” rope swing.
6. There used to be a “parkour vs Ninja” rivalry in the early days between competitors who trained in parkour, and those that trained in the style of “Sasuke” (Ninja Warrior’s Japanese predecessor).
7. They caution other competitors against overthinking obstacles by watching and judging others running before them. You never know how an obstacle will feel for you.
8. Ryan Stratis was the first Ninja Warrior Brian met. They roomed in a hotel together for season one.
9. Season two featured a fan event on Venice Beach, CA with real obstacles. Not the inflatable ones we’ve seen at more recent fan events.
10. Performing well on the course is great, but what makes it all worth it are the friendships and the experiences they share together.
11. Ryan’s trademark yell when he hits the buzzer stems from feeling “like a superhero” when he hits the buzzer, and letting out that excess adrenaline.
12. Most fails on the course can be attributed to rushing.
13. The very early seasons featured a “bootcamp” competition as well. Brian says it was “brutal” but he wishes it would be brought back.
14. Brian says his passion has changed over the years. It’s gone from a desire to conquer the course, to becoming a part of who he is.
15. Ryan says he’s learned how to overcome failure in the down seasons and the show has taught him a lot about himself.

Check out the schedule of upcoming live-streams for more opportunities to learn from the competitors and ask them your questions!