Forget video games. At USA Ninja Challenge in Santa Maria, kids can level up in real life — scaling the warped wall, swinging from rings and tracking their progress as they go.

Located at 371 Town Center East, Suite H64, on the second floor of the Town Center mall across from Crunch Fitness, the gym offers a progression-based training program for kids ages 4 to 17, with obstacle courses modeled after the popular TV show “American Ninja Warrior.” Officially opened Dec. 20 by longtime youth mentors Djibril and RaShawna Coulibaly, the gym’s structure emphasizes confidence-building, screen-free activity and personal growth one obstacle at a time.

Djibril Coulibaly — known to many local families as Coach Djibril — has been coaching youth and high school soccer in the Santa Maria area since 2006. He’s worked with several local youth clubs and currently serves as head coach and director of soccer operations at St. Joseph High School in Santa Maria. Over the years, Coulibaly noticed that even skilled athletes often lacked some basic movement fundamentals.

“I was seeing kids that were very good at playing soccer, but maybe they couldn’t jump or they couldn’t roll,” he said. “So I got to thinking, what can I do to help them with the movement they’re lacking? One evening I was watching ‘American Ninja Warrior,’ and I told my wife, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if we could build something like that?’”

That idea eventually led the couple to USA Ninja Challenge, a national franchise that provides curriculum, training and equipment for youth-focused obstacle gyms centered on fitness and personal development.

What is a Ninja obstacle course?

At its core, the gym is designed to help kids build confidence through movement. The Coulibalys describe it as a space where children can challenge themselves at their own pace, without pressure to compete. Each station, whether it’s climbing ropes, crossing a balance beam or swinging from rings, offers a chance to build strength and coordination while trying something new.

“The gist of it is to really get the kids to exercise and engage in physical activity while having tons of fun,” Djibril Coulibaly said.

To support that goal, the gym uses a progression system inspired in part by video games and martial arts. Students start at Level 1 and move up by mastering skills in areas like swinging, jumping and climbing. Each milestone is digitally tracked by instructors and displayed on a screen inside the gym, helping kids stay motivated and see where they stand. As they advance, they earn different color-coded shirts — a visual reminder of how far they’ve come, and a bit of bragging rights.

Classes are structured to balance consistency, safety and flexibility. According to Djibril Coulibaly, each one-hour session begins with a warm-up and moves into three obstacle course stations, with students spending about 15 minutes at each. He said the gym maintains a 1:8 coach-to-student ratio and tries to limit enrollment to 24 kids per class to ensure focused instruction.

One of the most popular challenges is the Warped Wall, a curved vertical structure that looks a bit like a quarter pipe at a skate park.

“That tends to be the highlight for a lot of kids,” Djibril Coulibaly said. “They just want to see how high they can get on the wall.”

The Coulibalys said the gym is meant to be supportive, especially for kids who might be intimidated by traditional sports or structured competition.

“We can change the level to meet the kids wherever they are and start progressing from there,” Djibril Coulibaly said. “Maybe someone can’t climb the rope yet. So we give them knots or a box and build from there. Then the next week, they try to go a little higher.”

That adaptability allows kids of all abilities to build foundational skills, some as simple as learning how to fall safely. It’s a process the Coulibalys say they’ve seen play out in just a few sessions — when a child goes from saying “I can’t,” to surprising themselves with what they’re suddenly willing to try.

Inspiring Confidence, One Child at a Time

Moments like that, where a child goes from hesitant to confident, are what inspired the Coulibalys to bring the program to Santa Maria.

“I love kids and just watching them thrive in a structured environment, it’s very helpful for them,” said RaShawna Coulibaly, who previously was a music teacher at Pacific Christian School in Orcutt. “You see that kids learn at different levels, and as a teacher or coach you know you just try to find that button that pushes that kid to the next level.”

In just the first few days, both owners said they’ve already seen moments that affirm why they opened the gym.

Djibril Coulibaly said one parent reached out after bringing their child to an opening session.

“A dad posted on social media that he was having trouble getting his kid to try anything other than soccer,” he said. “Now the kid’s in love with something new, and the dad was just so excited to see them want to try something else.”

RaShawna Coulibaly recalled a moment with a pair of non-verbal kids who immediately connected with the space.

“They were just totally in their element,” she said. “The staff knew exactly how to engage them — they just pointed, and the kids were like, ‘Let’s go.’” One of the children, she said, who might otherwise feel left out, was fully participating and connecting with the group. “And then you look through the glass, and the parents are all misty-eyed. That’s how I feel too.”

Try a Class or Plan a Party

Families interested in checking out the gym can sign up for a free trial class at ninjasantamaria.com, with registration required in advance. 

Classes are divided into age ranges, such as 4 to 5 or 6 to 12, with flexibility built in for families who have multiple children.

“Even within those broader groups, we try to keep kids close in age,” Djibril Coulibaly said. “We want it to be easy and democratic. Any kid 4 to 17 can come give it a try.”

Parents are welcome to stay and watch or drop their child off and return later. “They can go do their shopping or run a couple errands,” RaShawna said. She added that the gym also plans to offer occasional Friday evening camps, where parents can drop kids off from 6-9 p.m.

In addition to regular classes, the gym hosts birthday parties that include one hour of guided obstacle course time and access to a party room for cake and festivities.

“Each child that walks in here is going to find their strength and what they’re good at,” Djibril Coulibaly said. “And even what they’re not good at, we can still help them. We can make things a little bit less difficult, and then we can start progressing from there.”