Summary

In an interview with Collider, fan-favorite Ninja Daniel Gil reveals that competitors on American Ninja Warrior don’t see the course until the competition starts.

Ninjas develop specific training strategies based on known obstacles.

Daniel Gil utilizes visualization and prayer to prepare for the course challenges.

What if your shot at glory depended on running a completely unfamiliar obstacle course—without a single second of practice? That’s the reality for competitors on American Ninja Warrior, where even the most seasoned athletes are flying blind. In an interview with Collider, fan favorite Daniel Gil spills that Ninjas don’t actually see the course until shortly before the on-air competition begins, something some fans may not realize. “We have no idea what the courses are going to look like until the night of competition,” Gil shares. “So all of our training, we know there’s gonna be some kind of agility steps. We know there’s gonna be a warped wall, we know there’s gonna be a salmon ladder at some point in the competition, but all the other ones in between we’re training blind. So we’re just trying to work different muscle groups, different movements, different body positionings and techniques and obstacles. And then we show up and we just say, ‘Okay, oh, that’s our course!’ We don’t get to practice it. We get one demonstration and then we go to our waiting area until it’s time to race.”
‘American Ninja Warrior’s Daniel Gil Reveals the Nerve-Wracking Truth Behind Every Run

“It’s nerve-wracking.”

Knowing that the Ninjas don’t have much time to review the course ahead of time makes the competition even more incredible. “So your favorite Ninjas can go out in different places. Just because the course might not have moved or felt the way that they thought or they weren’t prepared for that type of obstacle happens every single year,” he explains. “That’s probably the most difficult thing about the show. You complete this course perfectly the very first time you do it? And it’s exciting ’cause it’s like, okay, do I have what it takes? But it’s also nerve-wracking, man.” Gil, who has been an American Ninja Warrior for the past decade, says going blind to a course is still one of the toughest aspects of the show. So how does he get into the right mindset while waiting behind-the-scenes? “Visualization training,” he says. “I’ll look at the course and I don’t get to touch it until my run, but I’ll close my eyes and I will go through every single minute detail of how it’s gonna feel, how it’s gonna move, what it’s going to do, all of that, where I need to jump, how many swings I need to take.” He adds, “And then I pray. I’ve got a great prayer like, Lord, I’ve trained hard. I know what I’m capable of. I pray for the strength to either hit a buzzer and be a great representative, a great role model for all the viewers, or help me to be a great role model in case I fall, fail, make a mistake, or things don’t go the way that I have trained for.”
Daniel Gil Turns Every ‘Ninja Warrior’ Fall Into a Life Lesson

“You gotta get back up!”

Winning, of course, is the goal. But Gil also heads into every competition with a message for American Ninja Warrior viewers about having the right mindset because “it kind of takes the pressure off of having to do well. Of course, I’ve trained to do well, and I want to, but even when I fall, I say, okay. That sucks. That wasn’t the plan. But guess what, anyone watching, like life doesn’t always go the way you want. So you gotta keep your head up high and say, there’s always gonna be another opportunity.” There’s always going to be a next time,” he says.”And that’s kind of one of the biggest messages I try to showcase through the show is we all face obstacles. Some are physical, some are mental, some are emotional. But when they trip us up, knock us down, or whatever. You gotta get back up.” American Ninja Warrior premieres on Monday, June 2 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.