About Andy Lowes

Lowes has been on American Ninja Warrior an amazing 7 times, making it to the Las Vegas National Finals 5 out of those 7 appearances.. During American Ninja Warrior seasons 5, 6, and 9 Andy conquered Stage I and made it all the way to obstacle 6 on Stage II in seasons 6 and 9.

Memorably in Season 5 of the American Ninja Warrior Finals, Andy finished the course and was later called back for interviews to be told that the Stage 1 completion was three-tenths of a second late. Thus disqualifying him from the tournament. His relatives still remind him of it on the holidays.

In addition to competing on American Ninja Warrior, Coach Andy has traveled as far as Vietnam in pursuit of total victory. Now celebrating their 4th season, Sasuke Vietnam has just released the production to YouTube.

Coaching History

Andy has an impressive history in coaching professionally with over 10 years in Gymnastics.
He's been Program Director to 4 Gymnastics Clubs in the Midwest and has Professional Certifications through USA Gymnastics and Safe Sport. 

Certifications

• Instructor Certification

• Safety and Risk Management Certification

• AED Certification

• Background Check

• Safe Sport Certified

• USA Gymnastics Certified

SAFETY IS OUR FIRST PRIORITY

We use the best quality landing pads on the market. The high density foam is rated for impact and we go above that standard to protect our athletes and give them the confidence to train in a safe environment.

Rules of the gym are posted at every entrance and Party Room areas to share our importance of safety.

Move Sport Ninja Academy coaches are proud partners of Safe Sport, and all coaches are Safe Sport Certified. Safe Sport is a non-profit organization dedicated to the removal of misconduct and abuse in all forms from adolescent sports.

SAFE SPORT MISSION

 “Our mission is to make athlete well-being the centerpiece of our nation’s sports culture. All athletes deserve to participate in sports free from bullying, hazing, sexual misconduct or any form of emotional or physical abuse.” https://www.safesport.org

CLASSES

Foundation skills are essential to training for Ninja Warrior. We believe in building the most prepared and well-rounded athletes. Our classes are structured to allow students to progress at their own rate, with safety as a foremost concern. We use modeling, progressions and spotting as tools for development. Students only move up once they acquire the necessary skills for that level. Those skills are posted inside the gym, on our website and are available through our Staff.

ORIGINS

The name Move Sport itself is rooted in the tradition of the original Sasuke tournament in Japan. Move Sport was the go-to athletic apparel worn by some of the legendary competitors like Makoto Nagano, Shunsuke Nagasaki and Yuuji Urushihara; it has since become part of the lore of Sasuke, and our namesake.

SASUKE AND AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR

The Tournament began in Tokyo, Japan in September of 1997. It was originally slated as a specialized skill challenge event called Kinniku Banzuke. The show took on a life of its own shortly after as an independent program and eventually included an international format allowing Americans to earn the chance to compete in Japan. This went for 3 seasons until the G4 Network and NBC licensed the show for a U. S. based tournament. To this day Sasuke and Ninja Warrior exist in Japan and some 17 other countries.

WE, THE PEOPLE

The popularity of the show goes back to the fact that regular working-class people went on to become national heroes. Among these were gas station attendants, shoe salesman and fisherman. Much like Sasuke, Move Sport aims at getting regular-people living fit and active lives. When you win in the gym, you win in various aspects of your life too.

ANDY'S AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR HISTORY

• Season 4: Dallas, TX. | Completed Qualifying. | City Finals made it to obstacle 8, the globe graspers. | Vegas made it to obstacle 8 the Spin Bridge.

• Season 5: Baltimore, MD. | Completed Qualifying. | City Finals Completion. | Vegas completed stage 1; later disqualified, after completion.

• Season 6: St. Louis, MO. | Completed Qualifying. | City Finals made it to obstacle 8, the rumbling dice. | Vegas, made it to Stage II, obstacle 5 the Metal Spin.

• Season 7: Houston, TX. | Completed Qualifying. | City Finals disqualified at obstacle 4. | No Vegas.

• Season 8: OKC, OK. | Completed Qualifying. | City Finals made it to obstacle 8, the bungees. | Vegas, made it to obstacle 4 the Sonic Curve.

• Season 9: San Antonio, TX. | Completed Qualifying. | City Finals made it to obstacle 9, the pinball wizard. | Vegas, made it to Stage II, obstacle 6 the Wingnuts.

• Season 10: Dallas, TX. | Out obstacle 5. | City Finals disqualified at obstacle 4, the Bridge of Blades. | No Vegas

COACHING PHILOSOPHY

At Move Sport Ninja Academy We believe in providing a space that nurtures creativity and enthusiasm. Whether you’re here to build skills, get back in shape or find a new sport for your little ninja, Move Sport has your back. Our job is to provide the energy, support and environment that fosters personal achievement.

Success inside the gym often leads to success outside the gym. That has been a known and lasting effect of positive coaching for decades. At Move Sport, our philosophy is aligned with the mission of the Positive Coaching Alliance. We believe that every child has the ability to overcome obstacles regardless of what they look like, where they come from, their size, shape or gender. Obstacle training is life training; sometimes wins come easy, sometimes they don’t. What matters most is how you handle adversity. Our classes and Instructional style are designed to build you up from the inside.

STYLE OF COACHING

Coaching Gymnastics for so long taught me the long and short of different “styles” of coaching. We’ve probably all heard of the cliché jerk coaches out there; heck I used to work with these types of people every day, and it always really disturbed me. At one point, I was even asked to “be meaner” to the kids. I was told “don’t be afraid to yell at them, they’ll respect you more.” Thankfully I was able to escape that small-minded thinking. One summer back in 2009 I took a leave-of-absence to go learn higher-level coaching at a summer training camp in Woodward, PA (Woodward). There I was mentored by some truly phenomenal coaches. I learned more in a week of coaching there than 3 years back at my home gym. I went every summer for the next 5 years, sometimes spending 6 weeks out there, submerged in learning. In the end, my responsibilities as a Head-Coach and Program Director limited my summer travel, but I learned that being an amazing coach is more about building character than diminishing it. When a student trusts you, and believes in YOUR ability to help them achieve, they learn to trust themselves and their own abilities in turn. It’s a beautiful thing to see. Positive reinforcement builds confidence and character. I’ve learned to trust my instincts as a leader and to communicate effectively with athletes without giving up my own personal style. Sure, I’ve coached some National Champions, but what means more to me is that they grow up to be awesome human beings.

OVERCOMING FEAR

When learning anything new for the first time, there is often a level of intimidation or fear. Some level of fear is normal and to be expected. However, a skilled coach can easily re-route this “negative” feeling into excitement and anticipation. Progressions are a key part of this process. Even the most basic skills have progressions which allow the student to bridge the gap between what they know and what they want to achieve. Progressions are like little stepping stones that allow them to cross a creek without having to make a full-on leap-of-faith. They are both simple and intuitive by design. Move Sport Staff are all well-trained in utilizing progressions at all levels.