In a modest building on Sandbank Road in Cheshire, students are eager to learn the fundamentals of martial arts, what the late Bruce Lee once described as “the unrestrained kinetic expression of the individual soul.”
Ralph Bergamo, owner of Bergamo Martial Arts, is world-renowned for his accomplishments in the American-Filipino art of Kung Tao, achieving the status of Grandmaster. He is also known for his competitive destruction skills, using human body parts to quickly destroy objects ranging from coconuts to concrete blocks.
Bergamo explains that all martial arts training must start with the basics, no matter how easy it may seem to a seasoned practitioner. To that end, the studio has been offering young people the opportunity to learn the relatively new sport of NinjaTrix. Bergamo Martial Arts is the first gym in Connecticut to be accredited for this program.
Recently, three of their students were rewarded for their dedication to the craft in a special ceremony and were promoted to “Black Ninja.”
NinjaTrix is ​​inspired by NBC’s hit television series “American Ninja Warrior.” In this series, contestants race and often fail through a complex obstacle course to hit the buzzer button at the end. Along with gymnastics, another inspiration for this new field is the French sport of parkour, according to Barbara Leblanc.
Like Bergamo, she is a world record holder in the art of breaking. Barbara, along with her son Nate LeBlanc, have taught about 100 aspiring “ninjas” since she first offered the program two years ago, and recently received the award. Three students were the first graduates.
Both LeBlanc and Bergamo say NinjaTrix has many benefits.
“It really helps give them (students) confidence,” Bergamo said. “In this day and age, you need to be confident.” Experiencing some degree of pressure is part of any kind of learning, he added. “Improving (skills) always makes for better people.”
“They’re learning how to fall properly and not get hurt while being leaders,” Nate said.
During some of the classes, upperclassmen guide their less experienced classmates in warming up.
Getting through the program is not easy. Prior to the ceremony, Nate had his senior ninjas perform a series of exercises using their hunched bodies, including rolling, vertical jumps, and vaulting.
“Advanced ninjas don’t need safes,” he instructed, and the group responded with a series of acrobatic falls as they navigated an obstacle course.
One of the new black ninjas is Jacob Saunders, 12, who said he loves learning the moves and being with people at Bergamo’s.
Lee Parsons, 11, said his favorite sport was vaulting and admitted he thought he had “improved a lot” since starting the training course.
The third new black ninja, Richard Pruitt, 12, also likes the “rolls and tricks” he learned in class and thinks the “balance and agility” he learned in NinjaTrix will be useful in other sports. .
During the ceremony, Barbara praised the perseverance and courage of the three young people. “You’re trying out skills that used to scare you,” she said as she fitted the students with new black headbands.
She offered words of encouragement to each individual, praising their “persistence, overcoming fear, leadership, respect and hard work.”
“It’s not a team sport, it’s more of a cheer competition, but you feel like you’re part of a team and you feel included,” Barbara added.
In addition to Kung Tao and Yang Tai Chi instruction, Bergamo also offers personal training, a children’s fitness program, and NinjaTrix. The gym also offers Empowered Self-Defense, a program designed for women. Free self-defense workshops for women are held several times a year.
Those interested in learning more about Bergamo and LeBlanc’s abilities will have the opportunity to do so later this fall. On Nov. 11, the U.S. and World Breaking Association, which Mr. Bergamo co-founded, will hold the Hall of Fame Breaking Championship at Rebel Interactive in Cheshire.