When I first started hearing from tall potential customers early on in my time as a Ninja Warrior Course supplier, I’ll admit I didn’t immediately realize how much of a specific concern height could be for anyone looking to set up their own course—whether that’s a private backyard, a community center, a gym, or even a school. I’d designed and installed hundreds of courses over the years, but most of my early clients were average-height folks, so I hadn’t drilled down into the unique questions that come with being 6’2” or taller, let alone someone pushing 6’5” like many of my most recent inquiries have been from. That’s why I wanted to sit down and talk through this directly, because the short answer is yes—you absolutely can use a Ninja Warrior Course if you’re tall, but there are a few key things I’ve learned over hundreds of installations that make all the difference in how well it works, and how safe it stays, for someone on the taller end of the height spectrum. Ninja Warrior Course
Let’s start with the most obvious point: standard Ninja Warrior courses are built for a wide range of body types, but “average” is a really small slice when you look at global height demographics. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data from recent years puts the average adult male in the U.S. at around 5’9”, and average adult female at 5’4”. That means a lot of standard course obstacles are designed for someone who’s between 5’2” and 6’1”, which leaves folks outside that range either overreaching, bending in unnatural ways, or even struggling to complete obstacles without putting extra strain on their joints. For a tall person, overreaching isn’t just annoying—it can lead to shoulder or back pain, especially when you’re repeating the same movements over and over, which is why my team and I made it a priority to adjust our obstacle designs specifically for taller users after we started getting these consistent questions.
Take the Salmon Ladder, for example. It’s one of the most iconic Ninja obstacles, and the classic version has rungs spaced 12 inches apart horizontally, with a vertical gap of about 18 inches between each ladder section. For someone who’s 5’8”, that spacing feels natural; you can reach up, grab the next rung, and lift yourself smoothly without stretching. But for someone who’s 6’3”, 12-inch horizontal spacing is too narrow, and the 18-inch vertical gap means you have to bend your legs higher than is comfortable to reach the next platform. We tested this with a group of tall gym members last year, and one of them—6’4”—said he could finish a standard Salmon Ladder in about 10 seconds, but on our adjusted version, with rungs spaced 14 inches apart and a vertical gap of 22 inches, he cut that time down to 7 seconds, with way less strain on his hamstrings. That’s the kind of data-driven adjustment we don’t shy away from, because at the end of the day, a Ninja course is for everyone—not just the average height user.
Another common obstacle is the Warped Wall. The Warped Wall is all about height, right? Wait, no—wait, actually, no, the Warped Wall is about grip, momentum, and core strength, but a tall person’s arm length changes how they approach it. A standard 14-foot Warped Wall is built so that someone with a 6-foot wingspan can wrap their fingers over the top edge easily, pull themselves up, and swing their leg over. But for someone with a 7-foot wingspan (which is common for people over 6’2”), that same 14-foot wall is too low. They can reach over the top without using their momentum, which makes the obstacle feel less like a challenge and more like a trivial task. We worked with a former Ninja Warrior athlete who’s 6’5” to design our adjustable Warped Wall, which can be set to 12, 14, or 16 feet. For taller users, setting it to 16 feet means they still have to build momentum, use their core, and nail the pull-up to get over the wall—exactly the same challenge as someone using the 12-foot wall at 5’5”. That balance is key: we don’t want tall users to find obstacles too easy, and we don’t want short users to find them impossible. Adjustable height features are one of the biggest upgrades we’ve rolled out in the last two years, specifically because of feedback from tall and short users alike.
But it’s not just about adjusting existing obstacles. There are some obstacles that inherently work really well for tall people, and I always make sure to point that out to potential customers who worry their height is a disadvantage. The Pegboard, for example—obviously, the Pegboard is all about reaching from peg to peg, and if you’re tall, your wingspan is longer, so the horizontal distance between pegs feels smaller, which means you can move faster. I’ve had customers tell me that tall team members are the fastest on the Pegboard in their gym’s Ninja competition, because they can cover more ground with each move. The Ring Toss, another staple, is similar—taller users have a longer reach, so they can grab the rings easier, and if you adjust the height of the rings, even someone 6’6” can find a comfortable position. The Quint Steps, which are a set of five elevated steps leading to a platform, work great for tall people too, because their leg length means each step feels less steep, so ascending is smoother.
That’s not to say there aren’t obstacles that need extra consideration for tall users. The Cargo Net is a good example. A standard cargo net has squares that are 2 feet by 2 feet, with vertical spacing of 3 feet. For someone who’s 5’6”, that’s perfect—each square fits their hands and feet, and they can pull themselves up easily. But for someone 6’4”, the 3-foot vertical spacing means they have to stretch their legs further apart to reach the next square, which can put strain on their hips and lower back. We fixed that by offering an optional large-format cargo net, with 2.5-foot squares and 3.5-foot vertical spacing, which is sized specifically for users over 6’1”. We also make sure all our obstacle frames are built with extra tall support posts, so even the highest obstacles—like the cliff hangers or the trampoline wall—have stable bases that don’t wobble, which is extra important for tall users who might be reaching higher and putting more leverage on the frame.
I think a lot of companies that sell Ninja courses skip this part, because they’re focused on the lowest common denominator. But for me, as a supplier, my job is to make a course that works for as many people as possible, right? Whether you’re 5’1” or 6’6”, whether you’re a kid or an adult, a beginner or a competitive athlete, your Ninja course should be something you can actually enjoy, not something that leaves you sore or frustrated. We did a user survey last year with over 200 people who’d installed our courses, and 82% of tall users (over 6’1”) said they never felt limited by the height of our obstacles, which was way higher than the industry average I’d seen in other course reviews. That’s not by accident—that’s by design, by paying attention to the specific needs of people who fall outside the average height range.
Another thing that comes up a lot with tall potential customers is safety. They worry that if they’re taller, they might hit their head on low parts of the course, or that the ground is too far below them if they fall. That’s a totally valid concern, and it’s one we address at every step of the installation process. First, all our course frames are built with 100% steel, rated to hold up to 500 pounds per point of contact, so even if a tall user is pulling with full force on an obstacle, there’s no risk of the frame bending or shifting. Second, we always recommend our 2-inch thick rubber safety matting, which covers the entire footprint of the course, so if someone slips or falls, they land on soft, shock-absorbent material. For users over 6’, we also suggest adding extra height clearance around the course—about 3 feet of empty space on all sides—so there’s no risk of hitting walls, trees, or other objects while moving through the obstacles. We always do a site assessment before installation, so if a customer has a small backyard, we can adjust the course layout to make sure there’s enough clearance, even for tall users.
I also talk to a lot of parents of tall kids, which is another big group of customers for our courses. A lot of parents worry that their 12-year-old who’s already 5’10” won’t be able to use a standard kids’ Ninja course, or that they’ll outgrow it too fast. Our adjustable obstacles work perfectly for kids too—we can set the Warped Wall to 10 feet for younger kids, and as they grow, we can adjust it up to 14 or 16 feet, so their course grows with them. We’ve had customers whose 10-year-old is 5’7” and uses the same course as their 15-year-old who’s 6’2”, which is exactly what Ninja courses are supposed to be for—fun, adaptable, and for the whole family.
At the end of the day, I think the biggest misconception about Ninja Warrior courses is that they’re one-size-fits-all. They’re not. The best courses are built with flexibility in mind, for body types, heights, skill levels, and ages. When I first started in this business, I thought that was about adding a couple of extra rungs here and there, but over the years, I’ve learned it’s about listening to what actual users need. The tall people who reach out to me aren’t looking for a course that’s “made for them” in a separate category—they’re looking for a course that’s just as fun, just as challenging, and just as usable as the course someone who’s average height gets. That’s the standard we’ve built our business on, and that’s why we’ve installed courses for schools, gyms, and private homes all over the country, with customers ranging from 4’10” to 6’8”.
If you’re a tall person thinking about adding a Ninja Warrior Course to your home, gym, or community space, don’t let height be a barrier. We work with every customer to customize obstacles, adjust heights, and make sure every part of the course fits your needs. Whether you’re a competitive athlete looking for a course to practice on, a family wanting a fun weekend activity, or a school looking for a fitness program that works for all students, we can build something that’s perfect for you. We’ve got the data, we’ve got the experience, and we’ve got a track record of making courses that work for every user, no matter their height. To talk through your specific needs, just reach out to our team to start planning your custom Ninja Warrior Course.
Soft Play Equipment References:
CDC. (2023). National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: Anthropometric Data. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
American Council on Exercise. (2022). Designing Accessible Fitness Obstacle Courses for Diverse Body Types. ACE Fitness.
Ninja Warrior Official. (2021). Competitive Obstacle Dimension Standardization Report. ANW Production.
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