Motive School of Movement offers unique gym experience
GREENVILLE, S.C. – If your New Year’s resolution is to be more active, Motive School of Movement offers a unique option!
In March of 2020, American Ninja Warrior competitors Scott “Bootie” Cothran, Brett Sims, Grace Sims, and Bob Reese opened a ninja obstacle and parkour gym near the Haywood Mall in Greenville.
“It’s full-scale obstacles just like you would see and use on the show. Everything looks and feels just like you would experience on the show,”Cothran explained. “We had some hurdles to overcome there in the beginning with COVID and trying to get through all of that. Fortunately, a lot of things came together really well. I met Brett and Grace through Ninja Warrior, and then we added Bob to the group. So the four of us came together, and put our heads together.”
“I think it’s great that we have so many people from this gym who have been on American Ninja Warrior, and we’ve got people who have competed in international parkour competitions,” Brett Sims said. “There’s just so much experience here with all of us owning and running this place, and we’re bringing in so many new guys with fresh ideas.”
Getting Started
“We’ve got a couple of different options. The place that I steer most folks is to start in our intro class. We’ve got an intro class that starts at the beginning of open gym every evening. And that’s a great way to get some good introduction to ninja, parkour, trampoline and some basic safety and movement techniques. And that gets you off and running,” Cothran explained.
“Our workouts look like play time for us. So, we’ll come up with a challenge or an obstacle or something and you just get addicted to it,” Grace Sims explained. “You’re like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to get this.” And before you know it, you’re so sore and your getting in shape and you don’t even feel like you’ve exercised. You’re just playing. That’s what I love about these sports and everyone here kind of has that mindset. It’s just playful. It’s the easiest way to get into shape. It’s the easiest way to feel like you’re having fun, socializing, and just playing.”
The gym offers a variety of classes including:
Note: First time visitors are required to take an introductory class to cover safety tips as well as basic ninja warrior and parkour skills. Click here to see the class schedule.
“What I like about these sports is it’s very goal-oriented,” Brett Sims explained. “You have short-term goals like completing an obstacle or learning how to back flip. Then you can have your long-term goals like a one-arm pull up. You’ve got to work hard for that, but you can work on your regular pull-up and getting stronger. And there are so many other people working on things like this. We all feel the same way and it brings it back to that community aspect.”
“I love that people can come in and find so many different ways to do things and work out. I think anyway you get involved in something like this you start to experience the community and the encouragement and the support and the positivity and the growth. It’s really cool,” Cothran said.
Who Can Participate?
Motive offers classes for for everyone, starting as young as 2-year-olds.
“We started out with younger kids at 5 years old, and those classes were going great. We added toddler classes, so we’ve got ages 2 to 4 for toddler classes, and those are going great. We go all the way up to adult. Probably our biggest group is ages 10 to 12,” Cothran said. “I just love seeing kids come in to this place. And they’re wowed when they first come in, and when they’re leaving, they’re asking mom and dad, ‘Can we come back tomorrow?’ So, they love coming in and working out. And the parents love it, and they start working out. Then they’re doing it together, and it’s really cool.”
“You’ve got your kids who are always excited to come. Then you’ve got your adults who are usually a little bit more apprehensive to come, especially sometimes the women. I headed up a women’s program, which has been really cool to see, to get more girls in here.”
Motive also offers birthday parties, camps, and studio rentals.
Bob’s Birthday Parkour Jam will be held Feb. 10-12, which will include a sleepover, dance party, games, intro class, open gym, cake and more!
Visit Motive School of Movement at 10 Webb Road in Greenville. To learn more, visit motivemovement.org or call (864) 775-4844. You can also follow Motive on Facebook and Instagram.
