Full disclosure, I am not a handy person. I can go as far as follow a simple youtube tutorial but that's about it. I can find studs and drill holes and that's about it.
So, my boys (10, 8, 5) seem to enjoy exercise, but are more indoor people than outdoor. They'd rather play basketball or do a ninja course or indoor soccer than go outside. We have a dedicated "play room" which is maybe 12*12 and 8 feet ceiling with padded floors that we normally play dodgeball and soccer in. I was thinking lately how cool it would be to make an indoor ninja course that had some anchors in the ceiling and hanging ropes and things like that. I see some anchor's that say they hold up to 300 lbs and can hold heavy punching bags from the ceiling. So I thought, why not hang a bunch of ropes and bars and stuff to swing around and do pullups and have little ninja warrior challenges. I could make a few different rows w/some different things. Is this a really good idea or a really terrible idea?
Is it bad to hang studs and be constantly pulling on the ceiling, even if I have a anchor in a stud that says it can hold 300 lbs? I think it's an awesome idea but DW thinks it's a terrible idea. She's normally right... So seeking some guidance from people who are a lot more handy than I am!
The bolded text above makes me think.
First, for clarity, you are talking about anchoring into the ceiling, correct? That is what I get from your narrative, but studs are usually found in walls while joists or rafters are normally found in ceiling.
Second, 300 pounds as a dead (constant load) hanging down with an occasional lateral load from punching a heavy bag is very different than the instant load a 10 year old could exert grabbing a rope as they are falling/jumping. The force of that can be multiple times the actual weight.
Third, an anchor that is designed to hold 300 pounds does not mean the rafter/joist it is anchored into is built to accommodate this kind of live (shifting load). I'm not trying to scare you and I highly doubt it would cause a major structural failure. But, this could very well cause the joist/rafter to flex more than originally designed; this could cause things like cracking drywall joints, and if there is a room above bouncing floors and/or cracked tiles.
Fourth, at the very least I would tie (connect) the joist/rafter that you intend to place the anchor on to the 2 adjacent joist/rafters to spread the load and reduce the deflection (spring/sag/bounce)
Fifth, I have seen someone recommend nailing a 2x4 to the the joists above to spread the load. the general concept is sound, but I would strongly caution against nails (or only nails). Nails are perfectly fine with most of the force they experience are shear (across the nail), but I would not rely on nails alone when there is a pulling force (such as a kid hanging from it).
