Battering Ram

The Battering Ram is an obstacle, firstly introduced as the fifth obstacle on American Ninja Warrior 9 in Los Angeles. On this obstacle:
 * Competitors must wrap their hands around a small red cylinder,
 * Then the must kip their way across the first steel pipe, shaped similarly to the Swinging Frames.
 * Then, they must make the first transition to the second cylinder, which was higher and larger than the previous, and kip their way across the second steel pipe. The second cylinder was placed slightly to the right.
 * After that, they must make the second transition to the third and final cylinder, which was smaller than the previous two, off to the side, and more loosely secured, and then kip their way to the dismount.

Since there was nothing to hold down the cylinders, they would spin out if the competitors lost their grip. This made the transitions especially challenging, for how hand position is important to getting a firm grip on the cylinders.

Competitors like David Campbell, Alan Connealy, Tiana Webberley, Rebekah Bonilla, Natalie Duran, and April Steiner Bennett were eliminated by this obstacle. In total, 19 competitors failed on this obstacle during Los Angeles qualifiers. During Los Angeles qualifiers, the Battering Ram became the cut off for the top 5 female competitors. Zhanique Lovett was the only female competitor to complete the obstacle. However, the Battering Ram had the highest number of completions compared to any other fifth obstacle during American Ninja Warrior 9's city qualifiers round, with a total of 25 competitors completing the obstacle.

During Los Angeles finals, 6 competitors fell on this obstacle. Two of them, Anthony Trucks and Sander Odish, completed the obstacle during Los Angeles qualifiers, while the other four competitors, Alan Connealy, Tiana Webberley, Natalie Duran, and April Steiner Bennett, fell on the same obstacle before during Los Angeles qualifiers. Also, in addition to Zhanique Lovett, who was the only female competitor to complete the obstacle during Los Angeles qualifiers, Rebekah Bonilla became the other female competitor to complete the obstacle.

The Battering Ram was attempted early during Celebrity Ninja Warrior: Red Nose Day, with only two small red cylinders and and longer steel pipes. Out of all the celebrities that participated, only Erika Christensen, Derek Hough, Ashton Eaton, and Stephen Amell attempted the obstacle, and all of them completed it. However, Erika completed the obstacle by using the pipes, not the cylinders, while the other three completed it by using the proper way.

American Ninja Warrior 10
On American Ninja Warrior 10, the Battering Ram appeared as the fifth obstacle in Minneapolis, with minor modification for the placement of the cylinders and steel pipes.

During Minneapolis qualifiers, due to the brutality from the Ring Jump, only 24 competitors attempted the obstacle. Out of the 24 attempts on the obstacle, 9 of them failed to complete it, including Drew Knapp, Michael Silenzi, Meagan Martin, Garrett Lam, and Hunter Guerard, who was disqualified for touching the support structure. Just like during Los Angeles qualifiers on the previous season, a single female competitor managed to complete the obstacle, as Abby Clark was the only one to do so.

During Minneapolis finals, the obstacle was made similar to the one used during Celebrity Ninja Warrior: Red Nose Day, with the presence of just 2 sets of cylinder and pipe, making the second pipe was made longer than during Minneapolis qualifiers. As a result, only 4 competitors failed on the obstacle. Two of them, Sara Heesen and Jamie Ross, had failed on the Ring Jump during Minneapolis qualifiers, therefore attempting the obstacle for the first time in the city finals, while the other two, Jelani Allen and Garrett Lam, had failed on the same obstacle during Minneapolis qualifiers.

Other Appearances
On Australian Ninja Warrior 2, the Battering Ram appeared as the fifth obstacle in Semifinal 3. However, compared to the one used on American Ninja Warrior, the obstacle featured:
 * Only 2 sets of pipe and cylinder were used, making the obstacle similar to the one used during Celebrity Ninja Warrior: Red Nose Day.
 * A long downward-angled pipe at the end of the second set. Therefore, after reaching the end of the second set, competitors must make the transition to the pipe to reach the landing platform.

Because of those modifications, the obstacle was named as the Battering Ram to Pipe Climber.

Grip & Tip
On American Ninja Warrior 11, a variant of the Battering Ram appeared as the first obstacle in Stage Three, replacing the Floating Boards after seven seasons on American Ninja Warrior.

The obstacle was called as the Grip & Tip, and involved two tilting pipes instead of three stationary pipes, where competitors must use the cylinders to kip their way across two tilting pipes. This version seemed to be a hybrid between the Battering Ram and the Swinging Frames. The obstacle only eliminated Josh Salinas.

American Ninja Warrior 13
On American Ninja Warrior 13, the Grip & Tip would return. This time, no competitor failed on the obstacle.

Competitors' Success Rate

 * All results based on the NBC broadcast and external information found

Trivia

 * The Battering Ram was one of the eight obstacles that won the first edition of American Ninja Warrior: Obstacle Design Challenge, which was announced during American Ninja Warrior 8. The obstacle was designed by Luke Pereira, although his identity was not credited during the broadcast and was known due to external information.
 * The Battering Ram on American Ninja Warrior 9 tied with the Lightning Bolts on American Ninja Warrior 11 as the obstacle with the most number of attempts by female competitors, with seven each.