Floating Boards

Floating Boards, romanized as Floating Board (フローティングボード), is a Third Stage obstacle introduced in SASUKE 25 as part of Kanzen Renewal, appearing as the third obstacle. The obstacle consisted of five boards hanging from the scaffolding above, with the boards raised in height except for the fifth board, being placed at the lowest height.

Competitors must climb onto the first board up until they can cling onto the side of the board using their hands and feet. From there, they must transfer to the next boards until they could reach the landing platform, which was placed just above the water. Despite being very fatiguing for Ultimate Cliffhanger that was placed immediately after, it eliminated no competitors and was replaced by Cycling Road in the following tournament.

Interestingly, part of the reasons why the obstacles in SASUKE 25's Third Stage are covered in sheets prior to being attempted is due to the fact that Floating Boards were yet to be installed until the stage was about to commence. The producers decided to cover the already installed obstacles with sheets to hide this fact, as well as to add tension among the competitors when Third Stage commenced.

Competitors' Success Rate

 * All results based on the TBS broadcast and external information found.

American Ninja Warrior
This obstacle first appeared during American Ninja Warrior 2's Boot Camp finals, but it wasn't used in any of the Team Relays. Its first appearance in an official course would be in American Ninja Warrior 4.

First Version
The first version of Floating Boards appeared as the third obstacle of Stage Three in American Ninja Warrior 4 and American Ninja Warrior 5. It again preceded Ultimate Cliffhanger. However unlike in SASUKE:


 * The first board was removed,
 * The distance from the starting platform to the boards is shorter, making it easier for competitors to cling onto the first board immediately,
 * The gaps between the boards were decreased to three feet, and
 * The thickness of each board was 2.25 inches.

In American Ninja Warrior 4, the obstacle was completed by the only remaining competitor, Brent Steffensen.

In American Ninja Warrior 5, for the first time, the obstacle eliminated competitors, namely Travis Rosen, James McGrath, and Joe Moravsky. It became the most difficult obstacle for competitors. Only Brian Arnold was able to complete this obstacle. It still became a hard obstacle during USA vs. Japan, with three more competitors failing, James McGrath, Yamamoto Shingo, and Urushihara Yuuji.

Second Version
The second version of Floating Boards appeared in American Ninja Warrior 6 and American Ninja Warrior 7, at the exact position with the first version. This time, the fourth board was placed equally high as the other three boards.

In American Ninja Warrior 6, two competitors, Elet Hall and Joe Moravsky, attempted the obstacle, but only Joe Moravsky could complete it.

In American Ninja Warrior 7, all competitors completed the obstacle.

Third Version
The third version of Floating Boards appeared in American Ninja Warrior 8. It still preceded Ultimate Cliffhanger, however now was the second obstacle, and some modifications were made. The bottom part of the boards was tapered, so the boards looked trapezoidal, rather than usual rectangular-shaped. Despite that change, all competitors completed this obstacle; both Drew Drechsel and Daniel Gil completed it, as well as competitors during USA vs. The World 3.

Fourth Version
The fourth version of Floating Boards appeared in American Ninja Warrior 9 and American Ninja Warrior 10. It was moved to the first obstacle, and while the boards' were the same trapezoidal shape as in the previous version, the boards' size and length were modified, as the boards were increasing in length as they progressed, with the first board being the shortest, and the fourth board being the tallest. Despite those changes, no competitor failed on this obstacle once again on both two seasons.

During two USA vs. The World specials, only Marco Jubes from Team Latin America failed in USA vs. The World 4, when he lost his balance at the dismount.

After being in American Ninja Warrior for seven seasons, the obstacle was replaced by Grip & Tip in the next season.

Ninja Warrior UK
During the first three seasons of Ninja Warrior UK, Floating Boards appeared during the finals:


 * as the sixth obstacle in Stage 2 in Ninja Warrior UK,
 * as the first obstacle in Stage 3 in Ninja Warrior UK 2, and
 * as the second obstacle in Stage 3 in Ninja Warrior UK 3.

However, the obstacle was never attempted, as the obstacle was replaced by Spider Flip in Ninja Warrior UK 4.

Australian Ninja Warrior
Floating Boards appeared:


 * as the seventh obstacle in Stage Two in Australian Ninja Warrior,
 * as the fifth obstacle in Stage Three in Australian Ninja Warrior 2, and
 * as the fourth obstacle in Stage Three in Australian Ninja Warrior 3 and Australian Ninja Warrior 4, called Floating Doors.

During the first two seasons, the obstacle was not attempted. In Australian Ninja Warrior 3, four competitors, Josh O'Sullivan, Bryson Klein, Daniel Mason, and Charlie Robbins, were able to reach the obstacle, but none of them could complete it; all of them failed while trying to make a transition to the second board. Therefore, the obstacle became the cut-off to determine which competitor became the season's winner and took home the AU$100,000 cash prize, which ultimately went to Charlie Robbins. However, no one failed on this obstacle in Australian Ninja Warrior 4.

SASUKE Vietnam
Ván Treo, SASUKE Vietnam's official name for Floating Boards, appeared as the second obstacle in Stage 3 on SASUKE Vietnam 3.

The obstacle was similar to one used in SASUKE 25, with the presence of five boards. However, the first, third, and fifth boards were placed lower than the second and fourth boards. Also, if the competitors touched the white trail of the boards, they would be disqualified.

The obstacle eliminated four out of eighteen competitors who attempted it, with three of them falling on the obstacle, and one competitor, Phạm Xuân Hùng, being disqualified for touching the white trail on the third board.

In SASUKE Vietnam 4, Floating Boards appeared once again as the second obstacle in Stage 3. This time, all five boards were placed equally high, making the obstacle similar to the one used in American Ninja Warrior 6 and American Ninja Warrior 7, except only four boards were used on those American Ninja Warrior seasons. The obstacle eliminated four competitors, with three of them, Nguyễn Phi Hùng, Chunmin Yang, and Perry Oosterlee, being disqualified for touching the white trail on the board, and one competitor, Fang Bin, falling while making the transition to the final board.

In SASUKE Vietnam 5, the obstacle was moved to the fourth obstacle in Stage 2. With the introduction of the 180-second time limit in Stage 2, the obstacle mostly served as the time waster for the competitors, as only two competitors failed out of 26 competitors who attempted it.

SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia
In SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia 2017, Floating Boards appeared as the fourth obstacle during Semifinal Stage 2.

It featured four hanging boards, with the fourth board shorter than the other three boards, in order to make the obstacle more difficult. Also, competitors were not allowed to touch/grab the top blue part of the boards. If they did so, they would be disqualified; this particular rule came into play when Josh Levin was disqualified for touching the top part of the fourth board during SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia: International Competition.

Ninja Warrior Germany
The Floating Boards appeared firstly in Ninja Warrior Germany 2, then as the second obstacle of Stage 3 in Ninja Warrior Germany 3, and then was relocated as the first obstacle of Stage 3 in Ninja Warrior Germany 4, with the similar configuration with the second version from American Ninja Warrior.

Starting from Ninja Warrior Germany 5, the Floating Boards was modified, so that each board would be tilted vertically, making it harder to grip. Also, the boards were increasing in length as they progressed, similar to the fourth version that appeared in American Ninja Warrior 9 and 10.

Ninja Israel
Starting from Ninja Warrior Israel, the Floating Boards appeared as the sixth obstacle in Stage Two in every season.

In Ninja Warrior Israel 2, each board was tilted vertically. Only Gil Marantz made an attempt, but he fell on the first board.

Ninja Warrior Poland
In Ninja Warrior Poland, the Podwieszane Płyty (Ninja Warrior Poland's official name for the Floating Boards) appeared as the sixth obstacle in Stage Two. The obstacle involved four boards with the same height and are spaced one meter apart. Only Jakub Zawistowski attempted this obstacle. However, he fell from the second board, passing to the third, thus winning the title of Last Man Standing. Later in Ninja Warrior Poland 5, the Floating Boards this time called locally "the Wiszące Drzwi" appeared as the eight and penultimate obstacle in Stage Two. There was a small landing in front of the obstacle (similar to the last one used in Parkour Run, with a difference in size) to rest in front of the obstacle. At the end of the obstacle, the competitors had to grab the rope leading to the last obstacle, the Flying Bar. Only Igor Fojcik, who completed the previous obstacles, attempted the Floating Boards and was the first Polish competitor to complete them.

Competitors' Success Rate

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

フローティングボード 飄浮門板