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in: ANW Obstacles, American Ninja Warrior 14, Ninja Warrior Germany

Piston Plunge

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ANW14 - Qualifier 2 - Piston Plunge

American Ninja Warrior 14's Piston Plunge during QF EP 2

Piston Plunge is an obstacle, firstly introduced as the fifth obstacle during the second episode of qualifiers on American Ninja Warrior 14.

The obstacle involves five inverted pistons with varying heights, which are all connected by a crankshaft; once competitors apply their weight to a piston, it will drop at least a foot and the other pistons will change their heights. The second piston is free-spinning, similar to the discs in the Fallout. The third piston has its front and back parts of the piston covered, while the fourth piston has its sides covered, limiting competitors' grip.

Competitors must first jump off a mini tramp to reach a stationary bar, then swing forward to the first piston. Once on the first piston, they must build enough momentum to lache to the second spinning piston. Grabbing two pistons at once is not allowed. When moving to the fourth piston, competitors must rotate their hands 90 degrees mid-air; instead of their hands on the left and right sides of the piston, competitors must use a front grip on the front of the piston and a reverse grip on the back of the piston. Once the competitors reach the last piston, they must lache to a steering wheel (similar to the Tire Run) which is connected by a bungee cord and drops once competitors apply their weight onto it. The wheel also moves back and forth with competitors' momentum. After reaching the wheel, ninjas must dismount the obstacle.

The Piston Plunge was very difficult, relying on good grip, lower-body strength, and hand placement to complete it. When moving to any piston, competitors needed to grip them from the top and the sides, squeezing them to get good grip and absorb the drops. Competitors also needed to maintain a back-and-forth momentum, as they could get disoriented by the spinning pistons. In addition, the lache to the fourth piston was difficult, as it required a blind grab with the lead hand. The steering wheel was also tricky, as it dropped most suddenly and at a higher height from the pistons.

At least 20 competitors fell on this obstacle in its first appearance, including big names such as Lucas Reale, Dave Cavanagh, Joe Capo, Sophia Lavallee, Abby Clark, Cara Mack, Rachel Degutz, Jennifer Stefano, and Xavier Dantzler. Many competitors gassed out on the laches or lost their grip on the pistons. This obstacle served as the cut-off for the top 30 competitors and top 5 women.

ANW14 Piston Plunge S2

American Ninja Warrior 14's Piston Plunge on Stage Two

Later on the same season, the Piston Plunge later appeared as the third obstacle in Stage Two, replacing the V Formation from the previous season. There were several notable differences compared to its appearance in the qualifiers:

  • In the qualifiers, competitors used a stationary bar as a medium to reach the first piston. In Stage Two, ninjas would attempt the obstacle after completing the Double Salmon Ladder, using a horizontal pole and a set of footrests to reach the first piston.
  • Each piston is 2.5 feet from the next one.
  • The fourth piston's sides were not covered, making it similar to the first piston.
  • Competitors were allowed to grasp two handles at once, except for the transition to the third piston. Instead, they would have to lache to the third piston, but could grasp that piston while reaching for the fourth.
  • The steering wheel dropped less violently and did not rock back and forth with competitors' momentum.

Instead of good hand placement, pure upper-body strength was necessary, as competitors simply muscled their way through the pistons. The most critical transfers were the laches to the third piston and the steering wheel, as they required a lache rather than a hand-to-hand transfer, and dropped most severely. However, competitors who didn't struggle at all on the earlier obstacles or at any other pistons were almost certainly guaranteed success.

The Stage Two version retained most of its difficulty from qualifying, though, as five competitors fell here: Mike Silenzi, Jeremiah Boyd, James Sannella (who cleared this obstacle in qualifiers), Jackson Erdos, and Josiah Singleton (who would have a second attempt at the obstacle thanks to the Safety Pass, before failing it again). Ultimately, the Piston Plunge had tied with the Hornet's Nest for the most casualties on Stage Two.

Even thought it had a decent knockout rate, because it was too slow for the new Stage Two format, it was replaced by the Jawbreakers on the next season.

Other Season Appearances[]

American Ninja Warrior: Women's Championship 3[]

Piston Plunge returned as the third obstacle in Stage Two for American Ninja Warrior: Women's Championship 3. This time, the fourth piston was completely uncovered, making it similar to the first piston. This meant that competitors did not have to lache to any piston; they simply completed this obstacle by muscling their way across every piston. In addition, the steering wheel dropped less. With these changes, Piston Plunge proved to be very easy, as out of five competitors who attempted the obstacle, no one fell on it.

Other Appearances[]

Ninja Warrior Germany[]

NWG 8-Preliminary Round 5-Obstacle-Piston Plunge

The Piston Plunge (Kolbenfresser) in Ninja Warrior Germany 8

Piston Plunge made its international debut in Ninja Warrior Germany 8, in which it was known by its local name Kolbenfresser (literally Piston Seize) as the sixth obstacle in the fifth Preliminary Round. Compared to its appearance in the second episode of qualifiers of American Ninja Warrior 14, this obstacle consisted of a pole as medium to reach the lachรฉ bar instead of a mini tramp as well as the third piston was uncovered (similar to the Stage Two version during the Womenโ€™s championship.) plus the steering wheel was moving a lot more than the American version. The obstacle was brutal, as out of 17 attempts, only seven competitors cleared it, with most of the ninjas failing the lachรฉ to the steering wheel.

Piston Plunge will reappear during Ninja Warrior Germany 9 as the second obstacle of Stage Three.

Competitors' Success Rate[]

  • All results based on the NBC/RTL broadcast and external information found.

American Ninja Warrior[]

ANW Clears Attempts Percentage
ANW14 (Qualifiers) 11 31 35.48%
ANW14 (Stage Two) 19 25 76%
Women's Championship 3 5 5 100%
Total 35 61 57.38%

Ninja Warrior Germany[]

NWG Clears Attempts Percentage
NWG8 (Preliminary Round 5) 7 17 41.17%
NWG9 (Stage Three) TBA TBA TBA%
Total 7 17 41.17%
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American Ninja Warrior Obstacles
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Stage One
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