Schwungarm, translated as the Swing Arm, is an obstacle firstly introduced in Ninja Warrior Germany 7.
The objective of the obstacle is the same across all of its versions: competitors must jump and ride on or hang onto an object attached to a rotating arm that swings around a corner, after which they must transfer to a rope and swing onto the landing platform.
First Version[]
Ninja Warrior Germany 7's Swing Arm during The Qualifications
The first version of Swing Arm appeared as the fifth obstacle during The Qualifications of Ninja Warrior Germany 7. It consisted of a roller-shaped post (similar to the punching-shaped bag from Jumper Cables) that competitors must jump and wrap around, drive it forward 180° in a counterclockwise fashion, then transfer to the rope and make the dismount. Some competitors failed to grab the post, and some missed the timing to the rope.
This version later returned in Ninja Warrior Germany 8 as the fifth obstacle in Preliminary Rounds 3 and 4.
Ninja Warrior Germany 9's Swing Arm in Preliminary Round 1 - 4
In Ninja Warrior Germany 9, this version of Swing Arm returned as the fifth obstacle during the first four Preliminary Rounds with a slight modification with it being combined with the Rope Maze, turning it into the Schwungarm + Seil-Labyrinth (Swing Arm + Rope Maze).
In Preliminary Round 1, the obstacle proved to be only somewhat difficult, as out of the 17 who attempted the obstacle during that Preliminary Round, four failed, surprisingly including the long-time Ninja Warrior Germany Veterans Andreas Wöhle and Benjamin Grams, with Wöhle's fail being peculiar - As he was clearing Domino Effect from the Split Decision, he had so much momentum coming off the previous obstacle that he jumped from the running platform between the Split Decision and the Swing Arm to the platform between the Swing Arm and the Rope Maze, skipping the Swing Arm entirely, which was considered a disallowed shortcut and therefore resulted in a disqualification.
Second Version[]
Ninja Warrior Germany 7's Swing Arm during Stage 1
The Swing Arm reappeared later in the course, now placed as the fifth obstacle in Stage One. This time, the post was replaced by a free hanging disk, resembling one from Area 51 or UFO, and the rope was replaced by a small ring. The way that the disk is suspended compared to the post made it impossible to transition to the ring with one hand, which was possible with the previous version. While grabbing to a disk seemed to be easier than hugging the post, the transition to the ring was trickier, as four competitors failed this transition.
Ninja Warrior Germany 8's Swing Arm during Stage 1
This version later returned in Ninja Warrior Germany 8 and Ninja Warrior Germany 9 as the fifth obstacle in Finals' Stage One.
Third Version[]
Ninja Warrior Germany: Celebrity Special 6's Swing Arm
The third version of Swing Arm appeared in Ninja Warrior Germany: Celebrity Special 6, as the fifth obstacle of Round 1. This time, it consisted of a bungee cord that would give way and stretch as soon as the competitors would hold onto it (similar to the Metal Spin post-SASUKE 14), requiring competitors to jump high up on the bungee cord to prevent them from sinking too far down and from eventually skimming the water. And once again, competitors have to jump, then hold onto the swing element, drive it forward in a counterclockwise fashion and finally make the dismount.
The Swing Arm (Schwung-Arm) in Ninja Warrior Germany 8
In Ninja Warrior Germany 8, this version of Swing Arm returned as the fifth obstacle during all the Preliminary Rounds. The only difference compared to the one used in Ninja Warrior Germany: Celebrity Special 6 that there was a rope as a medium to reach the landing platform.
Ninja Warrior Germany 9's Swing Arm in Preliminary Round 5
In Ninja Warrior Germany 9, this version of the Swing Arm returned as the fifth obstacle during the final two preliminary rounds with a slight modification with it being combined with the Rope Maze which turns it into the Schwungarm + Seil-Labyrinth (Swing Arm + Rope Maze).
Trivia[]
- The obstacle is one of the few instances that are known to be created by an international show itself and is not based on obstacle replicas from other competitions such as American Ninja Warrior, SASUKE, and KUNOICHI.
- While the obstacle itself is original, swinging arms have been used before as an obstacle element on other SASUKE formats, notably with the steering wheels on Tire Run from American Ninja Warrior.
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