American Ninja Warrior 7's Swinging Spikes in Houston
The Swinging Spikes is an obstacle, firstly introduced as the fifth obstacle on American Ninja Warrior 7 in Houston.
It consisted of eight suspended spikes, divided into 3 sections (the first two section had 3 spikes each and the last section had two spikes). Competitors must use their upper-body to traverse the spikes and reach the landing platform. Some of the spikes moved side to side, some moved forward and backward, and others were attached to a bungee drop.
During Houston qualifiers, the obstacle was proved to be moderately difficult for competitors, as several top competitors (e.g. Evan Dollard, Andrew Lowes, Robert Ing, Jeremiah Morgan, and Karsten Williams) failed on this obstacle, and only 15 competitors could complete it. During Houston finals, 8 more competitors failed on this obstacle.
American Ninja Warrior 8's Swinging Spikes in Indianapolis
The Swinging Spikes returned as the fifth obstacle on American Ninja Warrior 8 in Indianapolis. However, the first 5 spikes were on a tilting S-shaped beam. After the first 5 spikes, there were two branching paths. One path had the more spikes, but the spikes were on a arch, while the other path had a descending path, but fewer spikes. During Indianapolis qualifiers, 27 competitors could complete the obstacle.
During Indianapolis finals, the arch path was removed and the descending path was changed into the ascending one, with the number of spikes remained the same as in Indianapolis qualifiers. As the result, 4 more competitors failed on this obstacle (in which 3 of them completed the obstacle during Indianapolis qualifiers).