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![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/BP7Vt.jpg)
BAD.
ASS.
So everyone's heard of jousting. One of the first real "sports", with the first formal tournament held in 1066. For hundreds of years this was "the" gentlemans sport! (Ironically, heavily armored lancers would have never charged at each other in a real battle, but it certainly seems a good test of horsemanship) There were fatalities and horrid injuries, but lots of money/honor on the line. No better way to show off martial skill!
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/49GeB.jpg)
Yum...
What most of us consider to be jousting, that is, two heavily armored knights charging at each other full tilt and trying to unhorse their opponent, is merely one of several sports that compose Jousting, but it's certainly the most "spectacular" to watch for lack of a better term. Heavy armored jousting, light armored jousting with shield, spear throwing, and even dismounted combat were all other forms of "jousting", and usually included in the same tournament.
Anyway, the sport died off for the most part hundreds of years ago, and only recently has been revived in the 70's and 80's. Even then, the modern jousters use pre-perforated lances, or even lances made of balsa wood, so that they break easily. All for safety's sake of course. Any jousting you see at a Renaissance fair is going to be using these fake lances, and at the "Medieval Times" restaurant, you're going to see staged fights and mock combat from people in costumes.
http://www.knightsofmayhem.com/
http://www.knightsofvalour.com/
(and probably many more)
Enter, these guys! So there's a group of jousters out there who engage is real, full-contact jousting. Just two men, (and apparently a few women! ), on top of massive horses, wearing plate armor, charging and hitting each other with real, solid, pine lances. Holy shit, awesome.
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/E6UxQ.jpg)
Bam!
Now I've always been a huge medieval nerd, and this is just plain awesome. I would *love* to see something like this in person. So, any and all Dagorhir, SCA, or whatever else have you type nerds, post! I figure we can make this thread pertain to any medieval combat or mock combat sports! So if you've got some awesome Dag or SCA stories to tell, or if you just think jousting is awesome, chime in!
And finally, I'll leave you all with some videos!
+ Show Spoiler +fucking SICK impact... WOW cheesy promo video, but cool footage regardless. ow. Another cheesy promo vid, but very awesome. Bad quality, but some *crazy* SCA practice. Florentine vs sword/board.
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It doesn't seem like a very good idea to me.
One of those kings, I forget which one but one of the badass ones died from jousting. The lance thingamajig broke on his chest, and went up through his visor and through his eye into his brain. He lived for a while longer but the doctors then didn't know how to help him.
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They had the World Jousting Championships here in NZ a few years ago. Wanted to go see it, but it was a 3 hour drive... :|
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On January 31 2011 15:31 travis wrote:
It doesn't seem like a very good idea to me.
One of those kings, I forget which one but one of the badass ones died from jousting. The lance thingamajig broke on his chest, and went up through his visor and through his eye into his brain. He lived for a while longer but the doctors then didn't know how to help him.
He was an English king if I recall... I thought he died on the spot though with a lance shard to the brain?
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At first I was like "cool"
And then I looked at it and realized its just 2 idiots basically running into each other with big sticks and falling over.
Conclusion: Its dumb
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i so want jousting at my superbowl party
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On January 31 2011 15:35 Haemonculus wrote:Show nested quote +On January 31 2011 15:31 travis wrote:
It doesn't seem like a very good idea to me.
One of those kings, I forget which one but one of the badass ones died from jousting. The lance thingamajig broke on his chest, and went up through his visor and through his eye into his brain. He lived for a while longer but the doctors then didn't know how to help him. He was an English king if I recall... I thought he died on the spot though with a lance shard to the brain?
It was Henry II of France. He did manage to survive for a while... ugh, the agony.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_of_France
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Remember watching a jousting tourney when I was.. 5-6 perhaps? I was already quite a history nerd and man, I don't think I've ever thought anything was as cool since then.
But pine lances? Shit's dangerous as it is, not sure if that's awesome or slightly retarded. The black knight video confirmed my suspicions, wow.
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pussy sport.
User was warned for this post
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I actually did this for several years. Training the horses is one of the hardest aspects of the sport. second only to making your gear/armor alot of custom work requires either you making it your self or hiring a talented blacksmith at rather great cost to make you a set of armor. I helped make a few sets its very labor intensive. I hope jousting does come back as a sport.
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Whoa, that guy in the second picture has a serious belly.
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On January 31 2011 15:53 EtherealDeath wrote:
Whoa, that guy in the second picture has a serious belly.
Haha I think that's just the armor shape. There were pics of the same guy not in armor and such. It's built to deflect potentially fatal blows to the gut.
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On January 31 2011 15:41 sob3k wrote:
At first I was like "cool"
And then I looked at it and realized its just 2 idiots basically running into each other with big sticks and falling over.
Conclusion: Its dumb
Golf's just a bunch of idiots hitting a small ball around with a stick.
Football is a bunch of idiots tackling each other and taking a break every 5 seconds.
Tennis is just a couple idiots hitting a ball back and forth.
etc etc
Clearly there's a bit more to it than you're leading on.
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On January 31 2011 15:57 Haemonculus wrote:Show nested quote +On January 31 2011 15:41 sob3k wrote:
At first I was like "cool"
And then I looked at it and realized its just 2 idiots basically running into each other with big sticks and falling over.
Conclusion: Its dumb Golf's just a bunch of idiots hitting a small ball around with a stick. Football is a bunch of idiots tackling each other and taking a break every 5 seconds. Tennis is just a couple idiots hitting a ball back and forth. etc etc Clearly there's a bit more to it than you're leading on.
except with jousting there isnt...
It would be like golf with one hole
or Football with 2 guys and no ball
or tennis against a wall by yourself
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On January 31 2011 15:41 sob3k wrote:
At first I was like "cool"
And then I looked at it and realized its just 2 idiots basically running into each other with big sticks and falling over.
Conclusion: Its dumb
You dare call a Knight "dumb" surely not?! Get lost Peasant!
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On January 31 2011 16:04 sob3k wrote:Show nested quote +On January 31 2011 15:57 Haemonculus wrote:On January 31 2011 15:41 sob3k wrote:
At first I was like "cool"
And then I looked at it and realized its just 2 idiots basically running into each other with big sticks and falling over.
Conclusion: Its dumb Golf's just a bunch of idiots hitting a small ball around with a stick. Football is a bunch of idiots tackling each other and taking a break every 5 seconds. Tennis is just a couple idiots hitting a ball back and forth. etc etc Clearly there's a bit more to it than you're leading on. or tennis against a wall by yourself
Wouldn't that be like jousting with a wall, rather? Jousting might be stupid, but your comparisons makes it look genius.
As someone said there's more to the sport than the joust. I never cared for a horse nor have I ever worn or taken care of a full plate armor, but I highly doubt it's something that I could finish in ten minutes before an SC2 session.
Not sure how you convince a horse to charge at that other charging horse that has a stick pointed in your direction either.
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On January 31 2011 16:08 vyyye wrote:Show nested quote +On January 31 2011 16:04 sob3k wrote:On January 31 2011 15:57 Haemonculus wrote:On January 31 2011 15:41 sob3k wrote:
At first I was like "cool"
And then I looked at it and realized its just 2 idiots basically running into each other with big sticks and falling over.
Conclusion: Its dumb Golf's just a bunch of idiots hitting a small ball around with a stick. Football is a bunch of idiots tackling each other and taking a break every 5 seconds. Tennis is just a couple idiots hitting a ball back and forth. etc etc Clearly there's a bit more to it than you're leading on. or tennis against a wall by yourself Wouldn't that be like jousting with a wall, rather? Jousting might be stupid, but your comparisons makes it look genius.
I think you kind of missed the point.
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On January 31 2011 16:10 sob3k wrote:Show nested quote +On January 31 2011 16:08 vyyye wrote:On January 31 2011 16:04 sob3k wrote:On January 31 2011 15:57 Haemonculus wrote:On January 31 2011 15:41 sob3k wrote:
At first I was like "cool"
And then I looked at it and realized its just 2 idiots basically running into each other with big sticks and falling over.
Conclusion: Its dumb Golf's just a bunch of idiots hitting a small ball around with a stick. Football is a bunch of idiots tackling each other and taking a break every 5 seconds. Tennis is just a couple idiots hitting a ball back and forth. etc etc Clearly there's a bit more to it than you're leading on. or tennis against a wall by yourself Wouldn't that be like jousting with a wall, rather? Jousting might be stupid, but your comparisons makes it look genius. I think you kind of missed the point.
Hardly, you're saying the sport is stupid and while making stupid comparisons. Unless your posts in this thread are satirical I rest my case.
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reminds me of how my friends and I used to play chicken on bikes where basically we rode at each other and the first one to chicken out and swerve loses. but even better is if you can swerve and smack the other guy as you go by so he falls. this looks like that but with horses and armour and sticks.
I'm guessing medieval knights were as bored as we were when they came up with this
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On January 31 2011 16:13 vyyye wrote:Show nested quote +On January 31 2011 16:10 sob3k wrote:On January 31 2011 16:08 vyyye wrote:On January 31 2011 16:04 sob3k wrote:On January 31 2011 15:57 Haemonculus wrote:On January 31 2011 15:41 sob3k wrote:
At first I was like "cool"
And then I looked at it and realized its just 2 idiots basically running into each other with big sticks and falling over.
Conclusion: Its dumb Golf's just a bunch of idiots hitting a small ball around with a stick. Football is a bunch of idiots tackling each other and taking a break every 5 seconds. Tennis is just a couple idiots hitting a ball back and forth. etc etc Clearly there's a bit more to it than you're leading on. or tennis against a wall by yourself Wouldn't that be like jousting with a wall, rather? Jousting might be stupid, but your comparisons makes it look genius. I think you kind of missed the point. Hardly, you're saying the sport is stupid and while making stupid comparisons. Unless your posts in this thread are satirical I rest my case.
Here, I'll help you out.
I said Jousting is dumb because it has no depth (and is very dangerous).
Haemonculous gave examples of other sports that according to my terms she says are also dumb.
I responded by saying those sports are much more sophisticated by giving examples of them simplified to a level I compare with jousting. The comparisons were of level of complexity, not literal....What would golf be? Jousting with the ground?
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United States43813 Posts
On January 31 2011 15:31 travis wrote:
It doesn't seem like a very good idea to me.
One of those kings, I forget which one but one of the badass ones died from jousting. The lance thingamajig broke on his chest, and went up through his visor and through his eye into his brain. He lived for a while longer but the doctors then didn't know how to help him.
Exact same thing happened a few years ago on some jousting being done for a tv programme.
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o.O that would fucking hurt?
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Badassery at it's bad assedness. It's like Rambo and Dick Butkus had horse riding stick wielding babies. who wanted to kill each other.
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On January 31 2011 16:18 sob3k wrote:Show nested quote +On January 31 2011 16:13 vyyye wrote:On January 31 2011 16:10 sob3k wrote:On January 31 2011 16:08 vyyye wrote:On January 31 2011 16:04 sob3k wrote:On January 31 2011 15:57 Haemonculus wrote:On January 31 2011 15:41 sob3k wrote:
At first I was like "cool"
And then I looked at it and realized its just 2 idiots basically running into each other with big sticks and falling over.
Conclusion: Its dumb Golf's just a bunch of idiots hitting a small ball around with a stick. Football is a bunch of idiots tackling each other and taking a break every 5 seconds. Tennis is just a couple idiots hitting a ball back and forth. etc etc Clearly there's a bit more to it than you're leading on. or tennis against a wall by yourself Wouldn't that be like jousting with a wall, rather? Jousting might be stupid, but your comparisons makes it look genius. I think you kind of missed the point. Hardly, you're saying the sport is stupid and while making stupid comparisons. Unless your posts in this thread are satirical I rest my case. Here, I'll help you out. I said Jousting is dumb because it has no depth (and is very dangerous). Haemonculous gave examples of other sports that according to my terms she says are also dumb. I responded by saying those sports are much more sophisticated by giving examples of them simplified to a level I compare with jousting. The comparisons were of level of complexity, not literal....What would golf be? Jousting with the ground?
Are you serious?
Your examples were there to highlight the complexity and sophistication of the sports? Because in that case it makes less bloody sense.
If you're going to simplify an entire sport with "Big sticks, they run, they dumb" you need to support your statements beyond that. Gold would be a few folks hitting golf balls with some sticks aiming for a hole, which is what it is essentially. Doesn't mean the sport isn't complex.
Do you really think you can simply ride without thought, aim your lance and hope to the gods that your lance connects first? It would be hard to imagine that there isn't a lot the untrained eye can't see at all.
Eh.
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Considering that jousting was originally built off of a martial art and was THE combat sport of "civilized" Europe up until the 17th century, I'd expect it to demand a massive amount of skill and training.
I'd expect it to be a lot like pole vaulting, where you're trying to apply an optimal amount of force at the tip of a long pole. Except with horses, heavier pole, and a moving target that's trying to throw you off.
Yeah, fairly difficult.
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the fake jousting people do is scary enough, and cool enough, no need to try to do the real thing and get yourself killed.. But i guess it's just their idea of a good time, plenty of people do other dangerous things for fun =/.
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I'd enjoy the sport :D.
Hows that any different then two people (or more) tackling each other in football?
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tempted to go watch a knights tale now
Really love medieval stuff 
Cant wait for the next MD ren fair
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this seems more like a show-sport, kinda like wrestling. its really cool and all, but idunno bout it overall.
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they arent even using real lances and going like 5 miles per an hour. i'd rather just go watch medieval times lol.
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On January 31 2011 19:02 Terranist wrote:
they arent even using real lances and going like 5 miles per an hour. i'd rather just go watch medieval times lol.
What?
They are using real pine lances used back in medieval Europe. They are also going considerably faster than 5 mph. Not sure if we're seeing the same thing.
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It's called slow-motion lol
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+ Show Spoiler +http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGrAUj-CgnQ&feature=player_embedded
Ahahahahaha fucking rednecks this is amazing.
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jousting?
2 guys riding towards each other on horses, with armour on and wood in hand, aiming it at someones chest with the goal of knocking the other guy on his ass at the risk of poking out an eye?
Why do i fail to see the 'badassery' or entertainment value of this?
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United States43813 Posts
That happened a few years ago, it was just the inquest that came out recently.
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On January 31 2011 16:20 KwarK wrote:Show nested quote +On January 31 2011 15:31 travis wrote:
It doesn't seem like a very good idea to me.
One of those kings, I forget which one but one of the badass ones died from jousting. The lance thingamajig broke on his chest, and went up through his visor and through his eye into his brain. He lived for a while longer but the doctors then didn't know how to help him. Exact same thing happened a few years ago on some jousting being done for a tv programme.
I was just going to ask if they have at least some modern day modification like plastic in their visor that protect them from splinters.
I guess not.
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seriously. I'd definitely put some goggles on under the visor.
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I think the only way that could really become a sport again is if they stick to safer equipment. Yes, it's more fun with "the real thing"... until you get a hole in your gut and die a horrible, painful death.
There is a reason why those things are called "weapons"... they are ment to kill others... it's never a good idea to just use a weapon for fun, someone will die eventually (or in this case someone already died, but it won't be long to the next one).
If they use safe equipment (as in "safe enough that you don't die because you make a single mistake or have bad luck") i could see that sport being a lot of fun, both for the participants and the audience.
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Id feel way more scared for the horses than the idiots riding them. Seems dangerous.
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I have to agree with most people here. As fun as this looks, its just incredibly stupid without any modern safety equipment. If you really want the lance to be the same, at least wear somekind of eye protection or proper helmets..
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Believe it or not...the helmets they used were BADASS, they just weighed a ton. The only thing they lacked was good eye protection. Throw some really good goggles underneath those helmets and you're comparatively safe. You people need to remember that this is what people back then did for FUN and SPORT. If it killed every other person that tried it...then it wouldn't have lasted very long.
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On January 31 2011 22:06 Sm3agol wrote:
Believe it or not...the helmets they used were BADASS, they just weighed a ton. The only thing they lacked was good eye protection. Throw some really good goggles underneath those helmets and you're comparatively safe. You people need to remember that this is what people back then did for FUN and SPORT. If it killed every other person that tried it...then it wouldn't have lasted very long.
And the romans let gladiators kill each other for fun and sport...
Humans are still primitive, they love others engaging in things that could kill them. The more blood and the more danger, the more fun the spectators have... and back in those days those tournaments were political: Win in a tournament with a chance of losing your life, get noticed by the king, gain land/command/the hand of his daughter...
There is no reason for risking your life now, so why should you? Just for the adrenaline rush?
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I agree with the need for safer equipment, but the idea is awesome! I kinda want to watch one of these now.
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Funfact: Gladiators, did not kill eachother. What would be the point in that? You'd just quickly run out of any potential champions. Sure there where accidents there too..
What sets this sport aside from the regular base jumping, sharkwrestling or whatever other adrenalin junkie sport you could think of, is that this has the potential to be safe. All you'd need is a regulation set of armor (Which means no homemade stuff), and googles under those visors.
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On January 31 2011 22:24 Excludos wrote:
Funfact: Gladiators, did not kill eachother. What would be the point in that? You'd just quickly run out of any potential champions. Sure there where accidents there too..
What sets this sport aside from the regular base jumping, sharkwrestling or whatever other adrenalin junkie sport you could think of, is that this has the potential to be safe. All you'd need is a regulation set of armor (Which means no homemade stuff), and googles under those visors.
goggles? Lol, that huge stick at that speed could probably pierce a hole through your head. I doubt goggles would help.
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On January 31 2011 22:16 Morfildur wrote:Show nested quote +On January 31 2011 22:06 Sm3agol wrote:
Believe it or not...the helmets they used were BADASS, they just weighed a ton. The only thing they lacked was good eye protection. Throw some really good goggles underneath those helmets and you're comparatively safe. You people need to remember that this is what people back then did for FUN and SPORT. If it killed every other person that tried it...then it wouldn't have lasted very long. And the romans let gladiators kill each other for fun and sport... Humans are still primitive, they love others engaging in things that could kill them. The more blood and the more danger, the more fun the spectators have... and back in those days those tournaments were political: Win in a tournament with a chance of losing your life, get noticed by the king, gain land/command/the hand of his daughter... There is no reason for risking your life now, so why should you? Just for the adrenaline rush?
If Kings did it for fun.....it couldn't be that dangerous. Seriously. I'm not saying that it's as safe as playing chess....but for crying aloud, don't act like its the equivalent to playing Russian roulette with a double barrel shotgun.
goggles? Lol, that huge stick at that speed could probably pierce a hole through your head. I doubt goggles would help.
And maybe you missed the "giant metal helmet" part. The only thing unprotected is the eyes. And it's not like they aim the lances for the eyes, it's splinters that hit the eyes, and goggles would definitely help out there.
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I would like to see this is person... definitely beats medieval times, though I am still unsure how safe this is. Is there a statistic on injuries from this?
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On January 31 2011 22:44 Sm3agol wrote:Show nested quote +On January 31 2011 22:16 Morfildur wrote:On January 31 2011 22:06 Sm3agol wrote:
Believe it or not...the helmets they used were BADASS, they just weighed a ton. The only thing they lacked was good eye protection. Throw some really good goggles underneath those helmets and you're comparatively safe. You people need to remember that this is what people back then did for FUN and SPORT. If it killed every other person that tried it...then it wouldn't have lasted very long. And the romans let gladiators kill each other for fun and sport... Humans are still primitive, they love others engaging in things that could kill them. The more blood and the more danger, the more fun the spectators have... and back in those days those tournaments were political: Win in a tournament with a chance of losing your life, get noticed by the king, gain land/command/the hand of his daughter... There is no reason for risking your life now, so why should you? Just for the adrenaline rush? If Kings did it for fun.....it couldn't be that dangerous. Seriously. I'm not saying that it's as safe as playing chess....but for crying aloud, don't act like its the equivalent to playing Russian roulette with a double barrel shotgun.
You conveniently left out the fact that a king did died jousting.
Here we have, 2 guys on horses with rather heavy gears charging at each other at a respectable speed. The force of impact is enough to be able to send splinters through your brain, and lances are known to dent or even penetrate steel armor. The impact hurts, and then you have to worry about not falling of the horses the wrong way after that. How much more dangerous could that get?
The nobility in medieval Europe did a lot of stupid shit for fun btw. Except for a special few, most can pretty much be described as rednecks.
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On January 31 2011 17:20 Kolvacs wrote:
I'd enjoy the sport :D.
Hows that any different then two people (or more) tackling each other in football?
You aren't trying to drive a really big stick through the other guy's chest at high speed and potentially kill him when tackling each other in football.
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fucking FUCK YEAH. Id watch the shit outta this.
im taking my little cousins to MT in a few weeks and i am probably more excited than them
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I just made plans to go to The Knights of Valour at their next event. That sword fighting video was so impressive. I didn't even know stuff like this happened.
EDIT : And I'm more than a little upset how much of this thread is complaining about safety and intelligence quotients.
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On January 31 2011 21:28 Keniji wrote:Show nested quote +On January 31 2011 16:20 KwarK wrote:On January 31 2011 15:31 travis wrote:
It doesn't seem like a very good idea to me.
One of those kings, I forget which one but one of the badass ones died from jousting. The lance thingamajig broke on his chest, and went up through his visor and through his eye into his brain. He lived for a while longer but the doctors then didn't know how to help him. Exact same thing happened a few years ago on some jousting being done for a tv programme. I was just going to ask if they have at least some modern day modification like plastic in their visor that protect them from splinters. I guess not.
The article with the inquest stated that the guy who died didn't have a proper jousting helmet on at the time, which i can only imagine was a significant factor in how he died.
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Haha some real haters in here. I thought it was awesome, lol.
Anyways it looks like they're trying to get the sport to go bigger, hoping to attract the "extreme sports" crowd. I can't say I feel they'll have much of any success with this. One of the founders mentions the rise of MMA and such an says he hopes to attract that sort of audience. Best of luck to them in that regard, but I have my doubts it'll ever catch on. Still, I'd looovee to see this live.
At casual glance, it does look just like two 'tards cantering towards each other and swapping sloppy blows. But those horses are going at roughly 25-30 mph when they collide, (so anywhere from 50-60 mph type of collision). That's pretty hardcore. And there are some elements of modern safety. Obviously any modern tempered steel is going to be wayyy stronger than the crude metals used in the medieval period.
But I maintain that anyone who's ever ridden a horse could not possibly think this was an easy sport to pull off, lol.
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On February 01 2011 02:58 Sinensis wrote:
I just made plans to go to The Knights of Valour at their next event. That sword fighting video was so impressive. I didn't even know stuff like this happened.
EDIT : And I'm more than a little upset how much of this thread is complaining about safety and intelligence quotients.
Awesome!! Shit I can't wait until they next come out to the east coast! Which tourney are you going to?
If you liked the sword fighting video, you should look into the SCA. If you're like me, and slightly afraid of whacking each other with solid wooden swords, you can try Dagorhir, which is very similar, but with padded weapons. I've been going for years, and it is loads of fun. Absolutely the best workout nerds can get!
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hmmmmmmmmmm.... Pretty dumb. Why would you want to re-enact this... You're gonna die at some point. Or animal rights groups are gonna tear you a new one.
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On February 01 2011 03:12 Haemonculus wrote:Show nested quote +On February 01 2011 02:58 Sinensis wrote:
I just made plans to go to The Knights of Valour at their next event. That sword fighting video was so impressive. I didn't even know stuff like this happened.
EDIT : And I'm more than a little upset how much of this thread is complaining about safety and intelligence quotients. Awesome!! Shit I can't wait until they next come out to the east coast! Which tourney are you going to? If you liked the sword fighting video, you should look into the SCA. If you're like me, and slightly afraid of whacking each other with solid wooden swords, you can try Dagorhir, which is very similar, but with padded weapons. I've been going for years, and it is loads of fun. Absolutely the best workout nerds can get!
March 6 & 7
Gulf Coast Renaissance Fair
Pensacola, FL
I'll probably go both days. Maybe I'll see you there?
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On January 31 2011 20:52 eu.exodus wrote:
jousting?
2 guys riding towards each other on horses, with armour on and wood in hand, aiming it at someones chest with the goal of knocking the other guy on his ass at the risk of poking out an eye?
Why do i fail to see the 'badassery' or entertainment value of this?
you even typed it out
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United Kingdom16710 Posts
As a medieval age/knights buff, it warms my heart to see a thread about this iconic sport. Yes for a modern revival, there should definitely be extra safety precautions like a plastic layer for the eye/breathing slits on the helmet and maybe stab-proof layers under the armour (especially at the joints). Most participants in the medieval days actually looked away before the moment of impact to reduce the chance of lance/shield splinters causing injury. A few who had the guts to not take that precaution often came out on top due to the advantage of having more control at the moment of contact. Then again, the inherent risks involved with the sport is what made it so popular and great in the first place so I wouldn't want to see it dumbed down too much.
To the people saying it is simply 2 men on horseback clashing into each other with sharp objects, you have absolutely no idea how much skill that takes. The equipment itself is incredibly heavy and unwieldly and takes a great amount of precision and skill to use. On top of that, you have to control your mount flawlessly and make sure you're travelling at the right speed at the right timings. I've seen some reenactments at medieval events but those were half-hearted demonstrations. It would be so awesome to see full contact jousting in person.
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Just like any other extreme sport jousting certainly has its risks but those risks are a huge part of what makes it attractive and thrilling to those who participate. It's not like this is the only sport with a significant risk of death - extreme skiing, base jumping with wingsuits, climbing everest/k2, etc.
Anyone who gets involved in jousting or an other extreme sport is obviously aware of this and accepts the risks. Often the people who get injured/killed doing these sports are those who don't respect the risks and are overconfident.
There will always be adrenaline junkies and thrill seekers and if they're okay with the risks you should just enjoy the show!
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If you add eye protection this really should not be that risky. Its not like the lances are pointed. They never get threw that heavy plate. The biggest risk is concussions, and breaking your neck when u fall off the horse.
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It's nice to see medieval martial arts getting a decent revival. Too many times have I seen a couple of nerds romancing about the dark ages playing with sword and armor, trying to entertain a crowd at some festival but knowing nothing of how to use it and probably not even aware of that there are schools where you can actually learn the real medieval martial arts.
Got one school here in Gothenburg, where I took one class. Great guys and lots of fun, unfortunatly I don't have the time to train a third martial art.
Don't know if it's been said, but the schools training medieval martial arts (generally focusing on fencing with long swords) refer to themselves as HEMA (historical european martial arts), if anyone is interested in looking it up. Though I doubt most schools bother with the horses and big armors and stuff for obvious reasons.
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On February 01 2011 03:10 Haemonculus wrote:
Haha some real haters in here. I thought it was awesome, lol.
Anyways it looks like they're trying to get the sport to go bigger, hoping to attract the "extreme sports" crowd. I can't say I feel they'll have much of any success with this. One of the founders mentions the rise of MMA and such an says he hopes to attract that sort of audience. Best of luck to them in that regard, but I have my doubts it'll ever catch on. Still, I'd looovee to see this live.
At casual glance, it does look just like two 'tards cantering towards each other and swapping sloppy blows. But those horses are going at roughly 25-30 mph when they collide, (so anywhere from 50-60 mph type of collision). That's pretty hardcore. And there are some elements of modern safety. Obviously any modern tempered steel is going to be wayyy stronger than the crude metals used in the medieval period.
But I maintain that anyone who's ever ridden a horse could not possibly think this was an easy sport to pull off, lol.
Don't think it's an easy sport by any means. It's just that the way it is now the sport is just waaaay too dangerous.
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EPT
