thatdarncat
Overlord of Chat
Before I start, I will say that I have NEVER been to MT. I have however worked at Reniasance Festivals, specifically for a company of knights. The knights I worked for were very professional, and their goal was to present as realistic a show while ensuring that no one will be seriously injured.
When you see a show at MT all the combat is scripted. The actors use fake armour and breakaway lances. The knights I worked with used solid wood lances, with tips made from balsa wood (the balsa wood won't punch through armour like the solid wood will, but otherwise transmits the force of the blow quite well!) Armour is likewise the real thing (heavy! And hot - especially in the full noon sun in mid August)
The knights I worked for had three contests. Ground fights, baston and lance. Ground fights were scripted - too dangerous otherwise. Baston (Two knights, on horseback, beat each other over the head with wooden clubs until one surrenders) are not scripted, and definitly full contact - no one's pulling their hits. Lance is also full contact and not scripted - the knights get paid a fairly large bonus for unhorsing their opponent.
The actual jousting does suffer somewhat from the necessities of safety. The biggest conession to safety is the length of the lanes. Because the horses are only given a short space to charge - 20-30 feet - they won't pick up enough speed to look very dangerous.
The jousting is dangerous - broken fingers and dislocated shoulders are common. When I was home last, Seri and I lucked out and were able to visit the local reniasance festival. The knights had been to an international tournament a couple of weeks before, and were showing it. Many of the knights were banged up. The head knight had 5 broken bones in his right hand and a dislocated shoulder.
I'd really recommend going to see REAL jousting over MT. Besides, going to a Reniasance Faire, you get a whole day's worth of much more varied entertainment.
When you see a show at MT all the combat is scripted. The actors use fake armour and breakaway lances. The knights I worked with used solid wood lances, with tips made from balsa wood (the balsa wood won't punch through armour like the solid wood will, but otherwise transmits the force of the blow quite well!) Armour is likewise the real thing (heavy! And hot - especially in the full noon sun in mid August)
The knights I worked for had three contests. Ground fights, baston and lance. Ground fights were scripted - too dangerous otherwise. Baston (Two knights, on horseback, beat each other over the head with wooden clubs until one surrenders) are not scripted, and definitly full contact - no one's pulling their hits. Lance is also full contact and not scripted - the knights get paid a fairly large bonus for unhorsing their opponent.
The actual jousting does suffer somewhat from the necessities of safety. The biggest conession to safety is the length of the lanes. Because the horses are only given a short space to charge - 20-30 feet - they won't pick up enough speed to look very dangerous.
The jousting is dangerous - broken fingers and dislocated shoulders are common. When I was home last, Seri and I lucked out and were able to visit the local reniasance festival. The knights had been to an international tournament a couple of weeks before, and were showing it. Many of the knights were banged up. The head knight had 5 broken bones in his right hand and a dislocated shoulder.
I'd really recommend going to see REAL jousting over MT. Besides, going to a Reniasance Faire, you get a whole day's worth of much more varied entertainment.
