How did knights participate in tournaments like jousting without killing themselves?

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If movies have not lied to me (😜), knights’ tournaments are involve hacking, slashing, and jousting each other. How did they not kill each other using such weapons or speed on horses? And if it was actually dangerous, why did they participate?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Jousting required specialized equipment.

Primarily, heavier armor. A full suit of normal plate weighed about sixty pounds. Hefty, but that’s similar to what a modern soldier carries into battle, and knights were [surprisingly mobile](https://youtu.be/qzTwBQniLSc). Jousting armor was much heavier and thicker, especially in the torso, by comparison.

Also, the lances were designed to limit penetration, either by blunting it or other methods to spread out the point of impact.

However, fact is that jousting was very dangerous and there were several fatalities over the centuries.

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