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See Jousting Videos!
View short videos taken at a 2002 Virginia ring joust. MPEG and
Windows Media Player versions.
WMV 1 - 20 sec (900 KB)
MPG 1 - 19 sec (5.5 MB)
WMV 2 - 8 sec (750 KB)
MPG 2 - 8 sec (2.2 MB)
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IRONS
| In the accounts of many 19th century tournaments, the ring is
reported to have been suspended from a string or cord. One wonders what happened when the
wind blew. In virtually all modern tournaments the ring is now suspended from a
"iron", which stabilizes the ring. The iron, very simply, is a metal rod
suspended vertically from the center of the arch. The bottom of the iron has a clip made
of spring steel which holds the ring. Experience has taught us to place a pivot joint near
the middle of the iron. This joint moves the iron out of the way should a rider's shoulder
strike the iron, thus eliminating rather painful welts. |
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RINGS
Over the centuries, rings have been made from a
variety of materials. The earliest rings, those used by medieval knights, were metal bent
into a circle with the two ends bent up to form a spring clip. To hang the ring you
squeezed the clip together and pushed the ends into a suspended tube.
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This is the small size ring
used today. The inside diameter is ¼". |
When the knight
successfully speared the ring, it would slide out of the tube. Today the principle remains
the same, however, the ring is perfectly round and is pushed into the clip at the bottom
of the iron.
Rings may be constructed from several types of metal: brass,
copper or steel. They are then wrapped with white cording with a crocheted outer edge.
Dipping the rings in white shoe polish helps seal the cords and give the rings a bright,
white appearance. White chalk powder can also be used.
Today, jousting clubs have "sets" of rings. They are
graduated in size, the largest is 1 ¾", then reducing in size by one-quarter inch
increments to 1 ½", 1 ¼", 1", ¾", ½" and the smallest
¼". The measurement is the inside diameter.
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Learn to Joust 
Home
Fundamentals
Track
Arches
Rules
Horses
Attire and Tack
Lances
Titles
Opening Ceremonies
Coronation and the Ball
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of the feature. Pictures too on the NPR website!