My first task in covering History Television’s Full Metal Jousting is to actually pick up a jousting lance. The weapon is heavy, though difficulty comes not from lifting it but actually holding it in place and standing ground against even a minimum of opposing force. The combination of brute power and graceful coordination is, I learn, absolutely integral to the sport.

And a sport it is, despite its archaic reputation and ubiquity in medieval dinner theater. Thanks to Canadian Shane Adams jousting has begun to earn its place among the manliest of athletic competitions. Adams brought his years of jousting development to TV producers last year, and the resulting competition/reality show Full Metal Jousting is the sport’s greatest bid for mainstream recognition yet.

After trying out some jousting equipment we spoke with Adams about modern jousting, developing the show and taking the hardest of hits.

What are you looking for in a jouster, aside from physicality?

I like to say it’s UFC on horseback. These guys are, let’s face it, alpha males. They’re the same type of guys who compete in UFC, except they can ride a horse. And that’s why they’ve entered into jousting: this is truly an equestrian sport.



After all your experience and training, can a good hit still knock you on your ass, take the wind out?

Yeah, of course. I get [fierce competition] from my own students. I don’t hold anything back in training. People think it’s crazy to train your [future] competition but to me this is about building the sport.

How did the show start?

I was featured in a New York Times article, “Is Jousting the Next Extreme Sport?” After that my phone was ringing off the hook, production companies and networks. I walked away from a network deal to sign with a production company, but for me it wasn’t about making some docudrama. I wanted a production company that could really tell the public “Jousting is cool.” UFC was doing okay until Pilgrim Films built The Ultimate Fighter [television series] into the supreme arena for mixed martial arts.

They helped make it cool, and helped make it a respectable, legitimate sport.

Right. At the same time they were building the sport they were building a fanbase, allowing people to realize the ins and outs of the sport. Not just going in and kicking somebody’s ass, but using tactics and technique needed to be a pure fighter. Our show is using the same formula, but with 85 lbs. of armor, an 11 ft. lance and a 2,000 lbs. horse.

Is jousting a great spectator sport?

Absolutely. This was the sport of kings! Superbowls of the 16th century given a rebirth.

How important was historical accuracy in creating Full Metal Jousting, considering the danger of the sport as it was originally conceived?

That was hard. I’m a traditional jouster with traditional [equipment.] I was stuck in the past, but I learned the only way to build the sport was to take it out of renaissance festivals, take it out of medieval fairs and show it to the public in a new format. That’s why we gave the suits a facelift. They’re still suits of armor but given a more modern look. The sport was and really still is dangerous. But underneath the armor you add protection, padding, wrist braces. Give a guy a mouthpiece and see what happens ...

Like, let’s just make sure these guys get up in one piece.

The helmet locks into a neckpiece like a race car driver’s, so we don’t get a broken neck.

You mentioned that being able to ride a horse is incredibly important, but to the observer  that importance might not be so obvious, as the animal is essentially just running straight.

A lot of people think it’s easy. “Oh, I can ride a horse and carry a big long stick.” But put on the big suit of armor, and have another athlete coming at you with the same stick. That’s the true test; let’s see if you have the heart to hold onto the weight of that lance. These guys come from different riding backgrounds but they’ve never ridden in a military jousting seat. Jousting has its own riding disicpline and all contestants had to adapt to that. The ones that didn’t hit the ground pretty quick.

Is the sport unisex?

Absolutely. Unfortunately no women made the cut for this show ... my wife was like “Are these women crazy?” But there are more female and male equestrians and many have done all that can be done in horse riding. Jousting is another thing, something they’ve never been able to use to test their experience.

The “impact,” the hit, is I assume the payoff of the sport for spectators and I think the production team has done an excellent job translating that to screen.

They did a great job, even though there’s only so much you can do to show people what it actually feels like to get hit at 20 m.p.h.

When it came to picking the final contestants was there a big gap between the guys who could take the hit and stand up again, and those that couldn’t?

There was. I had some big, 300 lbs. athletes who thought they could handle it, but ironically they were the first guys to leave. Not to say they weren’t tough, but that combination of riding and physical ability ... that’s a fine line. You can put a 180 lbs. rider against a 260 lbs. rider and the smaller guy will kick butt because of his connection with the horse. That’s where the true power of the hit comes from: that 2000 lbs., four-legged partner underneath you charging at full speed. It’s not a rodeo; man and horse work together as a team.

Full Metal Jousting airs Wednesdays @ 9 p.m. on History Television. Read more about Shane Adams here.