this post was submitted on 11 Feb 2026
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Because CTE isn't bad enough; give me a huge wooden splinter through the skull.
Those lances are made of balsa wood usually. It makes them explode so dramatically at such low speeds and you aren't getting pierced with a balsa splinter.
Also you're probably not at a high risk to get CTE. They aim for the opposing rider's shield, not the helmet.
Fun fact!
The lances in A Knight's Tale were made of balsa wood and filled with dry pasta so that when they shattered there would be a more dramatic explosion of splinters going every which way.
Getting unhorsed can absolutely give you serious injuries. I didn't know they just used balsa wood though. I imagine it reduces the odds of being unhorsed too.
Yeah, you can see the rider on the right slip off his horse instead of falling off it. Falling off a horse can fuck you up if you don't know how to land or if you get a foot stuck in the stirrup but those are problems even without jousting added in. These guys probably just learn how to take a hit and how to fall in order to reduce injuries. Also a full suit of armor will stop a surprising amount of falling injuries, it's for the same reason why you wear a full suit of body armor during downhill mountain biking. Falling hurts much less with protective gear.