Armored classes

Armoured Combat Class

Popular belief says that once a person is in armour they can’t move very well, that if a person in armour falls down they are unable to get back up. Many movies would have us believe that when someone was in armour they were so heavily encumbered that they needed to be hoisted onto their horse with a crane. Armour is heavy, but it’s not really that bad.

The average suit of late 15^th century or 16^th century armour weighs somewhere between 70 and 100 pounds. You can certainly have heavier suits made, but if you have a good suit that is made in the proper fashion, it doesn’t have to be any heavier than this. Some of the armourers in today’s market do wonderful work that is tailored to the individual and allows such freedom of movement that the person wearing the armour can sit comfortably on the ground. The modern Marine carries about 85 pounds of equipment in his pack and on his belt. Unlike the Marine’s equipment, a suit of armour is connected to the body in several places and the weight is distributed all over the body.

When one is in an armoured fight, it seems that gravity is stronger. Because of the extra weight that is being worn, if the combatant’s center of balance is too high or they lean a little it doesn’t take much of a push or slip to cause them to fall. In our school we know that when you are wearing armour you will most likely fall at some point; therefore, we practice falling and getting back up. We also practice running, tuck and rolls, and sometimes even cartwheels. This mobility means that we are able to stay on our feet, and if or when we fall, we are better able to get back up.

We are also led to believe that the armour was so heavy that once a knight was armoured up, he had to be hoisted onto the back of his horse with a crane. That is true, but only partly. In war harness, the knight would practice and train so that he could move, run and jump while in armour. In fact, Richard III of England, best known from Shakespeare’s play of the same name, rode his horse onto Bosworth Field for his final battle, and in the midst of that battle he had two horses killed under him. That means he had to remount a horse twice in the heat of battle. He could not have done that if he needed to be hoisted onto his horse with a crane.

In the later history of jousting, armour was built up to protect the jouster from harm. Extra protection was needed, particularly in the areas they were most likely to be hit, similar to the padding of football players today. These knights were known throughout Europe for their prowess and expertise. They were the professional athletes of their day.

The jousting suit was different from the war suit. Sometimes, a jouster would have extra parts of armour that could be bolted onto his war harness to add to his protection. These added-on pieces of armour for jousting were called garnitures. They were held onto the armour with wing nuts that were invented for the purpose of adding protection to a suit of armour.

You can find out more about knights and jousting at Leeds Royal Armouries.

The training for our armoured combat begins with suiting up in armour then taking a ¼ mile walk. We also practice climbing a ladder (both sides) in armour, striking a tractor tire with an 8 or 10 pound sledge hammer while in armour, and other sword and footwork drills. In addition, we practice lying down on the ground in different positions and getting back to our feet as quickly as possible. We also do tuck and rolls and short runs. Armour is more about endurance and tactics than it is about brute strength. Though strength is important, hence the drills.

If you want to know more about armor we recomend that you take a look at this Pictoral Armor Glossary.