IT’S the sport where getting hit isn’t just inevitable, it’s the right thing to do.

Staying out of harm’s way is a top priority for athletes in almost every sport in the world. For the select bunch that is the world’s elite competitive jousters, things are a little different.

“You actually go out of your way to give your opponent the opportunity to hit you,” Dutch jouster Arne Koets told foxsports.com.au.

“It’s very much about taking the hit while striking yourself and showing that you can do so. That’s what you’re trying to show.”

The etiquette of giving your opponent a fair crack relates to jousting’s history. The ancient art was used in the Middle Ages as a way of determining if knights (and their horses) were courageous and skilled enough for battle — and willing to be hurt or killed for the greater good.

It’s fair to say Koets has mastered the art of putting his body on the line. He’s suffered countless concussions, bone breaks and some seriously scary near-misses.

He says the sport’s brutality will be on show when he competes at this weekend’s International Jousting Championship in Sydney, being broadcast live on FOX SPORTS.

“There’s a distinct amount of violence,” Koets said.

Dutch jouster Arne Koets. Source: Facebook

THE RULES

Competitive jousting features armour-clad ‘knights’ thundering towards each other on horseback, armed with long, wooden, steel-tipped lances aimed toward their opponent.

Jousters attempt to break their lance on their opponents’ shoulder guard, de-horse him and send him flying to the ground.

Koets, one of the most experienced and respected jousters in the world, says the sport’s spectator appeal comes from the medieval dress, the skilful horsemanship on show and especially the big hits.

“Especially when you watch it live, you really notice the impact with the historical lances. You can just tell it’s really, really hard and it’s spectacular,” Koets said.

“There’s a lot of (horse rising) elements to it ... If you’re a rider, then you can relate to what we have to do to get the horse down there but everybody can relate to the smack.”

Dual world jousting champion and event favourite, Australian Rod Walker. Source: Supplied

THE CARNAGE

While advancements in armour and safety equipment have made the sport much safer in recent years, things can - and do - still go wrong. And it can hurt, a lot.

In his 2000-odd matches around the world over the past decade Koets has suffered some shocking injuries, including being nearly blinded by a lance to the eye.

“My cornea was ripped off … that was a narrow escape,” Koets said.

“I’ve broken ribs, I’ve had 15 broken wrists, countless concussions, cracked teeth and a had a horse accident that meant I had a crack in my skull.

“Many of those were older injuries when the equipment wasn’t as good. It’s become a lot better but occasionally, things still do fail.

“It’s a bit like Formula One – they’ve made it much safer over the years but, at the end of the day, you’re driving a fast car and that’s dangerous, so the same goes for us.”

Jousting will be broadcast live for the first time this weekend. Source: News Corp Australia

THE MOTIVATION

Overcoming injuries and pain isn’t the only challenge for competitive jousters. Becoming an international competitor takes a lot of money, time and disciplined training.

“You need to really want to do this,” said Koets, an accomplished rider who first gave jousting ago when a friend asked him to fill in for an event ten years ago.

But the ability to immerse himself in history, the thrill of competition and the strong relationships forged makes it all worth it for the Dutchman.

“The (jousting community) is very close. Put simply you kind of say to each other ‘hey, you know my life? It’s on a little silver plate and do what you want with it’.

“As a result you create bonds very quickly.”

THE FUTURE

In recent years there’s been a push for jousting, the ‘original extreme sport’, be included in the Olympics.

Koets doubts it will ever happen, though, and believes the strength of jousting lies in its purity as a martial art.

“It’s definitely growing very much as a spectator sport,” he said.

“You can see now, it’s beginning to take flight in Russia and there’s been more of this historical style of jousting in France and England.

“It’s something people are very willing to see and it’s we should keep in the forefront of our mind that it’s part of heritage.”

A crowd of 15,000 is expected for Sunday’s St Ives Showground event, which event involves Australian jousters Rod Walker, Phillip Leitch and Luke Binksat.

The International Jousting Championship will be broadcast live on FOX Sports Channel 503 from 3.30pm AEST on Sunday. More HERE.