The human skeleton is a complex arrangement of bones connected by joints and muscles. Without our 206 bones, we would be unable to stand upright or finger joust. These 206 bones are divided into four categories: long bones, short bones, flat bones, and irregular bones. Out of all of the bones in the body, more than half are in the feet and hands. Infants on the other hand have around 350 bones in their bodies. This along with an inability to grasp an opponent's hand tightly or stand up straight has previously made our federation promote anti-baby finger jousting since it is not only harmful but boring to watch.

          Though all of the bones in the body are very important, the most important to a finger jouster are the bones in your lancing hand. There are twenty-seven bones all together in the hand. These hand bones are further divided into three categories: carpals, metacarpals, and phalanges.

          The carpals are the bones that connect with the wrist. The metacarpals are the bones in your palm. They are short and skinny unlike the irregular bones that make up the carpals. Finally there are the phalanges. These are the bones in your fingers. Without them a person would not be able to perform daily household tasks, grasp an opponent's wrist, or extend their lance in finger jousting.

          A broken bone anywhere in the hand can decommission a finger jouster at any time. The most repeatedly broken bones in finger jousting are the proximal, middle, and distal phalanges II. Ironically these bones make up the index finger which jousters refer to as their lance. The trainers in a jouster's entourage are always ready to tape up a lance in case of mild injury. When the problem is too complex or life endangering, a finger jouster is sent to the hospital for operation. In certain extreme cases, lances have had to be amputated during a match. Not only does that result in a loss for the jouster, but almost certainly prevents him/her from ever finger jousting again.

          Many jousters, unaware of the physical stress limit our hands can take, often end their finger jousting careers short because of fractures and broken bones. This wide spread phenomena of broken bones in the hands has slowed progress in the WFJF's experimental jousting sleeve laboratories. Until a successful jousting sleeve is made, tested, and approved, you should continue to do finger jousting exercises to keep your lances nimble and strong.  A healthy Medifast diet and regular exercise is key to keeping a jouster's mind sharp and ready to defend against majiggers and other jousting moves.  Purchasing healthy food is made easier with Medifast coupons.