Frequently Asked Questions

WFJF
Finger Jousting
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WFJF

Q. Who is in charge of the WFJF?
A. The man in charge of the WFJF is the Lord of the Joust: Julian Gluck. Lord of the Joust is synonymous with the title of president. He is also the owner and founder of our organization.

Q. What does the WFJF do?
A. The WFJF acts as the administrative body over the sport of finger jousting. What the NFL is for football and the World RPS Society is for Rock Paper Scissors, the WFJF is for finger jousting. For more information read about us on the Federation webpage.

Q. Why would I want to be an official member?
A. There are many reasons why one would want to become an official member of the WFJF. To learn about the benefits of joining our federation go to our Membership webpage.

Q. What exactly does the hierarchy do?
A. The hierarchy is currently an inactive mock board of directors and advisory council for the WFJF. We are currently working on setting up the hierarchy to be an effective part of the administration process. The hierarchy will be made up of the most intelligent and dedicated finger jousters from around the world. For more information, go to the Hierarchy webpage.

Q. How do I become a hierarch?
A. You need to fill out an application for a certain position that you qualify for. You must be an official member of the WFJF in good standing and have a bit of free time. Also you need to have a picture of your whole body (preferable showing physical fitness), a headshot (upper shoulders showing), and your right arm (in a finger jousting pose, flexing). Just read the information on the hierarchy and fill out a Hierarchy Application.

Q. I'd like to challenge the WFJF to a match.
A. That’s not a question; that’s a statement. We've been sent this request before, and we would like to clarify to those who do not know what a governing body is. The WFJF is not a team of finger jousters; we are the organization in charge of all finger jousting tournaments spanning the globe and the writing of all of the rules and regulations of the sport. Competitors joust under the guidance of the WFJF not against the WFJF. Membership just entitles one to be able to joust in WFJF events.

Q. How do I become a federation partner or event sponsor?
A. There are many benefits for entities that wish to become partners of the WFJF and sponsor our tournaments and other events. For more information, please go to our webpage on Sponsorship & Partnership or check out our original Sponsorship article. For a list of federation partners, please go to our Partners webpage.

Q. How do I become an official (referee or marshal)?
A. We will be releasing more information in the future about the WFJF's referee and marshal certification program. Until then, please read our article on Referees and Marshals.

Q. How do I have a tournament endorsed or sanctioned?
A. If you would like to have an official tournament in your area, please contact us.

Q. Why do you capitalize the F and J in FingerJoust.com?
A. We capitalize the F and J in FingerJoust.com to show that finger joust is two words. We capitalize the letters in promotional material and when discussing the name of our website rather than the URL which is www.fingerjoust.com.

Finger Jousting

Q. What is finger jousting?
A. Finger jousting is a sport that can be played anywhere with just two people. The only requirements are that you have an arm, hand, index finger and thumb; these would have to be all on your right side of the body since those must be used in tournament play. If you are new to the sport, read the Basics. It includes a brief history, rules, etiquette, and how to play.

Q. Why would anyone play finger jousting?
A. First of all you don’t play finger jousting. It’s not a game; it’s a sport. People participate in finger jousting, because you can do it anywhere, and it's fun, entertaining for spectators, and good exercise.

Q. Who invented finger jousting?
A. No one knows who the true inventor and father of finger jousting is. Most jousters would agree that the godfather of finger jousting is Julian Gluck (The Lord of the Joust) who modernized the sport. If you believe in the pseudo history, then the true inventor of finger jousting would be God himself.

Q. What is the pseudo history?
A. The pseudo history is the most widely believed origin theory on finger jousting. The WFJF made known at a conference that ". . . though the pseudo history may not be irrefutably true, it is an important thread in the fabric of finger jousting.” We tend to stay out of the way of discussions on origin theories since it is a touchy subject similar to religion. The WFJF is more concerned with the modern history of finger jousting. For more information on this origin theory read our article on the Pseudo History.

Q. What does [finger jousting term] mean?
A. Refer to our webpage on Terminology.

Q. Where can I find the complete set of rules for finger jousting?
A. The unabridged rules and regulations can be found here: 2007 Unabridged Finger Jousting Rules and Regulations.

Q. Where can I find some finger jousting action?
A. The WFJF is based out of LaGrange, Georgia, USA, the global hotbed of jousting. Membership in the WFJF is wide-spread and jousting can be practiced anywhere you can imagine: your home, backyard, while travelling in the courtyards of cheap hotels, Disney World hotels, finger jousting can even take place on the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower. One of the Federation's stated goals is for the steady globalization of the sport of finger jousting starting in the United States, India, Great Britan, Canda and Japan. For more information on events and how to get involved in the sport check the website or contact the WFJF.

Q. What do I do if I am left handed?
A. Unfortunately if a player is left handed, he must still joust with his right arm for tournaments. That is because most of the population is right handed. It shouldn’t take too much practice to be able to learn to joust with your right arm if you are left handed. We discourage and oppose of jousting with the left arm in leisure matches and in tournaments. All competitors in official tournaments must use their right arm or it is an automatic disqualification. Our R&D Department is currently working on a way to make it more fair for left handed persons in finger jousting.

Q. What happens if someone loses grip and lets go?
A. If you can prove it was directly someone’s fault, then first they get a warning. After that, if it is point play, then the person who lets go loses a point; if it is quick play, then the person gets one more warning. For the third offense, it is an automatic loss for the person who lets go. If a jousting sleeve is available then that should eliminate the losing grip problem. After each offense a new round begins. If the offense is both or no one’s fault, then there is no penalty and another round begins.

Q. What if I don’t have a right arm, hand, or index finger?
A. We are terribly sorry for the want-to-be jousters that can’t participate because of a physical disability. We hope that scientists advance in research and development of prosthetic limbs with myoelectric neuromuscular control. This would enable an arm, hand, or index finger amputee to perform all of the human movements. With this kind of technology, amputees would be able to finger joust.

Q. What if my opponent doesn’t follow through with his pre-match spoils agreement?
A. Legally there is nothing we can do for you. However, if your mediator is an attorney or if you sign a legal contractual agreement; then you may be able to do something. If the person is a member, we can talk to him and possibly revoke his membership. We urge you all to only make spoils agreements that you will follow through with. Your honor and possible friendships are at stake. Also we prefer that you do spoils matches only with members so that we can help maintain the agreement.

Q. How can I train for finger jousting?
A. If you are looking specifically for strength training read our article ironically called Strength Training.

Q. What are the recommended ages for finger jousting?
A. Anybody can finger joust. There are babies that are raised on finger jousting, and many elderly players who joust at retirement homes. On average, most finger jousters' ages range from the mid teens to early twenties. To compete in an official tournament, the minimum age is currently 16.

Q. Who finger jousts?
A. Why everyone finger jousts; well, at least everyone who is cool. If you're talking about demographics, the average finger jouster is usually a 7 to 27 year old male and is often of above-average intelligence, plays video games, and is computer savvy.

Q. Has anyone ever been seriously injured while finger jousting?
A. As with all contact sports, there is a slight risk of injury in finger jousting. We recommend that all competitors wear eye protection, even if you wear prescription glasses, and groin protection (if male). Though the risk of injury is very slight, one can get hurt. As far as we know, no one has ever died or seriously injured while finger jousting. However, some historians believe that a significant number of witches were killed at the hand of finger jousting in 1692, and the sinking of the Titanic was caused by finger jousting. To learn more about those instances, refer to the Pseudo History.

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Q. Who makes your products?
A. Our cards are made by our own card printer. The bumper stickers and t-shirts are made by our graphic arts company Mud Creek Graphics near Federation Headquarters. Our t-shirts are of the highest quality as well as all of our products which use high quality printer inks.

Q. Is the World Finger Jousting Federation a certified seller?
A. Yes, we are a verified seller through PayPal. You may see for yourself here.

Q. What is a jousting sleeve?
A. A jousting sleeve is a glove that fits around both competitors' connected right hands while jousting. It has two holes where each person's index finger pokes out. Using one in a match greatly reduces the amount of accidental hand separations. The prototypes are still in the alpha stage and being conducted by our R&D Department.