I have this picture of melee fights where if a heavily armored fighter (like a knight in full plate armor ) falls on the ground, it will take him considerable efforts to stand up. Thus rules associates with the hook maneuver (loose half of CP next round) would be too 'nice' for plate armored knights, who would be likely to spend a few rounds trying to stand up while taking lot's of blows because they can't defend easily.
So, can someome with some experience in armored fightings tell me if being thrown to the ground was a big no no for knights or simply a mere inconvenience ?

Julien

While wearing full armor, a knight was expected to be able to vault into the saddle of his warhorse without using the stirrip, Chimney climb up a wall, and cross a moat without drowning.*

Any image you have of big heavy "can't get up without assistance" armor is purely hollywood.

*from a period French training manual, the source of which would take me some time to look up again.

Valamir wrote: While wearing full armor, a knight was expected to be able to vault into the saddle of his warhorse without using the stirrip, Chimney climb up a wall, and cross a moat without drowning.*

Any image you have of big heavy "can't get up without assistance" armor is purely hollywood.

*from a period French training manual, the source of which would take me some time to look up again.

That would be a pretty noteworthy knight, even by the standards of French chivalry. I remember reading an account of the daily training of Jean de Meingre (aka Boucicaut) which entailed that sort of thing (I remember it specifically mentioned how he would climb a tall ladder in armour, using only his arms. However, Boucicaut was, in his day, one of the top two of three knights in all of Europe, so using him as the example would be like basing the health regimen of all racing drivers on Michael Schumacher's.

Nonetheless, the profession of arms was a full-time profession in the middle ages. The mounted conrois of the Crusader States trained together multiple times per week, just like a modern army. Medieval knights wouldn't have been universally in optimal condition, but they largely lived a life of vigorous physical activity.

Still, armour's not that heavy. I'm no physical powerhouse and I've been knocked down many (MANY) times wearing a 14th c. style transitional harness and never had any trouble getting up*. A fully equipped US Army paratrooper carried more weight into battle than a fully equipped knight of the mid-13th century, and armour weights tend to drop off after that. In period accounts (and my own experience), the weight of armour is much less of a factor than heat from exertion.

*Except the one time my pig-faced visor got stuck in some soft earth.

Except the one time my pig-faced visor got stuck in some soft earth.