Lance
From Karate, Kungfu, Wrestling, Mixed Fighting Information Source
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The Lance is a pole weapon based on the pattern of the spear but adapted for mounted combat. The lance is perhaps most known as one of the foremost weapons used by european knights, but the use of lances were spread throughout the old world wherever mounts were available. It is another weapon difficult to define as a single design. Generally, the lance was a horseman’s spear which occasionally had a handguard built in. Some could be thrown as well as thrust (Indian, Asian, and American Indian lances were like this). A lance usually consisted of a wooden shaft with a socketed metal head attached. Broader, spear-like heads were used for war while narrower heads were used for tournaments and training.
In Europe, lances for jousting were much different from the weapons used in war. In jousting lances, the tips would be blunt and the center of the lance could be designed to be hollow, in order for it to break on impact. In war, lances were much more like ordinary spears, long and balanced for one handed use.
History
Characteristics
The Lance is a little longer than the standard spear, heavier, and sturdier. The Lance is a weapon designed for use from horseback, so its head is usually fixed onto the shaft with more reinforcing. The jousting lance was used exclusively for thrusting rather than throwing. These lances were broader at the base than the tip in order to help the knight counter balance the long length of the lance as he held it with one hand. Jousting lances were constructed of wood with metal reinforcements at the breaking points; a metal jousting lance would be far too heavy for anyone to pick up, let alone manage while riding. The lance at left is an example of a jousting lance; the wider, fluted section of the lance is the handguard. Any other type of lance is essentially a spear.
