Battle lances had a spear end, but tournament lances were very blunt and relatively large (the aim being to unseat your opponent from his horse, not kill him).
once one of the pair was inseated, usually the 'battle' would continue on foot, with blunted swords.
The aim was to get your opponent to submit, either by disarming him or just plain tiring him out. It didnt usually end in a simulated kill, like the movies show.
Confident_Resolution t1_iuheoxe wrote
Reply to ELI5 How did knights participate in tournaments like jousting without killing themselves? by QuantumHamster
Battle lances had a spear end, but tournament lances were very blunt and relatively large (the aim being to unseat your opponent from his horse, not kill him).
once one of the pair was inseated, usually the 'battle' would continue on foot, with blunted swords.
The aim was to get your opponent to submit, either by disarming him or just plain tiring him out. It didnt usually end in a simulated kill, like the movies show.