aufschags

Aufschlags, also known as aufschlag, is a concept in European medieval jousting and the associated rules were a part of traditional tournament codes of conduct. The term literally means "stick or impact", referring to the contact between a knight's lance and a target. This target, called an "aufschlagsstab" or "snowbuckler" was typically a form of inclined wooden or metal scabbard that hung from a wooden pole in a certain measuring distance in front of the platform from which the knights rode.

The purpose of the aufschlags was to protect the team and provide a piercing point of impact for the lance. Points were awarded in tournaments based on the strength and place of impact. Points were awarded for hitting the target, or based on damage to the shield and effects of knocking the opponent's lance aside. Additionally, there were principles concerning jousting with the intended use of aufschlags. Like twisting, plunging and deflection, certain moves were obliged to elicit penalties.

Tournaments with aufschlags as an important element of play make up a significant portion of history's spectacle of jousting. These formats, fundamental to traditional tournaments, featured knights not only competing in one-on-one events with lances, but also outfitted with shields and leaning systems, challenging opponents to barricaded positions on fixed stationary shields known as'snowbuckler' or generic broad-faced scissors designed to tempt and test the feats of striking ability on lance. Over the 14th to 15th centuries, the level of safety concentrate of ein Drink fluctuated across singular centers of prevalent schools.