The elements of an armour suit, The Palace Armoury at the Grandmaster's Palace, Valletta, Malta. The joust was part of a manner of living of the Order of St John. As proof of it, a lance rest, the metal detail, attached to the right side of a breastplate, is visible in this photo. The lance rest was used to stop the backwards movement of the lance after a blow during the joust by means of a grapper, a ring of wood or metal fixed to the lance behind the hand grip, placed on the front edge of the lance rest. This allowed the spreading of the force of a blow through the breastplate to the body of the wearer and the redirecting it away from the hand or the shoulder thus reducing the possibility of an injury