When you're looking at a steel mace, total weight only tells you part of the story.
Where that weight is located matters too.
We've heard people talk about the "balance point" of a mace and where it should sit along the handle.
Technically, what we're really talking about is the mace's center of mass.
The balance point is where you could support the mace and have it balance. That point corresponds with where its center of mass sits along the implement.
And for the type of mace swinging we're interested in, we want that center of mass concentrated toward the head.
Ideally, the majority of the mass is at the end of the implement, as far away from your hands as practical.
That's a huge part of what makes a mace a mace.
Why Does Center of Mass Matter?
Think about holding a 20 pound object directly against your chest versus holding that same object at arm's length.
The scale still says 20 pounds.
Your body doesn't experience those two situations the same way.
Moving a load farther away from you increases the moment created around the joint or axis you're trying to control. That's one of the basic principles that makes mace training so different from lifting a more evenly distributed implement.
A mace exaggerates this by putting most of its mass at one end of a long lever.
During a swing, that mass travels around your body and continually changes position relative to your hands and body.
You have to control it.
Where Should the Balance Point of a Mace Be?
Take one of our Cadi V2 Maces loaded to 45 pounds.
Even if you try to support it very close to the weight stack, the mace still wants to tip toward the head.
That's because its center of mass is concentrated very close to...or within...the loaded head of the mace.
That's intentional.
If enough mass were added throughout the handle to shift the center of mass significantly toward your hands, you'd change the characteristics of the tool.
You could still make the mace weigh 45 pounds.
But it wouldn't feel like the same 45 pounds.
Total Weight Isn't the Whole Story
This is why comparing maces based only on total weight can be misleading.
Imagine two maces that both weigh 40 pounds.
One uses a relatively light, hollow handle with most of its mass concentrated at the head.
The other gets a significant portion of its 40 pounds from a heavy solid handle or oversized pommel.
Both weigh 40 pounds on a scale.
But their centers of mass are in different places.
The first puts more of that mass farther away from your hands, increasing the leverage you have to control. The second keeps more of its mass closer to your grip.
That changes the demands of the swing.
So saying, "I'm swinging a 40 pound mace" doesn't necessarily tell you everything about the load you're actually controlling.
Why We Use a Hollow Handle
This is one of the reasons our Cadi V2 uses a hollow steel handle.
We don't want to add weight to the mace just for the sake of making the number on the scale bigger.
We want the mass where it matters: at the end of the lever.
As you add plates to the Cadi, you're increasing the mass at the head rather than adding it throughout the handle.
That keeps the center of mass toward the loaded end of the mace and preserves the head-heavy characteristic we're looking for.
The farther that mass is from your hands, the more leverage it creates and the more responsibility you have for controlling it throughout the swing.
What About Heavy Pommels?
The same principle applies to adding significant weight below your hands.
A large, heavy pommel acts as a counterweight to the head of the mace. It adds mass on the opposite side of your grip and shifts the overall center of mass back toward your hands.
That can change how the mace moves and may make certain portions of a swing feel easier.
That isn't necessarily "wrong." There are different clubs, maces, and swinging implements designed for different purposes.
But it does change the tool.
For the style of mace training we practice and design our equipment around, we don't want a large counterweight helping balance the mace.
We want the center of mass toward the head.
And we want the person swinging it to control that head heavy load.
A Heavier Mace Isn't Always a Harder Mace
It's easy to turn mace training into a numbers game.
More weight must mean more difficult.
But that isn't necessarily true when you're comparing two differently designed implements.
A lighter mace with more of its mass concentrated far from your hands can create a significant challenge. A heavier implement with more of its mass distributed throughout the handle may feel very different.
Total weight and weight distribution are two different things.
That's why we're less interested in making a mace heavier simply so we can put a bigger number on it.
The design should preserve the reason we're using the tool in the first place.
For us, that means a lightweight hollow handle, minimal counterweight at the pommel, and the majority of the mass concentrated at the end of the lever.
Put the center of mass away from your hands.
Then learn how to control it.