Every year, a few weeks before the Alka Tournament starts, the alkars start practicing their spearing skills at rehearsals (prove). Prior to the alka, which is held on Sunday, the Bara is held on Friday, and the Čoja is held on Saturday. These are introductory competitions that are played before the Alka itself, and they provoke great interest in the Cetina region.

In the days of old, the winner of the Bara gained the right to get hay from the Alkarica or Alkarska meadows owned by the Alka Knights Society in Sinj. Today, the winner of the Bara symbolically receives 2-metre piece of green baize in honour of this ancient custom, while the winner of the Čoja receives a 311-metre piece of red čoja (čoja=baize, which was once the finest cloth and the prize the winner of the Alka received). The Bara and Čoja competitions are held according to the same rules as the Alka, but without ceremonial attire. Between 11 and 17 alkar spearmen must participate in the Alka competition.

No one can fit up the alkar so well for the knightly tournament as his mother, sister or wife.

The alkar, watched by the members of the household and usually followed by curious youngsters, slowly rides along the streets of Sinj towards the home of the commander, where the commander musters the alkar spearmen and the chieftain musters the alkars’ squires. From there, they head towards the Duke in the Duke Halls (i.e. Alka Halls) to the sound of the brass band music. At the Halls, the standard bearer, Duke’s adjutant, standard bearer companions, Edek horse with its guides, shield bearer and mace bearers have already gathered.

Before the group heads towards the racecourse, the Duke performs the final inspection of the fitness of the alkars and their squires for the competition. If any deficiencies are found in the attire, equipment or weapons of any of the participants, they are disqualified from the Alka.

The Alka standard bearer, accompanied by two to six companions on horseback with drawn sabres, carries the flag of the Alka Knights Society with the image of Our Lady of Sinj.

The alkars are the true likeness of the knights that defended Sinj in the battle of 1715. They wear the costumes of old, with a sabre hanging at their hip and a spear in their hand. As a symbol of masculinity, they also often grow moustaches, just like their heroic forefathers used to do. While racing, the alkars hold their spear in their right hand, and point it towards the alka ring when they are near it.

The spear of the alkars is made of wood. It is 290 to 300 cm long, with a diameter of 33 millimetres, and it has thirty-centimetre-long iron point on its tip. Just below half the length of the spear is the apple, a fixed wooden ring which protects the hand from being hit by the alka. At the bottom of the spear there is a butt, a space filled with lead to keep the spear’s balance when spearing the alka. The spear is grey in colour, while the apple and butt are brown.