Author Archives: BartitsuSociety

“Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Jujitsu Suffragette”

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Wednesday, 19th December 2012 The Weaver Hall Museum in Cheshire, U.K. will be hosting this event between 2.00 – 5.00 on Saturday, Jan. 26th.  According to the organisers: In 1899 a young woman and her … Continue reading

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“… brutal flicks of peaky blinders …”

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 22nd November 2014 The historical drama series Peaky Blinders is named for a fearsome Birmingham street gang armed with razor blades sewn into the rims of their flat “peaky” caps.  But did that really happen? … Continue reading

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The Martial Athletics of Diana Watts

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 1st May 2010 Even before Edith Garrud began teaching jiujitsu classes for the women and children of London, Emily Diana Watts was pioneering the way for female martial arts instructors in the Western world. … Continue reading

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Combining Vigny Cane and Jiujitsu in Canonical Bartitsu

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Tuesday, 8th March 2016 If I have been fortunate enough to interest the readers of this Journal in one of the many forms of “Bartitsu,” I shall hope to describe later in another article a further … Continue reading

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“Gentleman Jack” Gallagher Brings Umbrella Fighting to the WWE

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Wednesday, 27th December 2017 Mancunian pro-wrestler “Gentleman Jack” Gallagher is a rising star of World Wrestling Entertainment due to his (mostly) unflappable charisma, technical grappling style and distinctly Bartitsuvian umbrella-fu, as seen in … Continue reading

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“John Steed’s Sword-Stick”: an Umbrella Fighting Tutorial from The Avengers Annual of 1967

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Tuesday, 2nd January 2018 Having already addressed the umbrella combat of debonair super-spy John Steed in general terms, our attention now turns to some of the specifics, as delineated in The Avengers Annual of … Continue reading

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Adam Adamant: an Edwardian Gentleman-Adventurer in Swinging ’60s London

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Tuesday, 2nd January 2018 Popular enough in its day but almost forgotten over the past four decades, the mystery/adventure TV series Adam Adamant Lives! was intended as the BBC’s answer to The Avengers.  Both series featured … Continue reading

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“To Defy the Hooligan: Advice to Ladies” (1905)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 6th January 2018 A satirical self-defence article from the Bristol Magpie of February 2, 1905: NOTWITHSTANDING there are already numberless systems of self defence extensively advertised and practiced, Magpie hopes to be … Continue reading

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“The Art of the Cane” (1912) Revisited

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 3rd February 2018 The article “L’Art de la Canne” originally appeared in the Revue Olympique of May, 1912.  The anonymous author provides a rare technical description and some analysis of Pierre Vigny’s … Continue reading

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“Suffrajitsu” Back in the News as UK Celebrates 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Tuesday, 6th February 2018 February 6, 2108 marks the centennial anniversary of (limited) women’s suffrage in the UK.  As numerous cultural and media organisations mark the anniversary, here are some current and upcoming … Continue reading

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