Author Archives: BartitsuSociety

“I Look Forward to the Debate, Sir!” – a Bartitsuesque Fight Scene from “Q.E.D.” (1982)

Posted on December 18, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Tuesday, 19th January 2016 Readers of a certain age may fondly recall the short-lived TV series Q.E.D. (also titled The Mastermind), which screened during the early 1980s. The show featured Sam Waterston as the eccentric former Ivy … Continue reading →

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“A Novel Ju Jitsu Demonstration” (1904)

Posted on December 18, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Sunday, 20th January 2019 This article from the Sporting Life of 21 December, 1904 includes a possibly-unique report of former Bartitsu Club instructors Yukio Tani and Sadakazu Uyenishi working together again during the years following the … Continue reading →

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“British Pickpockets and Their French Brethren” (1897)

Posted on December 18, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Thursday, 24th January 2019 This article from the Dublin Evening Herald of 22 December, 1897 reveals a number of the ingenious mugging and pickpocketing tricks developed by French street criminals.  A few years … Continue reading →

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Canne Vigny and Defense dans la Rue Seminar in Australia

Posted on December 18, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Thursday, 31st January 2019 Instructor and pioneering Vigny cane revivalist Craig Gemeiner will be offering a seminar in Vigny cane fighting and defense dans la rue (early 20th century French street self-defence) on … Continue reading →

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English Edition of “Bartitsu: Historical Self-Defence with a Walking Stick” Now Available via Vimeo and the Freelance Academy Press

Posted on December 18, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Thursday, 7th February 2019 The new English-language version of Alex Kiermayer’s excellent instructional video series is now available as a series of streaming downloads from Vimeo.com. The entire series runs two hours and fifty-four … Continue reading →

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“Street Self-Defence: How to Handle the Hooligan” (1904)

Posted on December 18, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Sunday, 10th February 2019 Originally published in The People newspaper of October 23, 1904, this newly rediscovered article offers a rare glimpse into former Bartitsu Club instructor Pierre Vigny’s Hinde Street school.  Although … Continue reading →

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“The Fatal Objection to All Such Plans …” (1902)

Posted on December 18, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 16th February 2019 The anonymous author of this short article, originally published in the Perthshire Advertiser of 31 October, 1902, makes the valid point that the first rule towards winning a fight is to know … Continue reading →

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“The Colonial Applicant ‘Taps the Mat’” (1917)

Posted on December 18, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 16th February 2019 A spectacular jiujitsu moment from the popular 1917 comedy play Wanted, A Husband, in which the protagonist, a young writer named Mabel, mischievously advertises for a husband to spark ideas … Continue reading →

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Pierre and Marguerite Vigny at the Royal Albert Hall (1904)

Posted on December 18, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Thursday, 10th January 2019 In early 1904, former Bartitsu Club instructor Pierre Vigny set up his own self-defence school in London.  By July of that year he and his wife/associate instructor Marguerite (a.k.a. “Miss … Continue reading →

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“For Women Who Walk Alone: How to Tackle the Hooligan” (1905)

Posted on December 17, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Thursday, 21st February 2019 Subtitled “Ju-Jitsu for Ladies”, this photo feature was originally published the Sketch newspaper of April 12, 1905.  A note reveals that photos 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7 were … Continue reading →

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