Author Archives: BartitsuSociety

“Gouged Eyes and Chawed Ears” – the History and Folklore of Rough-and-Tumble Fighting via the Works of Robert E. Howard

Posted on December 11, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

The once-celebrated and now little-known “manly art” of rough-and-tumble fighting, a.k.a. “gouge fighting”, is explained in this video by pulp fiction scholar Jeffrey Shanks. If you’re intrigued to learn more about rough-and-tumble, in purported fact as well as fiction, be … Continue reading →

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In Memoriam: Honor Blackman (22 August 1925 – 6 April 2020)

Posted on December 11, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

English actress and self-defence advocate Honor Blackman has died at the age of 94 years. After studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Blackman landed small feature film and television parts until her 1962 breakout role as Cathy … Continue reading →

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“I Charged Like a Bull” – Australian Writer/Composer Kenneth Duffield Recalls Wrestling with Yukio Tani

Posted on December 11, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

During early-mid 1902 the Bartitsu Club instructors embarked on a largely successful exhibition tour that was to prove to be their “last hurrah” as a collective unit. Their venues included the Oxford Town Hall, Cambridge University, the Shoreditch Army Camp, … Continue reading →

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A Review of “Bartitsu: Historical Self-Defence with a Walking Stick”

Posted on December 11, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 5th January 2019 Here follows a review of the new English-language edition of the instructional DVD Bartitsu: Historical Self-Defence with a Walking Stick According to Pierre Vigny, which was originally released with German-language … Continue reading →

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“At Them, Girls!” How the Amazon Defence Corps Trained to Take on Nazi Invaders

Posted on December 11, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 17th June 2017 During the fraught summer of 1940, the people of England were bracing themselves for a seemingly inevitable invasion by the German army.  While politicians dithered over whether women should … Continue reading →

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“Guards which are not at all like the guards taught in schools (…)”

Posted on December 11, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

In this video, instructor Argent Bracci demonstrates some examples of destructive elbow guards applied to the noble art of fisticuffs: As Edward Barton-Wright noted in the 1901 article Bartitsu: Its Exponent Interviewed, orthodox boxing/savate defences – as typically taught to middle-class … Continue reading →

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Percy Longhurst Takes On Yukio Tani (September 11, 1901)

Posted on December 11, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

Despite considerable popular interest in the jiujitsu exhibitions of Yukio Tani and Sadakazu Uyenishi during 1901, many critics declared that they would withhold their judgement until they’d seen the Japanese style in earnest action against a European champion or two. … Continue reading →

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Keeping a Safe Distance in Victorian London

Posted on December 11, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

The mid-19th century moral panic over garroting gangs (urban street muggers) reached its absurdist conclusion in this Punch Magazine cartoon, suggesting the invention of a reinforced hoop skirt frame to keep garroters at a safe distance. Sadly, while scholars agree … Continue reading →

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Andres Morales Demonstrates the Integrated Stick Method

Posted on December 11, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

Andres Morales of Santiago, Chile performs a solo drill exhibiting techniques from his Integrated Stick Method, which largely combines the Vigny and Bonafont styles.

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Bartitsu at Home: Tommy Joe Moore Teaches Cane vs. Multiple Opponents

Posted on December 11, 2020 by BartitsuSociety
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