Category Archives: Antagonistics

Vigny Cane Basics with Alex Kiermayer

Veteran instructor Alex Kiermayer offers a tutorial in the fundamentals of warming up, striking and parrying with a cane in the classic Vigny style. If you’d like much more in the same vein, Alex’s comprehensive, multi-part instructional series Bartitsu: Historical … Continue reading

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Irish stick sparring/Bartitsu stick sparring comparison

The ancient art of Bataireacht (Irish stick fighting) has undergone a modern revival closely paralleling that of Bartitsu, and this sparring clip demonstrates the close technical parallels as well. Similar to Vigny stick fighting, Bataireacht emphasizes high guard positions and … Continue reading

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“Les Apaches: the Gangster Chic of Belle Époque Paris”

An early heads-up that Tony Wolf will be giving a live Zoom lecture on the “Apache chic” craze of the early 20th century: At the turn of the 20th century, the exploits and styles of Parisian Apache (pronounced Ah-pahsh) street … Continue reading

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“The Brutal World Of Bare-Knuckle Boxing In Victorian Britain”

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The Bartitsu Compendium, Volume III reviewed by the Martial History Team

After buying and surveying the first two volumes in this series, I had to buy volume III when it arrived in 2022. My copy of The Bartitsu Compendium, Volume 3: What Bartitsu Was and What it Can Be is a massive paperback measuring 8 … Continue reading

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“The Police (of the Future)”, 1886

The letter to the editor of the Daily Chronicle that inspired this cartoon referred to the advantages of wicker-work shields (which actually were in use by some police departments during the late 1880s) and noted that the quarterstaff should be … Continue reading

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“Mrs. Pankhurst’s Bodyguard: On the Trail of ‘Kitty’ Marshall and the Met Police ‘Cats'”

Self-defence historian Emelyne Godfrey’s long-awaited new book is now available from Barnes and Noble and other booksellers. Some of the most extraordinary narratives of the radical women’s suffrage movement are those of the Bodyguard – a secret society of martial … Continue reading

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Dr. Emelyne Godfrey Reviews The Bartitsu Compendium, Volume III

Boasting over 600 pages, the long-awaited third edition of the Bartitsu Compendium is a real treat, being an exploration of Bartitsu yesterday and today, ideal for both new students of martial arts as well as the general reader. This anthology … Continue reading

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Announcing The Bartitsu Compendium, Volume III

Published 120 years after the Bartitsu School of Arms in London closed its doors for the last time and marking the 20th anniversary of the modern Bartitsu revival movement, the Bartitsu Compendium, Volume III is now available from Amazon. Over … Continue reading

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“Speculations on the Slungshot”

A recent search through the archives revealed this long-forgotten, 2007-vintage article speculating on the martial use of the Monkey’s Fist or slungshot, a weapon associated with ruffians (especially sailors on shore-leave) rather than with ladies and gentlemen. The article was … Continue reading

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