Category Archives: Antagonistics

“Glima: Wonders of the Secret Sport of Iceland Which Beats Ju-Jitsu” (1911)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Thursday, 6th December 2018 This self-defence article by the Icelandic wrestler and showman Johannes Josefsson was published in the Sydney Sun newspaper on June 9th, 1911. Readers familiar with the basics of both jiujitsu and … Continue reading

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“Carry a large stick” (1901)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Sunday, 29th September 2013 To the Editor of the Evening TelegraphDublin, February 10, 1901 Dear Mr. Editor – I see by your issue of Saturday an extract from the February number of “Pearson’s” … Continue reading

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“The Best Self Defence” (1910)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Thursday, 3rd November 2011 Some sound advice in this article from the Australian Northern Star of November 25, 1910. The anonymous writer may well not have been aware of Bartitsu, which actually included … Continue reading

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“Foiling the Ubiquitous Thug” (1912)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Thursday, 27th October 2011 A selection of illustrations from the New York Tribune article Unarmed Citizens May Here Learn How To Foil The Ubiquitous Thug (March 10, 1912).

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Professors of Self Defence

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Thursday, 2nd December 2010 I resolved on putting myself into the hands of some professor of self-defence, who whilst he knocked me about for his amusement, and worked me into a state of … Continue reading

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“Actual Self-Defence” (from “The Complete Boxer”, 1914)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Thursday, 21st February 2019 Some sound advice from author J.G. Bohun Lynch, on the subject of street self-defence particularly from the boxer’s point of view.  Mr. Lynch’s recommended defence against a kicking attack … Continue reading

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Martial Exotica: Kusarigamajutsu in London (1919-23)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Sunday, 12th November 2017 Founded by Gunji Koizumi in 1918, the London Budokwai remains the oldest Japanese martial arts club in Europe.  Former Bartitsu Club instructor Yukio Tani taught there for many years, shaping the … Continue reading

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“The Claims of Ju-Jitsu” (The Sportsman, 4th May 1906)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 2nd September 2017 The following letter to the editor of The Sportsman was written during the ongoing “jujitsu vs. boxing” controversy of 1906-7. The “boxing vs. jujitsu” debate was typically argued from a theoretical … Continue reading

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John Steed’s Umbrella-Fu

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 2nd September 2017 Secret agent John Steed (Ralph Fiennes) wields a mean brolly in this training sequence from The Avengers (1998). Choreographed by the great English fight director William Hobbs, Steed’s impeccable umbrella-fu was … Continue reading

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“Clever and Adroit”: More on the 1902 Nottingham Bartitsu Exhibitions

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Wednesday, 5th April 2017 The following article from the Tuesday, 25 March 1902 edition of the Nottingham Journal is the most detailed report yet discovered on the short series of Bartitsu exhibitions held in … Continue reading

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