- Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Monday, 31st August 2015
Highlights of a hard contact Bartitsu cane sparring match at the Forteza Fitness and Martial Arts studio in Ravenswood, Chicago.
The fighters are using 3/4″ diameter, 36″ rattan sparring canes from Purpleheart Armory, tipped with solid rubber blunts to simulate the steel ball handles and asymmetrical balance of a Vigny fighting cane, and are protected by standard 3-weapon fencing masks and street hockey gloves.
Targets in this bout included the mask, gloves and arms, torsos and thighs. Standing grappling was also allowed, but unarmed striking, throwing and ground-grappling were disallowed in this bout, to focus on thrusting, striking and parrying with the canes.