A Report on the 2015 UKBA Bartitsu Gathering

  • Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Wednesday, 3rd February 2016

A report on the recent UKBA Bartitsu Gathering via http://ordinaryvisionary.tumblr.com:

ukba gathering

“Organised by the Bartitsu Irregulars, the Bartitsu club I (very) irregularly attend, the Bartitsu Gathering kicked off Sunday morning in Basingstoke and it included three seminars and sparring time.

The seminars were:

Kenton Clarke-Williams (Basingstoke Bartitsu Irregulars) – Everything but the Cane: unarmed techniques in cane fighting.

Peter Smallridge (Basingstoke Bartitsu Irregulars) – Punching in Pajamas: using grips to enhance striking for counter-grappling.

Sam Wigand (Metropolitan Bartitsu Club): – Beating the Unarmed Man: self defence with a cane against an unarmed attacker.

I really enjoyed all.

Hungry for unarmed knowledge as I always am, it’s no surprise I enjoyed the first two. The first looked at unarmed techniques vs an opponent armed with a cane, the second was grappler vs striker with the emphasis on the striker, which I found refreshingly unusual. You tend to hear more the other way around. Both seminars reminded me of techniques I learn in traditional Jujitsu, so that was excellent cross training for me. The third seminar was basically the opposite of the first, cane techniques vs unarmed opponent. I’m normally not so much into sticks but the cane’s the iconic Bartitsu tool so after incidentally learning a little bit here and a little bit there about it over time, it’s starting to grow on me and Sam Wigand did a good job in keeping the seminar fun and interesting.

Even the M25 cooperated to make it a good Sunday, no queues going up to Basingstoke, which might well be a first. The only downside of the day for me has been attending with a still sore big bruise I got competing in Longsword in Helsinki a week ago. It is exactly in the spot of my left arm that I need to block and break fall with. It annoyed me to no end in drilling and though I managed to have a go at sparring with sticks and a little wrestle, it really prevented me from enjoying the free sparring time more, as I would normally do.

Other than that, a good way to spend my Sunday at a well put together event. Well done to all involved!”

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