Author Archives: BartitsuSociety

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

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Bartitsu and early British jujitsu with Tony Wolf

Martial arts podcasters Gavin Davies and David Brough interview Tony Wolf on the past and future of Bartitsu, with a bonus pro-wrestling anecdote.

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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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“What is the mysterious Western martial art Bartitsu, used by Sherlock Holmes?”

Martial artist Niimi Satoshi offers some creative interpretations of neo-Bartitsu techniques.

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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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Light Unarmed Sparring

Some more light, speculative Bartitsu-style unarmed sparring from the Highland Broadsword Society. Note the savate inflections and the moment of standing grappling. Milling the fists and destructive elbow blocks are characteristic of the “secret style of boxing” believed to have … Continue reading

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“Bartitsu” in Street Fighter 6

The incursion of Edward Barton-Wright’s New Art of Self Defence into modern pop-culture continues via the new Street Fighter 6 fighting game, in which the main villain, known as “JP”, is portrayed as a Bartitsu expert. This isn’t the first … Continue reading

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Historical Pugilism

These bouts of light, technical pugilism sparring are also a good approximation of Bartitsu boxing as alluded to and partially described, but unfortunately never detailed, by E.W. Barton-Wright. Note especially the use of “chopper” (hammerfist) punches and destructive elbow guards. … 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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Antique English jujutsu gi discovered

Thanks to David Brough for passing along these images of an extremely rare antique English jujutsu gi, which was discovered inside a suitcase in an English antiques shop. The suitcase also contained a 4th-edition copy of the Text-Book of Ju-Jitsu, … Continue reading

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