Category Archives: Antagonistics

“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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Bartitsu and Suffrajitsu in York, U.K.

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Monday, 29th October 2018 Instructor Lauren Ireland of the York School of Defence will be teaching a six-week introductory course in Bartitsu and suffrajitsu.  The course will take place between 8.30-10.00 pm on Wednesday … Continue reading

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Bartitsucon 2018 Classes and Instructors

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 20th October 2018 Participants in the upcoming Bartitsucon 2018 event will experience the full range of Bartitsu training, along with some related skills, as taught by no fewer than six instructors.  In … Continue reading

Posted in Antagonistics, Bartitsu School of Arms, Boxing, Canonical Bartitsu, Instruction, Jiujitsu, Savate, Sparring, Vigny stick fighting, Wrestling | Comments Off on Bartitsucon 2018 Classes and Instructors

“The Problem of Lancashire Kicking” (January 30, 1880)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 20th October 2018 When E.W. Barton-Wright introduced Bartitsu at the turn of the 20th century, the English (or, at least, the middle-class London) bias against kicking was well-established.  The reasons for that … Continue reading

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“Jiu-jitsu Against Boxing” (1906)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Tuesday, 2nd October 2018 Victor Breyer’s rather intricate article from La Vie au Grand Air of January 12, 1906 illustrates some of the puzzles faced by European fighters in adapting to Japanese jiujitsu.   … Continue reading

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“The Perfect Lady’s Weapon”

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Monday, 6th August 2018 Writing in The Sketch of December 1st, 1958, journalist Marjory Whitelaw looks back to the Edwardian era, when “perfect ladies” carried concealed pistols and knew just where to point them. THE first … Continue reading

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