Discussion of concussions often centres around contact sports. Here in Canada, news is made when hockey players must miss games, and the same is true of American football, and the most relevant for this Bartitsu blog: boxing. All you really need to know is hitting your head is bad. What is a concussion? “Concussion” means […]

Why do we study self-defence? To be prepared for a situation that may never happen: a personal attack. Let’s take a look at other problems we normally prepare for, and situations we often ignore. Don’t Panic Take the advice of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. When reading over these negative scenarios and thinking about […]

Cancelled Saturday, 26 May – 1:00pm to 5:00pm Learn the mixed martial art of the Victorian English Gentleman. In this four-hour workshop, you’ll acquire the essential Bartitsu skills of Boxing, Jujitsu, Savate and Cane fighting: the basic punches of scientific boxing and the first defensive moves of pugilism, the first throw from jujitsu and how […]

There are many weapons contemporary with Bartitsu, but not included in the canonical system. Bartitsu was developed for personal defense in the street, using only what the gentleman would have at hand: the walking stick or bare hands. The personal weapons popular with proper men at that time were mainly used in the duel: the […]

The similarities are striking. Or the kicking. Good writing does not happen through bad puns. Targeting the Shin and Knee The common advice among all practical forms of self-defence regarding kicks is: “Never use high kicks.” I hope you’ve heard that before, so I won’t spend too much time explaining the reasoning. The higher the […]

Are you up to scratch? Ready to “toe the line”? Or are you down for the count? Take a swig of aqua vitae and put up your dukes… Pugilism Some martial artists really love the terminology and the exotic names in foreign languages. Fisticuffs, on the other hand, uses English words for the techniques, but […]

Let’s start with an analogy, not only because I have faith that my readers understand analogies, but also because you’re guaranteed to understand this one: Jedi is to lightsabre as Steampunk is to Bartitsu Jedi don’t have to use lightsabres (in fact, I’m surprised there aren’t more who eschew them), it’s just appropriate and therefore […]

On Sunday, one of our most popular workshops debuts for the new year. Here’s a smattering of what we’ll learn: Fairburn-Style Javelin-Style The London Riots (no laughing matter… feel free to chuckle, though): Penguin-Style (not Linux, you geeks!) Batman: Umbrella Attack (Flash game) http://dcbeyond.kidswb.com/games/umbrella-attack Poppins-Style If you can find one, I’d recommend the Poppins, which […]

What is this marvellous fighting style from Victorian England that includes distractions, low kicks, and controlling the balance and reach of attackers? Why, it’s Bartitsu! Plus a little Wing Chun, since that’s Robert Downey Jr.’s previous training. Bartitsu Workshop This Saturday 10-December is an Introduction to Bartitsu workshop at Academie Duello in downtown Vancouver. For […]

Ending Violence the Bartitsu Way 4 (click for part 3: To The Pain!) Here’s what we’ve covered so far: Guarding the Mark: Fight ends due to inability to breathe or other life-threatening problem The Knockout: Fight ends because they are rendered unconscious and cannot continue To The Pain!: Fight ends when every movement (or any […]