It is well known that gangs in Victorian London would use the “Père François” attack in which one ruffian would distract the victim while a second would sneak up behind and throw a bag over their head; and holding the bag straps around the neck, other gang members would go through their pockets and disappear […]

This week, we’ll take a look at at a video that compares Pentjak Silat with Krav Maga (in French). Their goal, as stated by Frank Ropers at the start of the session, is to show both schools that their styles mesh together very well. From a Bartitsu perspective, I love using this type of thing […]

An article from 1928 about H. G. Lang’s walking stick advice posted on Bartitsu.org reminds us of some of the prominent features of Bartitsu, especially suppleness. As Tony Wolf, author/editor of the Bartitsu Compendium and organizer of the Bartitsu Society remarked, this short newspaper piece gives us “nothing groundbreaking”, but here’s the clipping and my […]

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 […]