Author Archives: BartitsuSociety

Vigny Cane Basics with Alex Kiermayer

Posted on April 21, 2024 by BartitsuSociety

Veteran instructor Alex Kiermayer offers a tutorial in the fundamentals of warming up, striking and parrying with a cane in the classic Vigny style. If you’d like much more in the same vein, Alex’s comprehensive, multi-part instructional series Bartitsu: Historical … Continue reading →

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Irish stick sparring/Bartitsu stick sparring comparison

Posted on March 29, 2024 by BartitsuSociety

The ancient art of Bataireacht (Irish stick fighting) has undergone a modern revival closely paralleling that of Bartitsu, and this sparring clip demonstrates the close technical parallels as well. Similar to Vigny stick fighting, Bataireacht emphasizes high guard positions and … Continue reading →

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“Les Apaches: the Gangster Chic of Belle Époque Paris”

Posted on March 11, 2024 by BartitsuSociety

An early heads-up that Tony Wolf will be giving a live Zoom lecture on the “Apache chic” craze of the early 20th century: At the turn of the 20th century, the exploits and styles of Parisian Apache (pronounced Ah-pahsh) street … Continue reading →

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“Bartitsu – Self Defence with the Hooked Walking Stick”

Posted on March 9, 2024 by BartitsuSociety

German HEMA instructor Oliver Janseps demonstrates three canonical Vigny/Bartitsu hooking techniques. Crooked canes are rarely seen in action in sparring, but here’s an experimental bout from back in 2013:

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Jean Lafond, the Magician of Boxe Française

Posted on March 5, 2024 by BartitsuSociety

Thanks to Jean-Pierre LeLoup for this guest-post as a tribute to his late teacher, which has been lightly edited – with the author’s permission – for clarity. At 26, Rue d’Enghien, in Paris, a plaque indicates that here is practiced: … Continue reading →

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“Match de boxe: professeurs de l’École de Joinville (Leon Beaulieu’s flipbook)” – G. Méliès (c.1897 )

Posted on March 1, 2024 by BartitsuSociety

Recently reanimated for the first time in over 120 years, this 10-second clip of a boxe Francaise sparring exhibition between two instructors at the Joinville military school is believed to be all that remains of a lost documentary film by … Continue reading →

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“Titan of the Thames: The Life of Lord Desborough”

Posted on February 12, 2024 by BartitsuSociety

Recommended reading is this brand-new biography of William Grenfell, Lord Desborough, whose many athletic and public service accomplishments included some intriguing associations with Bartitsu. Grenfell was the Master of Ceremonies at Edward Barton-Wright’s famous Bartitsu exhibition at the London Bath … Continue reading →

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“The Attila Gym, Volume One”

Posted on February 1, 2024 by BartitsuSociety

Author David Naimowicz’s book The Attila Gym Volume 1: Reconstructing the Original Method of Professor Louis Attila is currently available via Amazon: This volume is the author’s best attempt to assemble the light and heavy system, its principles, mechanics, repetitions … Continue reading →

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“The British Jujitsu Society and the influence of Kodokan Judo on early jujutsu in the UK”

Posted on January 9, 2024 by BartitsuSociety

Volume 13 of the Martial Arts Studies journal offers this well-researched piece on the history of the still little-known British Ju-jitsu Society. Along with the London Budokwai, the BJJS fostered the continued study of Japanese martial arts in England during … Continue reading →

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Some “new” and unusual snippets of Bartitsu history

Posted on November 25, 2023 by BartitsuSociety

According to an item in the Morning Leader of Tuesday, 29 November 1898, the entertainments for an upcoming charity bazaar were scheduled to include: Mr. E. W. Barton- Wright (who) will on Friday and Saturday give a demonstration of Bartitsu, … Continue reading →

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