Category Archives: Editorial

A Happy Holiday Season

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 24th December 2011 In the same spirit, we offer what is possibly the only historical example of Bartitsu poetry – from the Western Times newspaper, Thursday 22nd of August, 1901:

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E.W. Barton-Wright’s Birthday

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Friday, 9th November 2012 Today marks the 152nd anniversary of the birth of Bartitsu founder E.W Barton-Wright, who was born in Bangalore, India in the year 1860. Cheers!

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Protecting History: Vandalism at the Historic Hegeler-Carus Mansion Gymnasium

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 2nd February 2013 The Hegeler-Carus Mansion in the town of La Salle, Illinois, contains what is believed to be the oldest preserved residential gymnasium in the United States. As the only known remaining example of … Continue reading

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Equality

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Friday, 29th March 2013

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“What are ‘canonical’ and ‘neo’ Bartitsu?”

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Friday, 28th March 2014 The explosive success of the Sherlock Holmes movies have embedded an awareness of Victorian-era martial arts into the popular imagination. In the wake of that success, it may be useful to … Continue reading

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A Safety Critique of Steampunk Umbrella Fencing/Dueling (or, “It’s all fun until someone loses an eye”)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Thursday, 3rd September 2015 Umbrella fencing, also known as umbrella dueling, is a sport or game that has been played at some steampunk gatherings in the UK and USA. The purpose of this … Continue reading

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Dubious “Self-Defence Umbrella” Initiative by Vodafone India

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Thursday, 27th August 2015 Although they’re presumably well-intentioned, one hopes that Vodafone India and their ad agency will also be shelling out for the extensive training these women will need in order to … Continue reading

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New Discoveries and Speculations re. the Submission Grappling of British Jiu-Jitsu

This article summarises, and presents some recent research into the origins of the “mixed styles” submission grappling matches that took place in London circa 1900.  The term “British jiujitsu” is sometimes used to describe the eclectic blend of jiujitsu styles … Continue reading

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“Engaging Toughs” – The Bartitsu Sparring Video Competition

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Tuesday, 1st November 2016 … by engaging toughs I trained myself until I was satisfied in practical application. –  E.W. Barton-Wright, 1950 Announcing the first international Bartitsu sparring video competition, for prizes of up … Continue reading

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“We don’t strictly train in Bartitsu – can we still enter the sparring video contest?”

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Tuesday, 8th November 2016 Feedback in the wake of our announcement of the international Bartitsu sparring video contest has included this question, both from groups who practice their own forms of neo-Bartitsu and from groups … Continue reading

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