Here’s a selection of items of note from the Bartitsu Society of late. Salford Scuttlers Check out this two-part video on the Scuttlers problem of 1890s Manchester: Scuttlers of Manchester 1/2Watch this video on YouTube This is exactly the sort of street violence that Bartitsu was intended to counter. Comparing Vigny and Barton-Wright I highly…
St. Patrick's Day was this week, so let's celebrate the shillelagh, or blackthorn walking stick and its fighting style. As Jon Mills explained in his post, the general Irish term for stick fighting is Bataireacht. The shillelagh itself is a single piece of blackthorn or oak about three feet long. Longer sticks were called wattles…
At our rank exams, we evaluate students by how they demonstrate certain techniques alone and against a partner, as well as their use in sparring. Many students are most nervous about the competitive aspect and not being able to plan exactly what will happen in the sparring component. However, I see more students get reduced…
This post first appeared on VictorianMartialArts.com and is republished with permission. Indian clubs are a quintessential staple of any (real or imagined) scene depicting a Victorian Gymnasium or training hall. As they grow in popularity due to their current revival in fitness circles, it’s easy to miss the fact that these useful tools are not…
This week, I’m jotting down some rumination on the connection between writing and martial arts, so I don’t have a thesis or a lesson to teach, but the reader can follow my musing toward their own meditation on the topic. I’m partially inspired by Major Wes who sent me a copy of the book on…
A recently translated book shows a combination of martial arts taught for Japanese police officers in 1888. It was translated by Eric Shahan, who specializes in translating 19th- and 20th-century Japanese martial arts texts. Read the article on LiveScience. Samurai Secrets: 1888 Martial Arts Manual for Cops Revealed I have to mention the caveat that…
The single most important factor in learning any new physical skill is general strength, or the ability to press and pull with different parts of your body in all directions. By conditioning, we generally mean the endurance to perform work over an extended period of time. Both general strength and conditioning are essential elements to…
It's both emotionally satisfying and productive to summarize the previous year and take stock. In this blog, it can also have a benefit to the reader to gather the links and events from the previous year in one place. So, I hope this retrospective benefits you as much as compiling it benefits me. Articles In…
We'll have more whip cracking workshops in the new year, and your instructor, David McCormick, spends hours every week plaiting new whips out of nylon paracord. Hand-made paracord bullwhips are durable and have a great crack. The core is filled with steel balls (shot) to give the perfect heft and momentum. The outer 12-plait overlay…
In many old boxing books, they claim that the first question students ask is "How shall I stand?" but I've never had a student ask such a question. However, it is the first question to ask yourself when you think a fight is about to start -- whether you have just stepped into a competitive…
This week, I am left speechless. We have three items that could spawn entire essays because there’s so much to exclaim about each one. Instead, kindly read each and think about the implications. Yes! Taking away the fear of punching girls in training. http://boxwrestlefence.com/kajaswords/2015/11/26/hitting-girls/ Nope! Selfie-sticks as self-defence weapons? http://metro.co.uk/2015/11/23/theres-now-a-self-defence-class-teaching-people-to-use-selfie-sticks-as-weapons-5519563/ Double yes! Rank examinations were…
Our sympathies go to the victims of the Paris terror attacks yesterday and their families. Like all terrorism incidents, we are all affected. How were the attacks coordinated? Who bears the responsibility? We don’t know at present, and it’s not important to today’s post. The question is: what you would do if a terrorist attack…
The body does the same things every day: sleep, eat, walk. The mind does different things every day: remembering, planning, having different conversations, seeing changes in the world. The body therefore benefits from novelty. Try a new skill. Eat something from a different culture. The mind benefits from consistency. Meditation at the same hour every…
An excellent series of videos -- Mastering Savate by Professor Salem Assli and Panther Production -- has been uploaded to YouTube from VHS instructional tapes. Here is part 2 of the series which defines many of the core kicks and concepts: Mastering Savate 2 - Fundamental TechniquesWatch this video on YouTube If you want your kicks to…
At Open Floor on Friday night, there were several attempts at single-leg takedowns, but not with a lot of success. My main advice was to stay low and twist while driving the shoulder. The goal is not to lift the opponent, but to take them down. Picking the leg then twisting will prevent them from…
We just came across this delightful video which is so fitting, since we have one of our super fun Umbrella Self-Defence workshops this Sunday October 11th, 1pm - 5pm. Come and learn what an awesome self-defence tool your brolly is! London BrawlingWatch this video on YouTube This Week on Duello.TV It's the beginning of a…
I've noticed a bunch of videos in my news feed recently about punching. If you want to improve your hand strikes, check out these tips: The Lead Punching with the hand that is already forward is known as a jab in modern boxing. It’s considered a light punch because there’s not much room to accelerate…
You know the expression about teaching a man to fish instead of giving a man a fish. In the case of self protection, sometimes it’s a matter of teaching someone to fish compared to giving them a picture of a fish. Indian Vodafone Initiative Tony Wolf posted this video on the Bartitsu.org blog, along with some commentary: The…