As combat performers, we often get obsessed with the improvement of our physical performance. We often assume that the emotional aspect will happen by itself. But, it's important for both choreographers and performers to incorporate the anger and fear and pain and exhaustion of battle into your rehearsal and practice. I've expounded on this before.…
We are all busy -- that's a given. Which often makes it hard to commit to weekly classes or a full series. We say to ourselves "no time this month, I'll sign-up next month". But next month, the same thing is likely to happen. There are good reasons to commit to regular pre-paid classes: …
I frequently shared videos with my Bartitsu students through this blog. Personally, I subscribe to a lot of YouTube channels that share techniques and enjoy learning from their video demonstrations. There aren't many Bartitsu instructional videos out there, so I know I will have to start making some. But while you wait for my…
I’m rewatching a fun horror/comedy called John Dies At the End. It opens with a zombie variant on Theseus’ Paradox. The question posed in this paradox first posed by Plutarch is: If a ship gets damaged a little bit voyage by voyage and is gradually repaired so that every plank of wood is different from…
“From the moment a girl gets to be full-grown, the very first thing she learns When two men go out to face each other, only one returns.” -- Gene Pitney, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Though opinions vary, the most recent revival of academic and practical interest in duelling started about two decades ago. This does…
Read More... from Book Review: "The History and Art of Personal Combat" by Wise
The days are just a little shorter and cooler, and the horses' coats are have gone from sleek to velvety, but there is still plenty of great riding weather left. Here are the fall riding and swordplay opportunities on offer through the Mounted Combat Program. Upcoming Courses To register for courses see the workshops calendar…
As a public service to those who read my blog, but don't visit every other Bartitsu source, I like to offer a digest of recent Bartitsu-related content from time to time. Bartitsu.Org The first article, The Original BJJ: New Discoveries and Speculations re. the Submission Grappling of British Jiu-Jitsu, is a longer piece for those…
Dr. Julian Bailes is a neurosurgeon and a founding member of the Brain Injury Research Institute in Pennsylvania. This year, the International Boxing Association, or AIBA, interviewed him on the topic of concussions and brain injuries in boxing, as it relates to wearing protective headgear. Boxing is one of the four component martial arts of…
“But it must be remembered always that the early masters, professional or amateur, did not regard their art primarily as an exercise, but as a serious preparation for the difficulties their pupils were bound to meet with in after life.” -- Aylward, J.D. The English Master at Arms, 1712 [1]. The Olympics are over, as are the…
Read More... from Post-Olympic Sword Press: News for August 2016
Carosella 2016, our full three-day symposium of mounted combat, horseback archery, skill-at-arms, and horsemanship, is coming up fast. This once-a-year event is an unparallelled chance to immerse yourself in these ancient arts. Whether you're an experienced rider and martial artist, or completely new to it all, there is plenty to engage you all weekend. If…
Do you find it stressful to keep trying the same combat movement again and again, knowing with each pass that it still needs improvement? When working with a partner, does it raise your blood pressure when things go wrong? And as soon as it goes correctly, do you want to stop? Alternately, in some cases,…
Ephemera from the Old Countries No formal blog post this week since I'm on holiday, but here are a few horsey things of interest from the UK and Germany. -- Jen The Suffolk Punch Trust Dover Castle British Museum Early European Collection Brabants at the Belgian border Upcoming Classes Riding & Horsemanship Classes Get…
Bartitsu owes a lot to the stories about Sherlock Holmes written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes is described as practicing Bartitsu, and makes use of that combat skill in several confrontations. The popularity of the series spread the fame of Bartitsu at the time, but more important is that their longevity was the only…
This week I visited the Suffolk Punch Trust in Woodbridge, UK. The Suffolk Punch is the oldest registered horse breed in England, being first recorded as the Suffolk Sorrel in the 16th century. This magnificent animal is a heavy-bodied, medium-height draught horse, bred for farm work and hauling. Its broad chest, steep shoulder, and uphill build…
When we start to work on choreography, we don’t have specific scenes in mind. We don’t have a script to tell us our character’s motivations or what words to use. We often fall back on silly arguments to get our choreography started, and then we take the entire fight less seriously. What are some good,…
What do you do if caught in a tightly packed group of people, some of whom become violent? You may watch the news and see a group of people gathered in a festival who are attacked from the outside, such as the tragedy in Nice on Bastille Day. You may be a peaceful protester who…
In stage combat, we have three priorities: Safety: all movements must have built-in safety so the risk to actors is minimized. Simulation: every movement should look genuine and feature authentic-looking intent. Storytelling: the combination of movements should match each character's personality, level of aggression, goals and further the plot of the story if possible. The…
If one were to ask for a point of commonality between the mountains of the sub-arctic, the arid Highveld, the temperate lowlands of the Vistula, and the oceanic vista of the southern Meseta, HEMA would probably not be the first word that comes to mind. But thanks to the advantages of being a swordsperson in…
Read More... from Serviceable Sword Press: News for June 2016